The Seattle Kraken used their second-round pick (36th overall) in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft to select defenseman Blake Fiddler, a right-handed shot with size and tools coaches dream of.
Listed at 6-foot-4, 209 pounds, Fiddler has the frame of a true shutdown defenseman, comparable to the likes of Adam Larsson, but the 17-year-old is much more than that. Fiddler knows how to use his body to defend, but he is not reliant on it.
He's an excellent skater, described as having explosive backwards crossovers and the ability to take the puck from behind his goal line and start transition breakouts. EliteProspects describes him as a player who "skates through his hands."
"Fiddler’s impact comes through his defensive impact and frequent advantage creation. With explosive backward crossovers, he wins the race to the middle before pivoting and surfing into the stop. Always thinking about body position, he skates through the hands, intercepts opponents with his back, and eliminates off-puck threats. On retrievals, he picks up the puck cleanly, waits for pressure to engage, and places it in a good spot for a teammate to carry it out." -EliteProspects 2025 NHL Draft Guide.
Fiddler flashed some of his offensive potential and creativity with the Edmonton Oil Kings in the WHL this season, recording 10 goals and 33 points in 64 games. A player of Fiddler's size and position, it's rare to be deemed a two-way defenseman, but Fiddler is just that.
Despite being considered a strong skater, the American defenseman believes there is more to add to that aspect of his game, and he thinks the Kraken development staff can help him do just that.
"Everything can get better," said Fiddler when asked about what he can improve on. "I'm going to continue to work out everything. I'm a strong skater for my size, but I want to become elite at that, and that's something that definitely as I get older, I want to be able to do and continue to work at. I also want to use my physicality edge a little more and on a consistent basis. It's there, but I want to do it more consistently."
"Something I didn't know is how great of a development staff they have, and they've all been super good to me and helping me on the ice and off the ice."
After making four forward selections in the first round in four drafts, many people thought the Kraken would select a defenseman, but they elected to draft center Jake O'Brien. Fiddler was predicted by many to land in the first round, but when he slipped to the second, the Kraken wasted no time trading up, moving the 38th and 57th picks to take what could very well be a steal in Blake Fiddler.
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