Kraken call up prospect Jani Nyman
By Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA - On a scheduled off day and following a tough road loss to the Eastern conference leading Washington Capitals in the second half of a back-to-back, our Seattle Kraken recalled forward prospect Jani Nyman from their AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds. The 20-year-old Finnish forward has impressed this year in the American Hockey League as a rookie, leading the Firebirds in goals (26) and total points (41) as Coachella Valley sits in the second seed of the Western conference and sixth in the entirety of the league despite being largely made up of prospects for Seattle, a change from a typically veteran-laden group the last few years when they made runs to the Calder Cup final. A second round selection in the 2022 NHL entry draft, Nyman has been known as a dual-threat scorer that has strong finishing qualities due to the power of his shot and the off-puck movement that he uses as a skater in order to create opportunities to get shots on net. With Seattle’s hopes for the postseason out of reasonable reach and the opportunities to get eyes on players from their AHL affiliate in order to get an idea of what they could bring to the NHL roster next season, it makes sense that we will see a few call ups for the Kraken over the course of the remaining 17 games in the 2024-25 campaign and Nyman has earned the right to be the first to get that call.
“I’m not saying he is these players ... but the style he looks like is similar to a Rantanen and similar to a Laine. Like, a big body that can really shoot a puck.”
Seattle Kraken forward prospect Jani Nyman during the teams September 27th, 2024 preseason game against the Vancouver Canucks at Climate Pledge Arena. Nyman recorded three shots, one block, and one hit in 13:42 minutes of ice time. (Photos by Rio Giancarlo for Circling Seattle Sports)
Rewarding an excellent showing
While this time of the year is typically used to get a look at a teams prospects for a few games before being sent back down to their affiliate club, the Kraken calling up Nyman is a clear reward for the way he’s performed in his rookie season at the AHL level after spending the majority of his hockey career in the Finnish Liiga. His shot will get a lot of attention, a heavy and powerful weapon that he’s been able to use to push to a tie for third in the AHL in goals scored and the leader among rookies, but an area that’s been noticeably improved is his skating ability. The big frame that Nyman possesses at 6’4” and 220 pounds is a big change from the majority of Seattle’s forward group, so he’s already got an advantage over a bunch of prospects with that size and heavy shot, but those two characteristics alone won’t make you a consistent player at the NHL level. The skating has taken a big jump and has helped him perform at the high level this season, especially considering the sort of transition he’s had to make to North American hockey after being in Finland from 2017 to part of 2024. Nyman got some previous experience with the Firebirds late into the 2023-24 season, as he joined Coachella Valley towards the end of the regular season while also appearing in nine playoff games. He didn’t light up the scoresheet across the 14 total games he appeared in, tallying three goals for three total points and four penalty minutes, but the experience he was able to get with that group of veterans and the coaching staff in addition to postseason play in one of the better hockey leagues in the world has paid off this season. Nyman’s all-around game is far more present and he’s able to use that heavy shot often, with both of those possible because of the jump in his skating ability. All in all, it’s impressive to see Nyman handle this transition to a new country and new league well and hopefully he’ll feel welcome at the NHL level as well considering he has a few fellow Finns in Eeli Tolvanen and Kaapo Kakko.
This was coming, but who is next?
With the sort of performance that he’s put on through just his rookie season in the AHL and the frame he possesses as a forward, plus the comments that Ron Francis had made over the last few days regarding the fact that they want to call him up, it’s no surprise that Nyman got this call and likely debuts in the next few days. Taking that into consideration and moving on, what other “baby squids” could be up next to get the call and spend some time with the Kraken before rejoining the Firebirds for their eventual Calder Cup playoffs (even if they haven’t clinched just yet) run? A few key names that come to mind would be Ryan Winterton, Logan Morrison, and Ville Ottavainen. Winterton and Morrison both joined the team around this point last season, on March 24th, 2024 to be exact and re-assigned to Coachella Valley on April 12th, and have both had solid seasons over the course of the current campaign. There are some other top forward prospects on the roster for the Firebirds, see Jagger Firkus and Eduard Šalé as top end options while Lleyton Roed has made some noise in the system as well, but it seems unlikely that those names will be making their way as a call up soon for different reasons as Firkus is still trying to build his frame as a smaller player while the Kraken may not want to bring Šalé up to Seattle even for a short time as it seems he’s been comfortable in Coachella Valley this year after a tough time in the OHL last season.
Morrison (5th in goals, 4th in assists, and 3rd in total points) and Winterton (3rd in goals, 8th in assists, and 5th in total points) have put together productive seasons this year as they’ve helped lead the youth movement for the Firebirds, and getting a look at them this year as they’re closer to spending time at the NHL level makes sense. Winterton is a player that’s been projected to be a top six winger by some scouts, and with the Kraken having some forward spots open this summer and in need of a jolt offensively, this is the opportunity for Ryan to get himself on Francis’ radar as someone that could crack the roster for opening night next year. With his shooter mentality and solid frame, plus some time with Seattle at the NHL level here and there over the last two seasons, look for Winterton to potentially get the call. Morrison is a fun story, as he’s an undrafted forward that the Kraken signed to an entry level contract after some impressive seasons with the Hamilton Bulldogs and Ottawa 67’s in the OHL. A player that’s consistently involved in the play and never shied away from physicality, especially on the forecheck, it might’ve been a bit of a surprise to see him called up with Winterton last season but he’s put together another solid stat line this year, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see him back. Ottavainen would be my pick from the defenseman group, even though I like Ty Nelson more as a prospect. Ville Ottavainen is a big player (6’5”) that stands players up at the blue line and tends to make good plays with his stick to take away space. He’s not a super flashy player on the back end, that’s more Nelson’s game, but his frame and his consistency may be what the Kraken look for in a call up since he and Ty are the only two defenseman prospects that are close to the NHL with the rest of them largely in the WHL. Nelson could be a lot of bring up, due to his skill and personality, but it seems unlikely only due to his smaller frame. The frame is the only thing that makes me think otherwise, but don’t get it twisted: Ty is a very fun player to watch and my hope for the next home grown blue liner to play for Seattle. “Nelly” is a hyper-active, physical, puck-moving defenseman that has four-way mobility to match attackers as they skate through the neutral-zone and has the desire to wall off access to his own end, even if, for that, he has to come to a stop at the blue-line and literally force the opposition to dump the puck in. He puts his body on the line defensively and his motor is non-stop, so he’s a clear candidate to root on as he develops his own game.
What’s next?
Following the news of Jani Nyman’s call up from the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds, with his NHL debut seemingly coming up at some point during the teams impending three-game homestand at Climate Pledge Arena, our first chance to get a look at Nyman this time around will most likely be the teams practice tomorrow on Tuesday, March 11th, 2025 at the Kraken Community Iceplex. That scheduled practice, which is not open to the public, is the teams likely only normal practice as they typically hold a standard session the day before a gameday and then hold an optional morning skate the day of. Seattle’s next game comes on Wednesday, March 12th, as they’ll host the Montreal Canadians at Climate Pledge Arena with a puck drop time of 7:30PM PDT that will be broadcast live on the Kraken Hockey Network (Amazon Prime Video), KING 5, and KONG. Nothing is set in stone yet, but this could be the game that Nyman gets to make his NHL debut in and the timing of this call up highly suggests that his first game as an official NHL player will come at some point during this homestand. Plenty of tickets remain for this game between our Kraken, who are well out of a playoff spot and a call up such as this seems to signify that even more in addition to them selling at the trade deadline, host a Canadiens team that
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