Photo credit: Gord Rufh

By Regan Bartel

NHL team watching Caden Price closely

‘Next year we hope he takes another step’ – Seattle Kraken scout Jeff Crisp on Caden Price

May 27, 2024 | 7:00 AM

It will be a day Kelowna Rockets defenseman Caden Price will never forget.

On April 25, 2024, the NHL’s Seattle Kraken signed the Saskatoon product to an entry-level deal.

RocketFAN spoke to Kraken Western Canada scout Jeff Crisp to get his take on drafting Price in the third round of the 2023 NHL Draft, and how the prospect has evolved into one of the premiere defenders in the entire Western Hockey League.

“His strength has improved immensely, and I would say his skating has smoothed out, as good as it was, it’s even better,” Crisp said. “Give the coaches in Kelowna full credit. His defensive details are a lot better than they were. That is something that most young d-men have to work on, and he was no exception, but those are some of the finer details of his game that have improved over the three years in Kelowna.”

Price had a career season in 2023-2024, putting up 13 goals, and 42 assists for a whopping 55 points in 62 games. The gifted skater was named a B.C. Division second-team all-star.

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“I think he is getting his hips a little looser, doing those quick turns and strength makes you just that much faster,” Crisp added about Price’s footspeed which is already at an elite level. “There is the odd player, like Brayden Point (Tampa Bay Lightning) who has improved immensely in his skating, but for the most part most players are what you are, but it is hard to make major, major strides. Caden has done a lot of defensive drills, whether that is coming around the net or walking the offensive blueline that makes you 10 percent faster.” 

For the Kraken, it has been exciting to see the player evolve since he made his debut with the Kelowna Rockets as a 16 year-old in the fall of 2021.

“He had about 20 points,” Crisp recalled about Price catching his eye as a raw undrafted WHL rookie. “He had a really good season. He had some playoff games, so we noticed he could handle that extra pace and extra juice that is needed at that time of the year. For us he was on the radar [coming into the draft], and he is on Canada’s radar.”

Price won a bronze medal for Canada at the 2023 U-18s and has a good chance of being invited to Hockey Canada’s summer camp for the World Junior Hockey Championships. 

“Next year we hope he takes another step,” Crisp said. “We want him to go from being a good player in Kelowna to being ‘the guy’ on their defense, and in our opinion he was last year, and hopefully next year he is one of the guys in the league. Our hope is that next season he helps the Rockets win every night, not just some night’s, not just some games, but we hope he is someone that visiting teams’ fans are noticing because he is so good.” 

Crisp says one thing is guaranteed: The Kraken organization is in no hurry to rush the prospect into playing against the best players in the world.

“I think the hockey industry would tell you it is goalies, defensemen and forwards in that order on how quickly they can get to the NHL,” he said. “Caden has taken steps every year. He has taken steps during the year and the progression has been excellent to watch. I know one of the things they were concentrating on last summer was him getting stronger, and he is clearly stronger on the body. He is clearly stronger on the shot. He has gained good pounds [weight] and he is keeping them on during the season, so you watch those steps in progression.” 

What makes Price’s steady improvement even more impressive is his 55 points in his third season. That was five more than Tri-City Americans d-man Lukas Dragicevic, who the Kraken chose in the second-round, 26 players before Price. Dragicevic was more of an offensively dynamo in his draft year, where Price appeared to have a more understated game.   

“The bottom line is Caden is a smart player, who is always making positive plays for his team,” Crisp added. “You can put him on the penalty killing unit, you can put him on the power play, you can put him on if you are up a goal or down a goal, so he is a good, solid positive player who hopefully can do that in the AHL and then hopefully do that for the Seattle Kraken.”

With zero regression in his game, what can the Kraken expect from Price once he is pro ready and is tasked with defending the likes of Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan McKinnon and Edmonton Oilers speedster Connor McDavid? 

“Caden isn’t going to play 29 minutes in the NHL,” Crisp said with a chuckle. “If he is one of top-five players in the world who do, we would be super proud of him. He will be able to push the pace a little bit more than some nights you see in Kelowna, because he has to pace himself a little bit. So, that will be one of the goals next year , is to up his pace a little bit more often, play at a pro pace even though he is playing in junior.  

“He hasn’t disappointed us yet in all of his progressions, so there is no reason he can’t keep climbing those steps towards the American Hockey League and then the NHL.”