Pair of Silvertips check status at Kraken Development Camp

SEATTLE — Julius Miettinen flung a puck against the boards. The 19-year-old skated over to retrieve it, looking back over his shoulder to scan his surroundings, before dishing it to his teammate.

Miettinen is gearing up for his next season with the Everett Silvertips, but he was not training at Angel of the Winds Arena. The teammate he passed the puck to was not Carter Bear or Jesse Heslop. The Finland native was taking part in the Seattle Kraken’s Development Camp at Kraken Community Iceplex, taking place from Monday to Thursday.

Working with his fellow forwards on Tuesday, Miettinen had passed the puck to Jake O’Brien, whom Seattle selected eighth overall in the 2025 NHL Draft last Friday. Like every team around the NHL, the Kraken hosted a slew of their prospects for a four-day camp intended to get them acquainted with the NHL facility. It serves as a checkpoint to take stock in their progression as well as incorporate different drills to their training.

30 names will make up the Development Camp roster that’s set to kick off tomorrow in Seattle.

You’ll be able to see the next wave of #SeaKraken players in person on July 3 for the third annual Stucky Cup 🏆 pic.twitter.com/ESkaDrEhk5— Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) June 30, 2025

For Miettinen, whom the Kraken selected in the second round (40th overall) of the 2024 Draft, it serves as valuable ice time during an offseason that he’s spent primarily in the gym.

“Just getting stronger, that’s been the main goal this summer,” Miettinen told The Herald. “Just working out five times a week, then resting on the weekends.”

The forward scored over a point per game (39 in 36 games) with the Silvertips last season, which ranked third-best on the team, but he missed nearly three months due to a high ankle sprain he sustained at the World Junior Championships in late December/early January.

He returned for the final six games of the WHL regular season, where he scored one goal and four assists in a tune-up before the playoffs. Miettinen said he was back at 100 percent by the time he returned, but also that he struggled getting back up to speed with the pace of the game.

Despite scoring nine points in 13 playoff games, Miettinen felt he left some scoring opportunities on the table as the Silvertips fell in seven games to the Portland Winterhawks in the second round. Still, he considered his return an overall success after such a lengthy absence.

“I think it was good. I think I got back into it pretty quickly, and as a team, I think we played good,” Miettinen said. “I think myself, I could have been better. … Just all around scoring, I would say that was not the best postseason, but it is what it is.”

Heading back to Everett next season, Miettinen is viewed as a “big piece of the puzzle,” by general manager Mike Fraser and head coach Steve Hamilton. Meanwhile, the Kraken hope they will say the same down the line.

Jeff Tambellini, Seattle’s Director of Player Development, looks at Miettinen’s size — 6-foot-3, 207 pounds — as well as his two-way play at even-strength and on special teams, and wants to see him take steps toward growing his “power forward” identity.

“We’re just looking for the high volume of that,” Tambellini said. “Just being able to come (to Everett), we’re watching him a lot. … On the majority of nights, you want to see him dominate with the puck, win the majority of his puck battles, really influence the play from the dots in the offensive zone.”

If Miettinen embraces the identity Seattle wants from him, the organization views him as a “true net-front player” who will make plays around the crease, win faceoffs and contribute on both the power play and penalty kill.

Miettinen was not the only Silvertips player at Kraken Development Camp, as he was joined by Kaden Hammell — a 2023 fifth-round pick — although not on the ice. Hammell is halfway through recovery for a foot injury he suffered during offseason training two weeks ago. He could be spotted wearing a boot and getting around the facility with crutches.

The 20-year-old defenseman will not return to Everett in the fall after signing his three-year entry-level contract with Seattle on June 1, right at the deadline before his draft rights expired. After a landmark season in which his numbers improved dramatically — going from 25 points in 2023-24 to 38 points last season — Hammell is ready to turn pro.

Had Hammell refused to sign with Seattle, he would have had the opportunity to sign with any organization as a free agent, but that was never a consideration for the Langley, B.C. native.

“I’m happy with the signing that I got done,” Hammell told The Herald. “I think on both sides, it’s pretty happy to get it done, and I’m just excited to start the future here, so it’s good.”

Tambellini echoed the same sentiment on behalf of the organization.

“We wanted to bring him in the whole year,” Tambellini said. “That was, I think, with the NCAA/CHL landscape, it’s changed a lot of the timeline. … I think just making sure that he felt it was the right time to turn pro, that was the biggest thing. But we’re excited.”

On top of statistical growth, Tambellini noticed Hammell hone his “natural leadership” skills as one of the Silvertips’ captains and buy into Seattle’s ideal identity for him: a two-way, competitive defender.

“We see him as one of the top shutdown defenders in the Western Hockey League,” Tambellini said. “He’s a competitive, tough kid. I mean, you’ve seen him fight. We don’t ask our guys to fight, but this kid is willing to pay a price. And he’s starting to separate himself in his own way of what he’s going to be at the pro level.”

Meanwhile, Hammell believes he’s become a more “reliable” defenseman, and he credits both the Silvertips and the Kraken development staff for helping him make that progress.

While sidelined, Hammell will spend development camp working on his upper-body and staying as mobile as possible. He doesn’t expect to face any limitations by the time training camp rolls around in September.

Like everyone at training camp, Hammell hopes to crack the NHL roster. The deck is stacked against him, not only in terms of where he sits on the organizational depth chart but also because of Seattle’s desire to let their prospects marinate in Coachella Valley, their AHL affiliate. Tambellini pointed to Shane Wright, the fourth overall pick in 2022, spending a full season in the AHL as well as two Calder Cup playoff runs before he joined the NHL full-time.

Ultimately, Hammell wants to leave the best impression he can. He just has to wait a little longer to do so.

“Wherever I land is where I land,” Hammell said. “I’m going to go out and do what I can to prove that I’m capable to play pro, and I think that in terms of the Seattle organization, they’re happy with me. I think on both sides it’s been good. Lots of help from them developing me into the player I’ve become now today.”