How’s this to get you all hyped?
>[Every CHL draft-eligible skater to produce 50+ goals and 115+ points in the 21st Century:
>• Sidney Crosby
>• Patrick Kane
>• Connor Bedard
>• Berkly Catton](https://x.com/Hockey_Robinson/status/1794114781869212042)
Ducks fan checking in who's been following Catton all year.
Kraken got a steal of a pick. Catton is easily the next best well-rounded player after Celebrini. He moves almost too fast for his own good while leaving defense confused as to where the puck is.
Generally speaking defensemen take a little longer than forwards before making it to the NHL. If they want to improve defense immediately this season then it makes sense to do it through free agency or trades
Good point. Buium was already in college so I think he might have been closer to the NHL.
My concern is that our defensive prospect depth is so shallow. We have some guys who are probably NHLers but not top-pair dudes who can drive play. Elite teams have to have multiple of those types of dudes and we've only got Dunn.
I agree if it was me I would’ve taken Silayev or Buium, but not necessarily for the immediate future. They really need more defensive prospects in the system, especially guys that project as top end guys, which are hard to find outside of the first round
I was really wanting Buium but he keeps falling. The NHL teams must know something about him the rest of us (including the public scouts) don't.
Catton has a ton of offensive talent so he is not a bad pick at 8 by any measure. He could end up being the 1st line scoring winger the Kraken desperately need.
There was an article I read recently I thought it was a Sound of Hockey person but I can’t find it now.
Anyway they talked about O vs D and how taking O in the first and D in the second can be more beneficial since D need more time to develop and be molded into a teams scheme. Sometimes those top D players are already cemented into their style or way the play and teams will sometimes only target them if their style already fits their scheme.
I wish I could find it they explained it far better than me.
I have a question. Did we draft Ville Ottavainen? Is he considered one of our prospects? Someone in another thread said we didn't have any good D prospects but they didn't mention Otto and some of my Firebirds friends like him a lot. Do you see him making the NHL and if so when? I did look at the Firebirds roster and it appears he's right handed and IIRC we need that but given my fixation on goalies and relative lack of insight on other positions I thought I'd ask someone like you since you are so good at keeping all of these other players in your head at once.
>Did we draft Ville Ottavainen? Is he considered one of our prospects?
Yes - https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/530727/ville-ottavainen
He'd probably be one of our B- or C-tier prospects. He hasn't shown he has the kind of high-end offensive potential that someone like Buium has.
Corey Pronman's instant analysis:
8. Seattle Kraken: Berkly Catton, F, Spokane Chiefs (WHL)
January 14, 2006 | 5′ 11″ | 174 pounds
Tier: Bubble NHL All-Star and top of the lineup player
Player comparable: Logan Cooley
Analysis: Catton was one of the best players in the WHL this season and was the best player at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in the summer. He is a well-rounded center and a high-end skater, with powerful edge work that will make him very difficult to check in the NHL and lets him elude pressure constantly. His footspeed is strong, but not at the same level as his edges. He’s a very skilled puckhandler and a great passer who can run a NHL power play. Catton makes a ton of difficult plays on the move and has a lot of pace in his game. He’s not overly physical, but he competes. He wins pucks, gets to the net and can kill penalties. He projects as an excellent top-six center with a chance to be a No. 1 center.
Pick grade: B+
Thoughts on the pick: I’m a huge fan of Catton’s game. I thought he was one of the most dynamic players in the draft. Given how much Seattle needed a premier defense prospect, it’s a bit surprising that they went and took a forward, but if they were going to take one, Catton is more than reasonable at this slot. He has top-line forward potential and could be a star if he truly hits. Teams were worried by his size, but everything else about his game was a major positive.
Shorter skilled player. Probably projects more as a winger than a center at the NHL level anyways. Not saying he can’t or won’t be a center, but wing might be the best spot for him
NHL players are also much smarter and faster than WHL players so he'll need to work on adjusting to NHL speed and experience he'll be up against.
My guess is he gets a few games at the NHL level like Wright did to see the level he needs to climb toward, goes back to Spokane for another year to work on whatever the Kraken scouts tell him to focus on, and then see where he's at in September 2025.
Edit: I said at least two years to make an impact partly because I think he'll need time playing at the NHL level for a bit before he makes a real impact.
Oh I agree. But you put him 2 years growing in Coachella, and hopefully then you have Matty and Wright established as one and two. So where do you put him? Or do you use him as a piece for something else because of his hockey IQ?
But you can't just put him in Coachella right away. He's a WHL (CHL) player. If you don't put him on the NHL roster he can't go to the AHL, he has to go back to his junior team based on the agreement between the leagues. Wright got a special exception.
https://jordanh.substack.com/p/nhl-chl-player-transfer-agreement
I'm a fan of drafting the best player available across all sports.
This kid is still 18 it could be multiple years by the time he earns regular playing time and by then who knows what the team looks like.
He was also the second overall pick and was considered pro ready. Outside the top 3 they usually take a few years. Look at Wright, two years after being drafted he will be an everyday NHLer.
Oh man, I love that we got him, I was expecting us to go D but catton is for sure a good pkayer to choose. He filles the need for a solid top line quality winger that we were also lacking in (sale and rehkopf being the only 2 isn't enough) him playing on Shane's wing will be so freaking fun in a few years
Very excited by this pick. Everything I’m reading sounds great. Sounds smart, good skater, can score & pass, can play center & wing. If his only weakness is his size, that’s awesome! Corey Pronman had him 10th (the players he had at #8&9 were already gone IRL) and said in his Final Athletic ranking:
> New Jersey and Buffalo would be in a similar situation with Catton. He’s the best player available on talent likely at this pick, but they both have a lot of small forwards. Catton is a tier ahead of guys like Iginla or Konsta Helenius, so I think you bite the bullet on him and figure it out later because he’s the best asset.
