Kitchener forward Carson Rehkopf headlines nine Day Two draft picks for Kraken
KITCHENER, ONTARIO - MARCH 08: Carson Rehkopf #16 of the Kitchener Rangers skates at Kitchener Memorial Auditorium on March 08, 2022 in Kitchener, Ontario. (Photo by Chris Tanouye/Getty Images)
A trio of second-round draft picks – led by Carson Rehkopf of the Kitchener Rangers – were part of nine selections made by the Seattle Kraken on the second day of the NHL Draft.
After making four picks in the second round a year ago, the Kraken had three more second-round picks this year as they continue to add a young base of talent to the franchise in just their third year of existence.
Rehkopf, a 6-foot-2, 195-pound left winger, was the top selection by the Kraken on day two of the draft. The 18-year-old was ranked as the 29th skater in North America per NHL Central Scouting and was taken by the Kraken with the 50th overall pick.
Rehkopf had 59 points on 30 goals and 29 assists in 68 games played this season for the Rangers. He also had two goals and four assists in the playoffs as Kitchener upset the top-seeded Windsor Spitfires (and 2022 Kraken first-round pick Shane Wright) in a four-game sweep in the OHL playoffs. Rehkopf had two goals and three assists in the series.
In two years with Kitchener, Rehkopf has 92 points on 48 goals and 44 assists in 133 regular season games.
Danish center Oscar Fisker Mølgaard followed two picks later out of the Swedish Hockey League. Fisker Mølgaard played in 62 games for HV 71 split between their top team and junior team last season. He had 30 total points on 10 goals and 20 assists with the majority of his production coming with the junior team.
He played in 41 games for HV 71 and 21 games for the junior team in addition to 21 games representing Denmark in international play.
Three of the Kraken's next four selections came out of the Western Conference of the Western Hockey League.
Tri-City Americans defenseman Lukas Dragicevic was the 57th overall pick by Seattle.
Dragicevic, a 6-foot-1, 191-pound right shot defenseman, was rated as the 18th best skater in North American via NHL Central Scouting. The Richmond, B.C. native ranked fourth in the WHL in scoring among defensemen last season with 75 points on 15 goals and 60 assists. He was the only defenseman in the WHL to lead his team in scoring.
Dragicevic averaged more than 20 minutes a game while playing for Team Canada in the Under 18 World Championships. He had two goals and two assists in seven games for Canada en route to a bronze medal.
While Dragicevic is an offensive-minded defenseman, Seattle's next pick – Caden Price of the Kelowna Rockets – is more of a defensively oriented blue liner.
The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Price had 40 points on five goals and 35 assists in 65 games last season for the Rockets. He is considered to be a good skater and strong at moving the puck and was rated as the 47th best North American skater per NHL Central Scouting.
Rehkopf and Price also won a gold medal playing together for Team Canada in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
Belarusian center Andrei Loshko of the Chicoutimi Saguenéens of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League was Seattle's fourth round selection.
Loshko had 70 points on 22 goals and 48 assists in 67 games for Chicoutimi last season, which led the team in points and assists.
Seattle then returned to the WHL to take yet another local defenseman in Kaden Hammell of the Everett Silvertips. A Langley, B.C. native, Hammell was traded to Everett as part of a massive deal by the Kamloops Blazers to acquire Olen Zellweger last season.
Hammell appeared in 67 total games last season split between Kamloops and Everett, posting 26 points with eight goals and 18 assists.
Assuming they all remain with their current junior teams for next year, Kraken fans should easily be able to see Dragicevic, Price and Hammell play next season in the WHL.
The Kraken took their only goaltender in the draft with their first of two sixth-round selections. Visa Vedenpää of Kärpät in Finland. Kärpät is the same team that Seattle selected goaltender Niklas Kokko during the second round of the 2022 NHL Draft.
Vedenpää was ranked the seventh European goaltender by NHL Central Scouting. Vedenpää had a .911 save percentage in 32 games played for Kärpät's Under 18 team in 2021-22. While he primarily played for the Under 20 team last season, Vedenpää did have a .939 save percentage and a 1.61 goals against average in seven playoff games for the Under 18 team.
Vedenpää also had a .905 save percentage in five games played on the international level for Finland's Under 18 team.
Swedish center Zeb Forsfjäll was Seattle's second sixth-round selection.
Forsfjäll was the captain of the Skellefteå AIK Under 20 team this year. He had 22 points on eight goals and 14 assists in 34 regular season games and added a goal and an assist over two playoff contests.
In 19 games on the international stage for Sweden's Under 18 team, Forsfjäll had 16 points on four goals and 12 assists as he won a silver medal in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
The final pick of the draft for the Kraken was right winger Zaccharya Wisdom of the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders of the United States Hockey League.
Wisdom had 71 points in 112 USHL games over the last two years for Cedar Rapids on 38 goals and 33 assists. Last season, Wisdom had 48 points on 28 goals and 20 assists in 59 games played.
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Draft Picks:
Rd. 1: Eduard Šalé, LW, HC Kometa Brno (Czechia)
Rd. 2: Carson Rehkopf, LW, Kitchener Rangers (OHL)
Rd. 2: Oscar Fisker Mølgaard, C, HV71 (Sweden)
Rd. 2: Lukas Dragicevic, D, Tri-City Americans (WHL)
Rd. 3: Caden Price, D, Kelowna Rockets (WHL)
Rd. 4: Andrei Loshko, C, Chicoutimi Saguenéens (QMJHL)
Rd. 5: Kaden Hammell, D, Everett Silvertips (WHL)
Rd. 6: Visa Vedenpää, G, Kärpät (Finland)
Rd. 6: Zeb Forsfjäll, C, Skellefteå AIK (Sweden)
Rd. 7: Zaccharya Wisdom, RW, Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (USHL)