FOLLOWING: The following is the position at which the Kraken are selecting in the NHL Draft.

The Seattle Kraken are positioned for a top-10 selection in the NHL Draft for the third time as they enter their fourth draft in the league. During the draft lottery held at the NHL Network studios in Secaucus, New Jersey, the Kraken secured the eighth overall pick. This outcome was close to their initial placement, as they moved up one spot from their ninth-best odds of landing the top pick, which stood at 5%. The team’s disappointing 2023-24 season, marked by a 34-35-13 record and a 17-point gap from a playoff berth, led to the dismissal of head coach Dave Hakstol.

In addition to their first-round pick, the Kraken possess two selections in the second, third, and seventh rounds each, along with one pick in the fourth and sixth rounds, but none in the fifth round.

The San Jose Sharks, with the league’s poorest record at 19-54-9, secured the first overall pick in the draft. Macklin Celebrini, a center from Boston University, is widely regarded as the top prospect and is anticipated to be chosen first overall.

According to The Sporting News, defenseman Sam Dickinson is ranked as the eighth-best prospect. The 17-year-old Dickinson, who spent the last two seasons with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League, had an outstanding 2023-24 campaign, tallying 70 points (18 goals, 52 assists) in 68 games.

Seattle’s previous draft selections include the second, fourth, and 20th picks in their first three drafts. In 2021, they acquired the second overall pick and selected centerman Matty Beniers, who went on to win the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie in 2022-23.

The following year, they chose center Shane Wright as the fourth overall pick. Wright has appeared in eight NHL games in each of the past two seasons, showing promise with five points (four goals, one assist) during a five-game stretch this season after being called up in April.

In last year’s draft, Seattle picked winger Eduard Šalé with the 20th overall selection. The 19-year-old played a combined 49 games in the OHL this season with the Barrie Colts and Kitchener Rangers, accumulating 38 points (15 goals, 23 assists).