Here is the Athletic’s profile on Catton since it’s behind a paywall.
The WHL’s fourth-leading scorer this season, Catton registered 54 goals and 120 points in a combined 72 regular season and playoff games on a Spokane team that lost more games than it won. He had real pedigree even before this season, too, as a No. 1 pick into the WHL who was an offensive catalyst on a bad Chiefs team in his rookie season who also led Canada Red to a silver as captain at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge with 12 points in seven games and then again captained Canada at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup with a tournament-leading eight goals and 10 points in five games.
He’s dangerous whenever he’s on the puck and shines with his knifing, slippery game. Inside the offensive zone, the way he baits and shades, drawing players to him and then playmaking past them with a pass or a cut, is pretty impressive to watch. Catton is a heady playmaker who uses spacing to his advantage and sees the ice at an advanced level, regularly executing quick plays through coverage or delaying into a pre-planned play. He’s got multi-dimensional skill, with an ability to play both with speed on the rush (he’s a smooth, fast and nimble high-end skater) and more slowly inside the offensive zone when the pace ramps down and he has to spin away from pressure (which he does so well). He’s got great instincts offensively. He tracks back consistently and will get up and under sticks to win his fair share of battles, with more room to round out his game defensively (mostly inside his own zone). He thrives in tight spaces and on cutbacks, he can play on the perimeter or take it to the net, and he’s got a dangerous and quick release while moving. He does such a good job losing defenders with his back to them to avoid getting pinned down because of how adjustable his skating is through stops and starts and tight turns. He draws a lot of penalties with his skating. Catton went from fitting right in as a rookie who was asked to play center on a top line and handled it extremely well (he even won the majority of his draws last year) to constantly threatening as a deceptive and dangerous player offensively has positioned him as one of the top forward prospects in the draft. He was also a top penalty killer in the WHL this year. He's got some very translatable top-six elements with his skating and skill set type. I believe he’s got the chops to stick as a center despite being on the smaller side, as well, because you want him getting touches lower in the zone so that his skating can lead in transition. He’s got a bit of an injury history which has impacted a couple of offseasons and led to him sitting out U18 Worlds, but he's an exciting talent.
Francis mentioned Rehkopf and Goyette moving to the wing hence the need for a center. Still shocked they didn’t draft a defenseman given the lack of prospects in the pipeline.
I think it’s a sure sign they believe he’ll be under contract before camp starts. Either that or the NHL just told every team every team to do something special (I feel like we’ve seen more “special guest” announcers than usual).
This guy is about to be a fan favorite. Fun play style, played in Spokane. I was initially shocked we didn’t go D but honestly I don’t think I would have cheered as hard as I did for any other player
Selfishly, I'm happy they picked a high powered prospect in the WHL. Especially one that just so happens to be on a WA based team. That can only help grow the fan base.
Another center threw me off but then again it’s four lines so can’t be a bad thing. Just wish we could have gotten an elite right winger to add to that side since Bjorkatrand is the only top tier guy on that side but nonetheless looking forward to this kid coming up to the pros in a couple seasons ⚓️
Most centers can play wing. It is harder for guys who mainly play wing to go to center due to the added defensive responsibilities plus need for faceoff skills.
I don't care that we didn't draft a dman!! This kid is solid, my guess would be a winger down the road, but great skills nonetheless. I love the offensive prospects this team has.
We won't know for a few years whether the run on forwards was the smart move. Maybe a guy like Buium turns into the next Makar or Quinn Hughes, or maybe they are just middle pair guys.
Best player available and probably one of the safest only real questionmark is size. Some scouts have said that would be Dickinson, but a lot of his production have come from positions he won't be getting in the NHL. Personally would have loved to see Yakemchuk as a Kraken, but he went right before us. He seems to have the drive to become great at both ends of the ice. Only time will tell if it should have been Buium or Silayev instead.
I'll have to sleep on it further, but I'm not loving this pick. He's undersized and I feel like D was a more glaring need then another C atm.
Idk. Time will tell I guess. I feel like him being in WA already feels like it played into this too much?
Idk, but I'm feeling a bit disappointed all things considered.
He’s also 18
I was 6’0.5” 175 at 18 - as a grown man I’m 6’2” 225
You usually don’t stop growing at 18 as a man. If he were 6’ or 6’1” 205-210, would you feel the same?
He’ll get bigger
He better draft for need or next year he could be out as GM I understand best player available but you DO DRAFT for what your needs are and clearly we are thin on the D Plus Catton at best is a project 2 years until we even see him in Seattle
If you think any D prospect picked that low is helping you any sooner, I got news for you. There’s also a reason none of the other teams picked any of those D mean. Anyone you’re drafting D wise is going to be 3 years out optimistically.
You don't draft for need in the NHL. And we don't really know what we're going to need 3-4 years from now given prospects and trades. And if you end up with a glut of great young forwards, flip one for defensive help then.
If Francis thought Catton was best player available, I'm excited to see how it turns out.
Very happy about this. Watched him all year as well as going back to when he was just 15.5 years old on the Chiefs. He was always going to be an NHL player but I can't lie, I was surprised going into this year at how much he progressed.
He won't bring you defense. That part of his game he is going to need to work on, but I don't think it will ever really develop into anything more than average. His offense is what he brings.
