Analysis: Entering Rookie AHL Season, What’s Jake O’Brien’s NHL Future With Kraken?

Even though he missed 15 games due to injury, Jake O’Brien led the OHL in assists last season. As a 19-year-old, he is now eligible to make the jump to the AHL next season under the new NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement.

What does the Seattle Kraken’s 2025 first-rounder do at an elite level? How can he improve? Is he ticketed for the Coachella Valley Firebirds next season? His Brantford Bulldogs assistant coach Vince Laise and Dobber Prospects scout Alex Wyatt weighed in, taking a closer look at the prospect as he works to get closer to making his NHL debut.

In 53 games last season, O’Brien put up 28 goals and a team-leading 93 points. The last two seasons, O’Brien has had the OHL’s leading goal scorer on his wing. While that’s in part because Brantford built a talented roster that went deep in the OHL playoffs the last two seasons, it’s also because O’Brien’s a top-tier playmaker. Three-quarters of O’Brien’s assists were primary assists last season.

“He didn't look like he was trying to force something,” Wyatt wrote. “He wasn't playing the [video game] version of hockey where he's just whipping in these passes that end up losing possession. He played a more mature game. He slowed things down a little bit, and that gave the team time to get ready for those passes to mean something.”