The Seattle Kraken have signed top defense prospect Lukas Dragicevic to his entry-level contract (Twitter link). The deal will carry a $950K annual-average-value (AAV). Seattle drafted Dragicevic in the second-round of the 2023 NHL Draft, using a pick acquired in the trade that sent Mark Giordano to the Toronto Maple Leafs. He’s the 12th player from the second-round to sign a pro deal.
Dragicevic has spent the last three seasons carving out a prominent role with the WHL’s Tri-City Americans – becoming just the 58th Tri-City player to play in over-200 league-games this season, scoring a career 157 points across 202 career games. That equates to a 0.78 point-per-game pace, the most a Tri-City defenseman has managed since Juuso Välimäki in 2018.
And it’s clear to see how Dragicevic earned that title when watching him play. He’s an offensive defenseman who excels at driving the puck down the ice and quickly finding plays. He has slick skating and strong puck-handling – made better by a powerful frame. And while there have been concerns about Dragicevic’s play outside of the offensive zone, playing off the puck has clearly been a focus this season – with Dragicevic taking on a more prominent role in all three zones and even serving as an alternate captain. The shift towards defense and leadership held him to just 50 points this year – a far step down from his 75 points last year – but he hasn’t sacrificed his goal-scoring, still lighting the lamp 14 times. Dragicevic will now take his skillful play to the pros, where his high tempo and defensive capabilities will be put to the test.
Sweet
Now THAT’S one hell of a Serbian/Croatian name. Been really cool, as a Macedonian-Canadian, seeing so many people with Balkan surnames playing these days.