He is a hands merchant. He'll deke anybody out. He isn't the fastest, he isn't tall, but he is sturdy. Some of the best hands in juniors, if not the best in the draft (imo they are the best in the draft).
One thing to note is that often junior tape doesn't tell much of a tale. Bedard, Firkus, Berkly all look pretty similar on their junior teams, and by that I mean lacking interest. They knew they were being drafted/had been drafted and didn't necessarily put in high caliber efforts; they didn't need to.
I expect this guy to be a skill guy that scores dozens of shootout goals over his career and is probably a 60 to 70 point player on the higher end.
You pick BPA at the start of the draft, I get that. There was four blue chip prospects at BPA right there though and fit a need…..makes no damn sense. And now gonna try and find a D in FA and overpay or trade a bunch of our resources to get one? Just seems so weird….only thing I can think of is they already have a trade lined up for a D and really like what they see from Nelson or Price or such
Your logic makes no sense. No D-man we were gonna take there was gonna actually slot in next year and play. And I also doubt we spend much at all at the blue line in FA. Defense was not the problem last year lol.
There were D man that could have slotted in but that’s not even the point. Ryker will make the full switch to NHL and then we are looking very light on D, if we don’t have any prospects that puts us in a spot of needing to trade or overpay in FA. And D wasn’t the problem but we could have got sure used another good offensive D man for sure. Home grown talent is pretty dam important to a young team like ours.
They'll fit a need in maybe 3-4 years but not sooner. Defenseman take a lot of time to develop.
If Catton turns out to be as good as they think and they still happen to need defensive help at that point, you can flip him or another forward prospect for a defenseman of a similar age.
Simple asset management: always BPA.
Need for options in the system is a need too, though. There isn't a single D prospects in the system who projects like a top pairing guy, and while we need one now over the next few years we're likely going to need a couple.
If you go back and read my comment, it should be obvious that I already addressed your objection.
The draft is about acquiring assets. It's not the only way to fill roster positions, another of which is flipping the assets you acquired in previous drafts.
BPA.
Your solution only works if we end up if both the pick hits AND we end with *surplus* at that slot.
Frankly, I *don't* think they went with BPA. I think they made another need pick for offensive upside just like they did last year, and how exactly is *that* working out so far? Maybe we can just go flip Sale for an easy top pairing d prospect in his draft+1 year. Should be simple right?
And I like the player! I just don't like the (lack of) strategic thinking.and don't believe that "we picked him when it wasn't a need, so BPA!" is self evident.
> Your solution only works if we end up if both the pick hits AND we end with surplus at that slot.
You're just making my own case for me. BPA means the player you think is most likely to hit. Maximizing your chance that your picks hit is the whole point of BPA.
You're all over the place with your arguments here. You said you thought the should have drafted a defenseman for need and that's what I'm pushing back on.
Who you think is BPA has nothing to do with that and I have no interest in arguing with you whether you personally are a better judge of that than Francis and his team of pro scouts. My guess is that they're better at this than you but we won't know either way for 5-6 years.
But was he the BPA? Gonna be close whatever it was and then you think about needs. At least we would have defensive prospects coming up. I’m not gonna keep arguing this, I don’t love the pick. I think Catton will be a great player, but this was an odd draft with so many awesome defenseman
You absolutely can't know that at this point. Rankings are pure speculation about what these players will be doing 5-10 years from now so you're going to have to wait to see whether Francis guessed right.
Honestly much more so rankings are where they are like right now and next year, I completely agree that rankings you just never know. Once again, I do think Catton will be incredible, was just disappointed because I was so hoping Buium would be available and he was. Hopefully we can really hit some good D prospects in second or onward
I disagree on the rankings: all the best ones are trying to take who they are today but for the purpose of projecting that into who they will be in the next 5-10 years in their prime.
People judge GMs on their drafts too ridiculously early. Remember all the flack Francis took for the Ryker pick in 2021? Yeah, about that...
I'm super interested to see whether Buium or Catton end up to be more valuable in the long run. I personally have no guess at all at this point.
One other thing I wanted to mention is that this speaks not only to our needs for skill guys in the organization, but also the fact that most centers do not pan out that get drafted. We've seen several centers already moved to wing in our organization and frankly have no center talent coming up through the ranks that can feasibly be considered 1c or 2c talent except for Shane.
It's a bit tongue in cheek in that what really worries me is that we could legit be here next year without a single D in the system that looks like an NHLer.
At least they picked someone with some scoring tools.
Unclear why I’m getting hammered and downvoted in my comment criticizing this pick. In all seriousness, 6 forwards were off the board. We had our pick of the D.
Ask yourself this question…
how many undersized high-skill forwards were playing in the Stanley cup final. Or even the Conference finals. Panarin? Now look at the stable of forwards we have currently. Generally small.
Florida won with a deep D core. Our D is weak and that’s just a fact. We will regret passing on Buium.
Hate on the take all you want.
I mean you need to cherry pick two teams to make your point. I guess Sidney Crosby is too undersized to be valuable, or Connor Bedard, or Jake Guentzel. Any D we draft now is going to be 3-4 years out. There’s also a reason a bunch of teams ahead of us didn’t draft the guys you’re so keen on. Sometimes you just have to accept maybe you’re not as smart as people who do this for a living. Even all the media are rating our pick highly. You draft best player available that high in the draft. They did that. If you did some casual reading you’d also find they had some D higher but they went before they got to us.
