With the eight pick of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, the Seattle Seahawks have selected Jake O’Brien from the Brantford Bulldogs of the OHL
About Jake O’Brien
It’s hard to find a more well-rounded playmaker in this draft class than Jake O’Brien. The right-shot center out of the OHL put up 117 assists in 127 OHL games over the past two seasons and proved to be elite in that department. What really stood out about O’Brien this season was his shot and shot selection. Though he’d score just 13 goals as a rookie in the OHL during the 2023-24 season, he found a way to catapult those numbers up to 32 goals in 66 games this past season. While 66 assists in 66 games was impressive, it’s impossible to ignore O’Brien’s ability to put the puck into the back of the net, keeping opposing defenders honest and allowing his team to create more offense whenever the puck is on his stick.
Related: 2025 NHL Draft Tracker
At 6 foot 2, O’Brien already has an ideal NHL frame. He’ll need to add some mass to fill out that frame, but that shouldn’t be an issue when he gets into an NHL training room. From all accounts, O’Brien is a very coachable player who has been a proven winner at every level. His offensive upside is impressive, though his understanding of the defensive side of the game should only boost his chances of being a contributor at the next level.
THW Prospect Profile Excerpt
“When you think of a player that has some of the best playmaking skills in this draft class, Brantford Bulldogs centre Jake O’Brien instantly comes to the forefront and this season was evident of that.
He finished his draft year with 98 points in the regular season, it was a bit of a slow start for O’Brien in his draft year. He was used in a depth role at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup as he didn’t have the best results and was off to a slow start with the Brantford Bulldogs. Though, that was immediately in the rear-view mirror as he found that consistency and skill a few months into the season. He was one of the most productive draft-eligible players in this draft behind Michael Misa and tied with Porter Martone, as he was effective in all situations.
O’Brien is the ideal player that you want in an extremely intelligent, two-way playmaking centreman. He’s a leader with his on-ice play and is a constant play driver when he has the puck. The combination of his high-end IQ, playmaking vision, patience and deceptiveness he brings with the puck is what makes him dangerous and extremely difficult to contain in the open ice and high danger area. He can be very elusive in the offensive zone on the cycle and without the puck he’s always getting in undetected for a rebound opportunity.
Related: THW’s 2025 NHL Draft Guide
O’Brien displays great control through the neutral zone and is constantly making plays at a quick pace. Even when there’s nothing there, he’s exceptional at opening space up to draw players in and expose those lanes to distribute the puck. He excels with quick passing plays, making accurate and crisp tape-to-tape passes, but his ability to execute and connect on difficult cross seam passes is impressive. He doesn’t force plays, always taking that extra second to evaluate his options and can make difficult plays look easy. Even when there’s nothing there, O’Brien always seems to find a way to get the puck through to his intended target for a prime scoring chance.
When in a tough situation or in battles, he shows the willingness to get into those dirty areas and win those battles. He has great off the puck awareness and great determination, never giving up on a play and executing timely stick lifts to regain possession. He closes gaps really well and pressures opponents in order to force a turnover and pounce on that opportunity to transition to offense. He shows great positioning and awareness as he’s rarely out of position.”
Full player profile can be found here.
How This Affects the Kraken Plans
It’s not every day a team can add a player with size, scoring ability, elite playmaking prowess, two-way accountability and captain potential. In O’Brien, the Kraken were able to check off all of those potential boxes. It’ll take some time, extra development and muscle-building for O’Brien to be a contributor in the NHL, but with a high ceiling and a high floor, NHL fans should expect to hear his name within a few seasons and continue hearing it for years to come.