Seattle Kraken prospect Jake O'Brien is off and flying in the OHL, returning to the Brantford Bulldogs as the captain, and leading his team to a 6-0-2 record. The Bulldogs sit atop the Eastern Conference in the OHL [http://thn.com/ohl], posting a league-best 0.875 win percentage—one of the main reasons why is the play of O'Brien. In six games, the 18-year-old has notched five goals and 13 points, two points back of the league leader despite playing five fewer games. The Bulldogs roster features several NHL-drafted prospects, and the top line of O'Brien, Minnesota Wild [http://thn.com/minnesota]'s Adam Benak and Chicago Blackhawks [http://thn.com/chicago]' Marek Vanacker is carrying plenty of the offensive load. The Bulldogs roster also features St. Louis Blues [http://thn.com/stlouis] defenseman Adam Jiricek, Winnipeg Jets [http://thn.com/winnipeg]' Edison Engle, Toronto Maple Leafs [http://thn.com/toronto]' Sam McCue and top 2026 NHL Draft prospect Caleb Malhotra. Over the weekend, O'Brien posted a hat trick and five points in an 8-5 victory over the Ottawa 67's. O'Brien picked up an assist on the first of Vanacker's three goals in the first period, before notching his first goal of the game early in the middle frame. With the game tied at 5-5, O'Brien scored his second goal of the game to break the deadlock before adding his hat trick goal into the empty net. The Kraken's eighth overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft is off to an electric start, and it's exactly what was required of him. O'Brien is vying for a spot on Team Canada's World Junior Championship roster [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/seattle-kraken/latest-news/trio-of-kraken-prospects-invited-to-team-canada-s-world-junior-summer-showcase-roster] and is aiming to impress the Kraken organization, with the goal of placing himself in a position to compete for a roster spot next year [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/seattle-kraken/latest-news/new-reported-provision-in-cba-agreement-to-benefit-jake-o-brien-comes-a-year-late-for-berkly-catton]. Each game is an audition for both, and so far, O'Brien has been impressing.