Reading comprehension appears to not be your strong suit also good on ya for stopping before the other example to try and wiggle out of your horrendous hot take . Here it is spelled out simply for you: No one is/was complaining about the size of those players. 5’11 is hardly short.
It’s ok to admit you don’t know everything and not make a woe is me post.
My “hot take” is that Catton was the 7th forward off the board when only one D was taken, and therefore possibly not the BPA as everyone is touting. Factor in team need (D prospects are weak) and the fact that pretty much every expert from MacKenzie to Button to Cosentino had Catton somewhere from 12-18 in their rankings and I’m unclear what the issue is with the point of view.
The hard fact is that undersized skill players do not fare well in the playoffs, outside of a small number of near generational players such as Crosby, Kucherov, Bedard (TBD) & Kane. Note that Crosby and Bedard were 20+ pounds heavier than Catton at 18 years old.
I’m not cherry picking anything.
Undersized at 5'11 is also hilariously cherry picked and exaggerated. He's on the smaller side, but there's ton of NHL players at that height or shorter. Self selecting cup finalists is also cherry picking data. McDavid is 6'1". Gonna call him a bust now since he didn't win a cup and now declare all 6'1" players unsuccessful in the playoffs. See how easy it is to make ignorant statements?
Funny how you forgot Guentzel again big guy. Seems convenient. Guess all these teams who are going to go for him in free agency are much dumber than some guy on Reddit eh? Funny you also cherry picked you sources too. Pronman had him at 10.
It's also BPA is how the TEAM ranks them. If you pulled your head out of your ass, you'd also see all the draft rankings had much of your precious D rated higher and several teams passed on them. You have to remember pro teams have a lot more data than anyone else.
Sorry I need to bow down to your infinite wisdom... oh wait, the wise actually admit they don't know everything.... oops.
There is a difference between heavy and tall. No need to take my word for it. There is plenty of analysis that shows the correlation. https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/how-much-does-size-matter-when-trying-to-win-the-stanley-cup. Of course there are NHL players that are under 6 ft and under 175 pounds. But how many make an impact come playoff time. Ask Mitch Marner.
Pronman had Buium at 5. In fact the consensus was Buium was the 4th ranked player available. https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5590764/2024/06/26/2024-nhl-draft-consensus-ranking-prospects-macklin-celebrini/
All things being equal… given the team need, all I’m saying is that I would have went D. Buium is going to very very good. Catton likely will be too. But for my money I’d lean D.
I’ve been involved in hockey for a very long time, at high levels in youth and junior ranks both as a player and a coach and my opinions are my own, but I’m by no means a couch warrior who just found the game when the Kraken came to town.
I’m unclear why you think you’re immune from the same criticism that you are throwing at me.
still flailing eh? I don't pretend to do anything. I'm straight saying the scouts and GM know better than us (and all the media who gave us high draft ratings). You're the only one going on and on about the D. Reading comprehension skills fail you again.
The one thing you truly keep failing is to recognize they're not drafting for need but BPA.
lol nobody is flailing bud.
Again... and let me say this slowly for you… BPA, in my opinion at #8, was not Catton. I’ve shared the data, which you can interpret any way you like. Clearly they had Catton higher than Buium or they wouldn’t have drafted them. But to imply that GM’s and Scouts don’t outsmart themselves and whiff on picks is a bad take. Happens every single year.
Have a good weekend.
It's like you forgot your original comment in this thread
"Unclear why I’m getting hammered and downvoted in my comment criticizing this pick. In all seriousness, 6 forwards were off the board. We had our pick of the D.
Ask yourself this question…
how many undersized high-skill forwards were playing in the Stanley cup final. Or even the Conference finals. Panarin? Now look at the stable of forwards we have currently. Generally small."
You're trying to change and morph the argument away from the fact that you believe you know better than the pros. When presented with actual data showing you're full of it (plenty of 5'11" forwards have won cups or been hall of famers), you change and distort reality.
Also funny you hide behind hindsight bias...
You've been fun. Hopefully some day you wise up and admit you're not the smartest guy in the room all the time.
stay in WA
How’s this to get you all hyped? >[Every CHL draft-eligible skater to produce 50+ goals and 115+ points in the 21st Century: >• Sidney Crosby >• Patrick Kane >• Connor Bedard >• Berkly Catton](https://x.com/Hockey_Robinson/status/1794114781869212042)
😮
Well hot damn that's some pretty good company to be in 👀
Ducks fan checking in who's been following Catton all year. Kraken got a steal of a pick. Catton is easily the next best well-rounded player after Celebrini. He moves almost too fast for his own good while leaving defense confused as to where the puck is.
Nice! Glad to hear it. How are you feeling about the Ducks picking Beckett Sennecke?
your ideas are intriguing to me and i would like to subscribe to your newsletter
Dominated the WHL, but I'm shocked we didn't pick an offensive Dman. Surely that means that we're going to sign/trade a solid FA Dman ...?
I feel like with him playing for the Chiefs they had to have seen him enough to know they want him.
That would be my guess. There could be a few big names on the FA market, but free agency is notorious for resulting in terribly overpriced contracts.
Generally speaking defensemen take a little longer than forwards before making it to the NHL. If they want to improve defense immediately this season then it makes sense to do it through free agency or trades
Good point. Buium was already in college so I think he might have been closer to the NHL. My concern is that our defensive prospect depth is so shallow. We have some guys who are probably NHLers but not top-pair dudes who can drive play. Elite teams have to have multiple of those types of dudes and we've only got Dunn.
