NHL Debut: Ville Ottavainen (Apr. 15, 2025)

Former Kitchener Rangers defenceman Ville Ottavainen made his NHL debut with the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday night. In a 6-5 loss to the Los Angeles Kings, the 22-year-old logged 14:24 of ice time and recorded an assist, one shot, one block, and three hits.

Selected in the fourth round, 99th overall, of the 2021 NHL Draft, the Finnish blueliner has spent the 2024-25 season with the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds, collecting three goals and 12 assists for 15 points in 66 games. Over 138 AHL regular season games, Ottavainen has tallied 49 points (11-38–49) across three seasons.

The 6-foot-5, 210-pound defenceman played one season in the OHL with Kitchener in 2019-20, recording 15 points (4-11–15) in 53 games. He was selected 35th overall by the Rangers in the 2019 CHL Import Draft.

for the first time on @NHL ice, make some noise for ville 👏💙🩵 pic.twitter.com/XxRxYBwyCm

— Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) April 16, 2025