Seattle Kraken select C Julius Miettinen with 40th overall pick in 2024 NHL Draft

If you had a nickel for every time the Kraken took a local center in the 2024 NHL Draft, congratulations! You now have two nickels.

The Seattle Kraken with their first pick in the 2nd round stayed close and took Julius Miettien from the Everett Silvertips, who play about 30 miles away from Seattle. The Finnish forward finished with 31 goals and 36 assists (66 points) in 67 games.

His rankings (consolidated by Elite Prospects, which is an incredible site if you want to really deep dive on the draft).

Ranked #41 by CONSOLIDATED RANKING
Ranked #43 by ELITEPROSPECTS.COM
Ranked #46 by TSN/BOB McKENZIE
Ranked #22 by TSN/CRAIG BUTTON
Ranked #75 by THN/FERRARI
Ranked #25 by THN/KENNEDY
Ranked #29 by MCKEEN’S HOCKEY
Ranked #38 by FLOHOCKEY/CHRIS PETERS
Ranked #63 by FCHOCKEY
Ranked #49 by DAILY FACEOFF
Ranked #18 by NHL CENTRAL SCOUTING (NA Skaters)
Ranked #48 by HPR/MALLOY
Ranked #109 by DRAFT PROSPECTS HOCKEY
Ranked #28 by SPORTSNET/COSENTINO
Ranked #32 by SPORTSNET/BUKALA
Ranked #59 by RECRUIT SCOUTING
Ranked #48 by DOBBERPROSPECTS
Ranked #51 by SMAHT SCOUTING

Here’s what they’re saying about Julius Miettinen:

•  EliteProspects 2024 NHL Draft Guide: “Positionally sound and physical, Miettinen’s always in the right spot to push attackers wide and then win possession along the wall. Offensively, he skates every route to push back defenders, creates chaos around the net, and perfectly times rolls off the boards to get open in the slot.”
• Steven Ellis (Daily Faceoff): “The Silvertips star plugged away at a point-per-game pace all season long, his first in North America. He’s big at 6-foot-3 and 207 pounds, and he’s not afraid to use his frame any time he can. Miettinen protects well, skates solidly, and is difficult to take the puck off of. His season started slowly, but once he got more comfortable in his new environment, he started to really look good.”
• Corey Pronman (The Athletic): “A big center who can skate and provide some secondary offense.”
• Ryan Henkel (The Hockey News): “I like him,” a scout told The Hockey News. “I was impressed with how he adjusted to the North American game.”
• “I just don’t see a dynamic element,” another scout told The Hockey News. “He finds the soft spots, and he has a pretty good touch around the net, in that home-plate area. He’s really strong on his skates, and he gives an honest effort.”
• Matthew Zator (The Hockey Writers): Julius Miettinen’s biggest strengths are his size and skating. With those two skills in his arsenal, he dominates in front of the net and on the forecheck, making it difficult for defenders to contain him. Like most Finnish forwards, hard work is also part of his DNA, as he creates chaos along the boards and in the crease on a regular basis.

Barring trades, here are Seattle’s remaining draft picks:

• Round 2, pick 63 (From NYR in Alex Wennberg trade) ⁽¹⁾
• Round 3, pick 73
• Round 3, pick 88 (From Toronto in 2022 Mark Giordano/Colin Blackwell trade) ⁽²⁾
• Round 4, pick 105
• Round 5: No pick ⁽³⁾
• Round 6, pick 169
• Round 7, pick 201
• Round 7, pick 202 (From Calgary in 2022 Calle Jarnkrok trade) ⁽⁴⁾

^{(1)The Kraken also received a 2025 4th round pick. (2) The Kraken received two other draft picks, which they used to select goalie Niklas Kokko (2nd round, 2022) and defenseman Lucas Dragicevic (2nd round, 2023). (3) The Kraken traded this year’s 5th round pick to Colorado in December for forward Tomas Tatar, who is unlikely to return to the team. (4) The Kraken received two other draft picks; one was used to select forward David Goyette (2nd round, 2022). The second was part of a package to acquire forward Oliver Bjorkstrand from Columbus.}

Here on DJLR, we’ll have details and analysis of each Kraken pick in rounds 2-7 as they happen. Today’s NHL Draft doings can be seen starting at 8:30 am PT in the U.S. on NHL Network, and streaming on ESPN+.