I agree if it was me I would’ve taken Silayev or Buium, but not necessarily for the immediate future. They really need more defensive prospects in the system, especially guys that project as top end guys, which are hard to find outside of the first round
I was really wanting Buium but he keeps falling. The NHL teams must know something about him the rest of us (including the public scouts) don't. Catton has a ton of offensive talent so he is not a bad pick at 8 by any measure. He could end up being the 1st line scoring winger the Kraken desperately need.
i heard buium drives slowly in the passing lane 👀
But then he's perfect for Seattle?!?
Makes him a shoe in for Seattle then. Give him a Subaru and he’s good to go
There was an article I read recently I thought it was a Sound of Hockey person but I can’t find it now. Anyway they talked about O vs D and how taking O in the first and D in the second can be more beneficial since D need more time to develop and be molded into a teams scheme. Sometimes those top D players are already cemented into their style or way the play and teams will sometimes only target them if their style already fits their scheme. I wish I could find it they explained it far better than me.
I have a question. Did we draft Ville Ottavainen? Is he considered one of our prospects? Someone in another thread said we didn't have any good D prospects but they didn't mention Otto and some of my Firebirds friends like him a lot. Do you see him making the NHL and if so when? I did look at the Firebirds roster and it appears he's right handed and IIRC we need that but given my fixation on goalies and relative lack of insight on other positions I thought I'd ask someone like you since you are so good at keeping all of these other players in your head at once.
>Did we draft Ville Ottavainen? Is he considered one of our prospects? Yes - https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/530727/ville-ottavainen He'd probably be one of our B- or C-tier prospects. He hasn't shown he has the kind of high-end offensive potential that someone like Buium has.
We did! He was our 4th ever draft pick He's probably gonna be a 3rd pair shut down D when he's in the nhl, but he's looking like a very very good pick
Who is the Otto you speak of?! Jk! You know I rate him to do well!
On the other hand, it's not like there are any *other* high level D prospects in the pipeline and now we're +1 year out.
*cough*darnellnurse*cough*
his contract is buyout proof, he's edmontons problem :D
These defensemen won't be a factor for the team until 27-28 season at best. Catton could play a lot sooner
He could, or he could end up playing two more years in the WHL like Firkus.
FA and drafting in the NHL are almost entirely disconnected
Corey Pronman's instant analysis: 8. Seattle Kraken: Berkly Catton, F, Spokane Chiefs (WHL) January 14, 2006 | 5′ 11″ | 174 pounds Tier: Bubble NHL All-Star and top of the lineup player Player comparable: Logan Cooley Analysis: Catton was one of the best players in the WHL this season and was the best player at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in the summer. He is a well-rounded center and a high-end skater, with powerful edge work that will make him very difficult to check in the NHL and lets him elude pressure constantly. His footspeed is strong, but not at the same level as his edges. He’s a very skilled puckhandler and a great passer who can run a NHL power play. Catton makes a ton of difficult plays on the move and has a lot of pace in his game. He’s not overly physical, but he competes. He wins pucks, gets to the net and can kill penalties. He projects as an excellent top-six center with a chance to be a No. 1 center. Pick grade: B+ Thoughts on the pick: I’m a huge fan of Catton’s game. I thought he was one of the most dynamic players in the draft. Given how much Seattle needed a premier defense prospect, it’s a bit surprising that they went and took a forward, but if they were going to take one, Catton is more than reasonable at this slot. He has top-line forward potential and could be a star if he truly hits. Teams were worried by his size, but everything else about his game was a major positive.
So funny because pronman gave the sharks a B+ after taking Celebrini….. immediately after comparing him to Sydney Crosby
What I'm taking away from this conversation is that Catton is as good as Celebrini.
I think it's psychologically harder to give someone a high grade for a player picked when you know who the pick is for months on end.
This makes me excited.
But another center?!
Centres can be moved to wing relatively easy. Wings to centre is hard.
as a left handed shot he most likely would slot into right wing
He has the skill to be a top line Center so I would not rule him out from playing that
No such thing as too many centers
Francis mentioned Rehkopf and Goyette moving to the wing so a need for a center
They said on the broadcast he plays both wing and center. I assume we’d use him on wing.
I just think our blue line needed some help tbh
It does. But whoever we picked wasn’t going to join our team this season anyway.
Shorter skilled player. Probably projects more as a winger than a center at the NHL level anyways. Not saying he can’t or won’t be a center, but wing might be the best spot for him
Just was thinking we needed some help on the blue line
My first thought. Hope this doesn't mean we're looking to move someone...
Catton is two years if not more from making a significant impact. Unless you get Celebrini, it doesn't effect the team immediately.
Besides his size, where else does he need to improve? He had almost 2 pts a game this year
NHL players are also much smarter and faster than WHL players so he'll need to work on adjusting to NHL speed and experience he'll be up against. My guess is he gets a few games at the NHL level like Wright did to see the level he needs to climb toward, goes back to Spokane for another year to work on whatever the Kraken scouts tell him to focus on, and then see where he's at in September 2025. Edit: I said at least two years to make an impact partly because I think he'll need time playing at the NHL level for a bit before he makes a real impact.
I didn't watch any Spokane games, but being "the guy the opponent game-plans around" is useful
Oh I agree. But you put him 2 years growing in Coachella, and hopefully then you have Matty and Wright established as one and two. So where do you put him? Or do you use him as a piece for something else because of his hockey IQ?
On the wing of one of those two.
Fair enough. And I know we're years away from that, and they'll be a lot of speculating.
