Price split time between the Kelowna Rockets and the Lethbridge Hurricanes after a mid-season trade. He was pacing over a point per game before the move, and saw his numbers slide post trade. He only offered three goals and eight assists in the 30 games he played with Lethbridge. Price has an entry level contract with Seattle in his pocket, and could very well be on the Coachella Valley Firebirds’ blueline in 2025-2026. He is a very well-rounded defenseman, and won’t be valued solely on his offensive production at the next level. He is a very solid stash in most fantasy leagues as we wait to see his evolution in the AHL, and he could have helped managers pry him from an impatient manager with his swoon at the end of the season.

Price’s third WHL season was another steady step in his progression. He grew his 2022-2023 totals of five goals, 35 assists and 40 points in 65 games to 13 goals, 42 assists and 55 points in only 62 games, and went 1-10-11 in 11 playoff games. Look for Price to expand on these totals again this season.

Price was selected 84th overall by the Kraken.

Caden Price’s tools are very enticing, and it’s a large part of the reason for his early-season hype following a very strong performance at the Hlinka. He is a comfortably above-average skater who is mobile in all four directions and is capable of patrolling a very large defensive area with the help of a long reach. His bright flashes are blinding, but the lows are quite low as well. There are sequences of impressive playmaking ability, great gap control and transition defending, and strong handling. However, there are equally sequences of low engagement, passiveness, lack of scanning, and general inconsistency. His late-August birthday and resulting longer developmental runway played a role in our collective comfort in ranking him inside the first round, as he could truly break out next season.

Price had a solid rookie season with Kelowna, tallying a pair of goals and 19 assists while averaging just under 16 minutes of ice time over 47 games. Behind Cameron Allen, he was arguably Team Canada’s best blueliner at this past summer’s Hlinka Gretzky tournament, notching a goal and four assists in five games to help lead Canada to a gold medal. It is still very early in his draft year, but Price is also well on his way to topping last year’s offensive output, already with five points through Kelowna’s first four games of the season.