Kraken Trade Up, Select LW with the 141st pick

Wingers in the Fifth Round? Trade Up for Those!

Hard as it is to believe, the NHL Draft used to be infinite�teams could keep picking players until they ran out of options. Eventually, the Draft was shortened to 12 rounds, and now it's down to seven. The odds of late-round picks making it big are slim: a decade of drafts from 2000-2009 showed only about 8% of 5th and 6th round selections played 100 NHL games or more.

Counter Arguments

1. **Recent NHL Stars from Late Rounds:** Mark Stone, Joe Pavelski, Ondrej Palat, Cam Atkinson, and Jesper Bratt�all drafted in the 6th round or later�have made significant impacts in the NHL. Bratt, in particular, is now compared to 2024 Kraken 1st round pick Berkly Catton.

2. **Unpredictability of Young Players:** Despite extensive scouting, predicting what an 18-year-old will become by their mid-20s is nearly impossible. Personal experience with my own kids, Alex and Rachel, underscores this uncertainty.

The 2024 Draft

Held at the Sphere in Las Vegas, the Seattle Kraken traded their 6th round (169th) and 7th round (201st) picks to the Florida Panthers to acquire Florida's 5th round pick (#141). With this pick, the Kraken selected Clarke Caswell, a 5-foot-11, 170-pound left wing from the WHL Swift Current Broncos.

Scouting Reports

Pension Plan Puppets: Caswell had a breakout season, leading his team with 26 goals and 77 points in 68 games. He ranked 5th among U18 players in the league. In the playoffs, he tied for second on his team with 9 points in 9 games.

EliteProspects: Caswell excels at winning body position and forcing turnovers. He quickly moves the puck and plays a strong give-and-go supporting game. His sophomore season saw a jump from 20 to 51 assists, indicating significant development.

Caswell will continue with the Broncos, but if his progress remains steady, he's poised to become a standout player for the Kraken.

Let's welcome Clarke to The Deep!