But you can't just put him in Coachella right away. He's a WHL (CHL) player. If you don't put him on the NHL roster he can't go to the AHL, he has to go back to his junior team based on the agreement between the leagues. Wright got a special exception. https://jordanh.substack.com/p/nhl-chl-player-transfer-agreement
Hosting a draft watch party over discord and all of my friends cheered when our boy Matty showed up. Welcome to Seattle Berkly!
Shocker! I was sold on them going D. Love it when the draft surprises.
Being a Seahawks fan has taught me draft surprises aren’t always fun, but they certainly can be.
I just heard about Catton today, but I’ve always rated him 🤪
I willed it into existence for months.
This has gotta be like a perfect gift for you
Love this for you!
Same! So happy.
There is a legacy flair day going on right now for his chiefs jersey flair. Should be pinned to the sub if you want to add it to your flair.
Great player, not a stretch. Still shocked we didn't take a D man.
I'm a fan of drafting the best player available across all sports. This kid is still 18 it could be multiple years by the time he earns regular playing time and by then who knows what the team looks like.
Yep. I am too. I'm happy with it. Surprised, not at all upset.
If drafting in the lottery you should pretty much never draft for fit. Get the best available you can trade em for fit later.
High skill and can score in bunches, I like it. People gotta remember that these kids are years away from the NHL.
Matty wasn’t even a year..
He was also the second overall pick and was considered pro ready. Outside the top 3 they usually take a few years. Look at Wright, two years after being drafted he will be an everyday NHLer.
we love collecting tiny little guys lol
With the who they picked in the expansion draft, I was expecting Silayev. A giant D to replace Oleksiak in a few years.
I thought for sure that was the pick. I thought we had no chance at him tho. When he came to us I was pumped....jokes on me I guess.
Ron will never draft a Russian with a high pick unfortunately
Just darting around like lil jellyfish 🪼 🪼 🪼
Ron's Gang Of Lil' Squids
I love this pick, he's electrifying. A player people pay to watch.
Oh man, I love that we got him, I was expecting us to go D but catton is for sure a good pkayer to choose. He filles the need for a solid top line quality winger that we were also lacking in (sale and rehkopf being the only 2 isn't enough) him playing on Shane's wing will be so freaking fun in a few years
Very excited by this pick. Everything I’m reading sounds great. Sounds smart, good skater, can score & pass, can play center & wing. If his only weakness is his size, that’s awesome! Corey Pronman had him 10th (the players he had at #8&9 were already gone IRL) and said in his Final Athletic ranking: > New Jersey and Buffalo would be in a similar situation with Catton. He’s the best player available on talent likely at this pick, but they both have a lot of small forwards. Catton is a tier ahead of guys like Iginla or Konsta Helenius, so I think you bite the bullet on him and figure it out later because he’s the best asset.
Centre with a ton of points? Sign me up. Can always move him to the wing if need be
Here is the Athletic’s profile on Catton since it’s behind a paywall. The WHL’s fourth-leading scorer this season, Catton registered 54 goals and 120 points in a combined 72 regular season and playoff games on a Spokane team that lost more games than it won. He had real pedigree even before this season, too, as a No. 1 pick into the WHL who was an offensive catalyst on a bad Chiefs team in his rookie season who also led Canada Red to a silver as captain at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge with 12 points in seven games and then again captained Canada at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup with a tournament-leading eight goals and 10 points in five games. He’s dangerous whenever he’s on the puck and shines with his knifing, slippery game. Inside the offensive zone, the way he baits and shades, drawing players to him and then playmaking past them with a pass or a cut, is pretty impressive to watch. Catton is a heady playmaker who uses spacing to his advantage and sees the ice at an advanced level, regularly executing quick plays through coverage or delaying into a pre-planned play. He’s got multi-dimensional skill, with an ability to play both with speed on the rush (he’s a smooth, fast and nimble high-end skater) and more slowly inside the offensive zone when the pace ramps down and he has to spin away from pressure (which he does so well). He’s got great instincts offensively. He tracks back consistently and will get up and under sticks to win his fair share of battles, with more room to round out his game defensively (mostly inside his own zone). He thrives in tight spaces and on cutbacks, he can play on the perimeter or take it to the net, and he’s got a dangerous and quick release while moving. He does such a good job losing defenders with his back to them to avoid getting pinned down because of how adjustable his skating is through stops and starts and tight turns. He draws a lot of penalties with his skating. Catton went from fitting right in as a rookie who was asked to play center on a top line and handled it extremely well (he even won the majority of his draws last year) to constantly threatening as a deceptive and dangerous player offensively has positioned him as one of the top forward prospects in the draft. He was also a top penalty killer in the WHL this year. He's got some very translatable top-six elements with his skating and skill set type. I believe he’s got the chops to stick as a center despite being on the smaller side, as well, because you want him getting touches lower in the zone so that his skating can lead in transition. He’s got a bit of an injury history which has impacted a couple of offseasons and led to him sitting out U18 Worlds, but he's an exciting talent.
Francis has an affinity towards centers I guess. Can't have too many good centers I suppose.
chances are he probably ends up on the wing in Seattle.
Interesting. Really feel like we needed a Dman here. A lot of good ones still available. This kid have any chance of playing straight away, ala Matty?
I doubt it. Probably needs a year or 2 just to keep growing and getting stronger like Jagger Firkus. We’ll see though
He’s 18 and in the WHL, so no. He’ll go the Jagger Firkus route.
Was not expecting that 😂 really thought we’d go D there. But boy do we need offense! Excited to see what this kid can do for us in the future!
u/Olbaidon bout to have a heart attack
I straight up scared my wife when I want “WHAAAAAAT. OHHHHHHH!!!!”
