Los Angeles - With the 8th overall selection in the 2025 NHL Draft, the Seattle Kraken have selected Jake O’Brien from the Brantford Bulldogs of the Ontario Hockey League. This marks the second year in a row that the Kraken have selected 8th overall, taking center Berkly Catton of the Spokane Chiefs in 2024.
O’Brien is a 6’2”, 170 lb center who recently completed his second season in a Brantford Bulldogs sweater. This past year, he came 3rd in team scoring with 32 goals and 66 assists in 66 games. In his first season with the Bulldogs in 2023-24, he earned the Emms Family Award for OHL Rookie of the Year, along with selections to both the CHL All-Rookie Team and the OHL First All-Rookie Team. This past January, O'Brien was named captain of the Eastern Conference team for the Connor McDavid OHL Top Prospects Game. He earned MVP honors for Team East after notching 3 assists.
"Displaying close to x-ray vision, O’Brien spots the tiniest seams between skates, under sticks and above them. He sees through multiple defenders and behind his back, spotting teammates running at the back post and attacking a few steps late. When he can’t spot a lane, he creates it, shifting defenders or faking a shot before dropping the puck to teammates."- EliteProspects 2025 NHL Draft Guide
Jake will look to fill in with other Kraken center prospects like Berkly Catton (Spokane Chiefs), Carson Rehkopf (Coachella Valley Firebirds), and Nathan Villeneuve (Sudbury Wolves) in the upcoming Kraken Development Camp in Seattle starting next week.
Time will tellI how O’Brien, along with the Kraken’s other picks will fare with this being the first Seattle Kraken draft with Jason Botterill at the helm as General Manager after Ron Francis held that role for the first 4 seasons. In his years as the Buffalo Sabres GM from 2017-2020, Botterill selected players like Casey Mittlelstadt, Rasmus Dahlin, and Dylan Cozens each in the first round.
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Kraken 2025 Draft Targets: Jake O'BrienAs we continue to look at 2025 NHL draft-eligible prospects, we head to the OHL to analyze center Jake O'Brien and what he could provide the Seattle Kraken if they drafted him with the eighth overall pick.
O’Brien featured photo via chl.ca
O’Brien hero photo via chl.ca