The Seattle Kraken will be without one of their top prospects for some time. Seattle announced that forward Berkly Catton is considered week-to-week with an upper-body injury.
Catton, 19, is the former 8th overall pick of the 2024 NHL Draft. He’s been one of the highest-scoring forwards in the CHL since being selected by the Kraken, registering 92 goals and 225 points in 125 games with the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs.
Additionally, Catton was sensational for the Chiefs in the WHL playoffs last year and played a large part in the team being three wins away from the 2025 Memorial Cup tournament. He finished with 11 goals and 42 points in 20 postseason contests before the team was knocked out in the championship by the Medicine Hat Tigers in five games.
Despite some speculation that Catton could have made the Kraken’s roster last year, it was an all but guaranteed scenario this season. Unfortunately, his transition to professional hockey hasn’t been a smooth one.
Catton has already skated in 21 games for the Kraken, averaging 12:25 of ice time per night, but has yet to register his first NHL goal. He does have five assists, though it’s a far cry from the production he showed in Major Junior. It would have been highly unrealistic to expect a similar 100+ point pace from Catton in his rookie season, though it’s likely that Seattle was hoping for more than this.
Meanwhile, Catton’s injury is undoubtedly the reason he was left off Team Canada’s preliminary roster for the upcoming IIHF World Junior Championship, which was announced this morning. It was Catton’s last year of eligibility, and the Kraken likely would have loaned him for the tournament given his tepid offensive output this season.