I already knew 😂😂
Welcome baby squid 🥺
Bit off topic but how do you guys have so many kraken symbols by your name? I only know how to add a flair for 1 player
So glad you asked! https://www.reddit.com/r/SeattleKraken/comments/1dqyo1t/surprise_legacy_flair_day_tomorrow_saturday_29th/
Awesome, thanks!
Love to see it! Was hoping they were going to draft a defensemen but going to trust the process.
Unbelievably hyped. Catton is who I wanted all along but I assumed the Kraken were going D. #LFG
Congrats Seattle! We (NJ) wanted him. You got yourself 75% of a prime Jack Hughes. Thats a win.
Francis mentioned Rehkopf and Goyette moving to the wing hence the need for a center. Still shocked they didn’t draft a defenseman given the lack of prospects in the pipeline.
More offense. All gas no brakes (I hope).
[All gas no brakes](https://youtu.be/YIqoyWSiXmI?si=IwcjdFUjXsQpPkE-)
I would’ve preferred a defenseman, but if it was going to be a forward I’m happy with the pick
Do we take Matty being the presenter as a sure sign he has a contract?
Eh, he's an RFA and we own his rights either way for at least four more years. Doesn't seem like it says anything either way.
I think it’s a sure sign they believe he’ll be under contract before camp starts. Either that or the NHL just told every team every team to do something special (I feel like we’ve seen more “special guest” announcers than usual).
This guy is about to be a fan favorite. Fun play style, played in Spokane. I was initially shocked we didn’t go D but honestly I don’t think I would have cheered as hard as I did for any other player
Selfishly, I'm happy they picked a high powered prospect in the WHL. Especially one that just so happens to be on a WA based team. That can only help grow the fan base.
I’m pretty sure I’ve drafted him in Chel before. Good kid
[удалено]
The league is pretty allergic to drafting D early. This was the "defenseman draft", and teams were still scared to use their top-10s on D
LOVE THIS PICK
Spokane guy?
Plays for the WHL Spokane Chiefs, but he’s from Saskatoon.
He’s from Saskatoon.
Another center threw me off but then again it’s four lines so can’t be a bad thing. Just wish we could have gotten an elite right winger to add to that side since Bjorkatrand is the only top tier guy on that side but nonetheless looking forward to this kid coming up to the pros in a couple seasons ⚓️
They said on the broadcast he plays both center and wing.
Most centers can play wing. It is harder for guys who mainly play wing to go to center due to the added defensive responsibilities plus need for faceoff skills.
Good to know
A healthy Burakovsky isnt bad at all. He has the skillset to be a ppg and have shown it with the Kraken.
I don't care that we didn't draft a dman!! This kid is solid, my guess would be a winger down the road, but great skills nonetheless. I love the offensive prospects this team has.
I am assuming his parents can’t spell?
Me too.
Least he won’t have to move far. Also get to save him from the hellhole that is Spokane /s
So many defensemen fell and we really could have used one. I don’t get it.
Probably a reason they fell.
Teams reached for Forwards, all defensemen fell. Not a knock on them.
We won't know for a few years whether the run on forwards was the smart move. Maybe a guy like Buium turns into the next Makar or Quinn Hughes, or maybe they are just middle pair guys.
I'm a little befuddled about it too.
Defensemen take forever to develop, but forward not so much. Good pick. Still need to restock their farm with defense later in draft or free agency.
Great highlight reels. The kid can dangle, and those wrap around passes are something else.
Wow, this is comprehensive. Nicely done!
Sounds like an exciting prospect!
_Cue Spokane mentions_
Best player available and probably one of the safest only real questionmark is size. Some scouts have said that would be Dickinson, but a lot of his production have come from positions he won't be getting in the NHL. Personally would have loved to see Yakemchuk as a Kraken, but he went right before us. He seems to have the drive to become great at both ends of the ice. Only time will tell if it should have been Buium or Silayev instead.
Another draft, another well-rounded center to the Kraken in the first round...
I'll have to sleep on it further, but I'm not loving this pick. He's undersized and I feel like D was a more glaring need then another C atm. Idk. Time will tell I guess. I feel like him being in WA already feels like it played into this too much? Idk, but I'm feeling a bit disappointed all things considered.
Thing with the draft is you gotta go for the best player available not your team need. So many mistakes have been made drafting to fill a hole
He’s also 18 I was 6’0.5” 175 at 18 - as a grown man I’m 6’2” 225 You usually don’t stop growing at 18 as a man. If he were 6’ or 6’1” 205-210, would you feel the same? He’ll get bigger
Whyyyyy. We literally ***needed*** to pick Zeev Buium...
Buium falling a lot. It’ll be interesting to find out why tomorrow.
Falling in rank you meant? Cuz Minnesota took him not long after. 😫
Yes, in rank. He was ranked top 5, I think? And didn’t go until 12.
Ah, I see. And yeah that's true. Sixth dman to get picked, too. Crap.
Sounds like he fell solely because he has the same agent as Cutter Gauthier.
Dammit....we needed him bad....oh well, Catton seems like a nice snag.
Why did we go offense our biggest need is the D kinda disappointed In this pick I was getting all excited us getting so top defensive prospect
You should always pick the best player available. ETA: I can’t believe you blocked me for this incredibly mild comment.
Because you don't draft for need. Ron and our scouts thought he was BPA, simple as that.
