Laxdal Says Ty Nelson's Compete Level Offsets His Size
The Firebirds coach said the 5-foot-10 defenseman's motor, character and tenacity give him a path toward the NHL.
Coachella Valley Firebirds head coach Derek Laxdal used the final day of Seattle Kraken rookie camp to push back on the concern that follows Ty Nelson: his size.
Nelson, a third-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, is 22 and entering his third AHL season. He became a top-pair defenseman for Coachella Valley in 2025-26 and is listed at 5-foot-10 and 208 pounds.
Laxdal said Nelson's motor is evident in games and practices and that the defenseman brings energy to the dressing room.
"Whatever he lacks in size, he will make up with compete, character, with effort, tenacity," Laxdal said. "So we never, ever talk about his size, because he just makes up for it."
Laxdal also coached Seattle's two-game prospects showcase against Vancouver over the weekend. He said the organization's young forwards will make mistakes as they adjust to differences in execution, size, speed and detail at the next level.
Late in Sunday's game, Laxdal put Oscar Fisker Molgaard, Jagger Firkus and Jani Nyman together. He said the trio controlled play for roughly a minute and a half on one shift.
Firkus and Nyman are entering their third professional seasons, while Fisker Molgaard is entering his second. Seattle's coaches will now determine which prospects remain at NHL camp, report to Coachella Valley or return to junior hockey.
