The Seattle Kraken selected Berkly Catton with the eighth overall pick in the Upper Deck 2024 NHL Draft. An offensively gifted, dynamic skater with playmaking instincts, Catton has the potential to be the best offensive player the Kraken have ever drafted.
The 18-year-old spent his draft year with the Spokane Chiefs in the WHL where he recorded monster numbers. He scored 54 goals and 62 assists for 116 points in just 68 games. He scored the third most goals in the WHL and finished with the fourth most points.
Many draft analysts thought the Kraken would draft a defensemen due to the lack depth on defence in their prospect pool. The opportunity for the Kraken to draft a defenseman was available for them as well. Zayne Parekh, Sam Dickinson and Zeev Buium; the three defensemen that the Kraken were heavily linked to, were all available at eighth overall. Despite using their three previous first-round picks on forwards Matty Beniers, Shane Wright and Eduard Sale, the Kraken selected Catton.
Catton was a standout at the Kraken's development camp which has the likes of Jagger Firkus, the CHL player of the year, David Goyette, the OHL's leading scorer and Carson Rehkopf, who finished second in the OHL in goals. Catton's performance at the development camp stood out so greatly that the Kraken had him sign his entry-level contract at centre ice before the final scrimmage.
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The Saskatoon native has represented Canada at the U-17s, U-18s and the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup and will likely represent Team Canada at the World Juniors next year. He was invited to their 2024 Summer Showcase alongside Rehkopf.
The Kraken are tasked with the difficulty of being patient and smart with Catton's development. He's already dominated the WHL but is likely not ready physically for the NHL. Spending another year in the juniors will give him time to round out his game and add on muscle. The decision they make in the 2025-26 season will be the most challenging one. At that point, there is a high chance he is too good for the WHL but still might not be ready to be an NHL player. Due to the CHL and AHL agreement, he wouldn't be eligible to play in the AHL unless granted permission like Wright was.
That's an issue for another day and the Kraken should be celebrating that they were able to draft a player as talented as Catton with the eighth overall pick.
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