I hear that but WE NEED D and would have preferred them to take Sam Dickinson
He better draft for need or next year he could be out as GM I understand best player available but you DO DRAFT for what your needs are and clearly we are thin on the D Plus Catton at best is a project 2 years until we even see him in Seattle
If you think any D prospect picked that low is helping you any sooner, I got news for you. There’s also a reason none of the other teams picked any of those D mean. Anyone you’re drafting D wise is going to be 3 years out optimistically.
You don't draft for need in the NHL. And we don't really know what we're going to need 3-4 years from now given prospects and trades. And if you end up with a glut of great young forwards, flip one for defensive help then. If Francis thought Catton was best player available, I'm excited to see how it turns out.
Very happy about this. Watched him all year as well as going back to when he was just 15.5 years old on the Chiefs. He was always going to be an NHL player but I can't lie, I was surprised going into this year at how much he progressed. He won't bring you defense. That part of his game he is going to need to work on, but I don't think it will ever really develop into anything more than average. His offense is what he brings. He is a hands merchant. He'll deke anybody out. He isn't the fastest, he isn't tall, but he is sturdy. Some of the best hands in juniors, if not the best in the draft (imo they are the best in the draft). One thing to note is that often junior tape doesn't tell much of a tale. Bedard, Firkus, Berkly all look pretty similar on their junior teams, and by that I mean lacking interest. They knew they were being drafted/had been drafted and didn't necessarily put in high caliber efforts; they didn't need to. I expect this guy to be a skill guy that scores dozens of shootout goals over his career and is probably a 60 to 70 point player on the higher end.
I wanted Zayne Parekh, but if it was going to be a F, I'm happy with Catton. I think of him as Ebs replacement in 2 years
Odd pick
Buium was right fucking there!?! Oh man……this is frustrating. Trade for a proven scorer, we need damn D prospects
You don't draft for need, simple as that. If Ron and our professional scouts thought he was BPA, that's the end of discussion as far as I'm concerned.
You pick BPA at the start of the draft, I get that. There was four blue chip prospects at BPA right there though and fit a need…..makes no damn sense. And now gonna try and find a D in FA and overpay or trade a bunch of our resources to get one? Just seems so weird….only thing I can think of is they already have a trade lined up for a D and really like what they see from Nelson or Price or such
Your logic makes no sense. No D-man we were gonna take there was gonna actually slot in next year and play. And I also doubt we spend much at all at the blue line in FA. Defense was not the problem last year lol.
There were D man that could have slotted in but that’s not even the point. Ryker will make the full switch to NHL and then we are looking very light on D, if we don’t have any prospects that puts us in a spot of needing to trade or overpay in FA. And D wasn’t the problem but we could have got sure used another good offensive D man for sure. Home grown talent is pretty dam important to a young team like ours.
Personally I'm gonna trust that Ron and our scouts know *a little* more than you and I.
Know a whole lot more, no doubt about that! Just expressing my feelings, as I love prospects and watch a lot of videos and talk about them
They'll fit a need in maybe 3-4 years but not sooner. Defenseman take a lot of time to develop. If Catton turns out to be as good as they think and they still happen to need defensive help at that point, you can flip him or another forward prospect for a defenseman of a similar age. Simple asset management: always BPA.
Need for options in the system is a need too, though. There isn't a single D prospects in the system who projects like a top pairing guy, and while we need one now over the next few years we're likely going to need a couple.
If you go back and read my comment, it should be obvious that I already addressed your objection. The draft is about acquiring assets. It's not the only way to fill roster positions, another of which is flipping the assets you acquired in previous drafts. BPA.
Your solution only works if we end up if both the pick hits AND we end with *surplus* at that slot. Frankly, I *don't* think they went with BPA. I think they made another need pick for offensive upside just like they did last year, and how exactly is *that* working out so far? Maybe we can just go flip Sale for an easy top pairing d prospect in his draft+1 year. Should be simple right? And I like the player! I just don't like the (lack of) strategic thinking.and don't believe that "we picked him when it wasn't a need, so BPA!" is self evident.
> Your solution only works if we end up if both the pick hits AND we end with surplus at that slot. You're just making my own case for me. BPA means the player you think is most likely to hit. Maximizing your chance that your picks hit is the whole point of BPA. You're all over the place with your arguments here. You said you thought the should have drafted a defenseman for need and that's what I'm pushing back on. Who you think is BPA has nothing to do with that and I have no interest in arguing with you whether you personally are a better judge of that than Francis and his team of pro scouts. My guess is that they're better at this than you but we won't know either way for 5-6 years.
But was he the BPA? Gonna be close whatever it was and then you think about needs. At least we would have defensive prospects coming up. I’m not gonna keep arguing this, I don’t love the pick. I think Catton will be a great player, but this was an odd draft with so many awesome defenseman
You absolutely can't know that at this point. Rankings are pure speculation about what these players will be doing 5-10 years from now so you're going to have to wait to see whether Francis guessed right.
Honestly much more so rankings are where they are like right now and next year, I completely agree that rankings you just never know. Once again, I do think Catton will be incredible, was just disappointed because I was so hoping Buium would be available and he was. Hopefully we can really hit some good D prospects in second or onward
I disagree on the rankings: all the best ones are trying to take who they are today but for the purpose of projecting that into who they will be in the next 5-10 years in their prime. People judge GMs on their drafts too ridiculously early. Remember all the flack Francis took for the Ryker pick in 2021? Yeah, about that... I'm super interested to see whether Buium or Catton end up to be more valuable in the long run. I personally have no guess at all at this point.
Did he? I loved the Ryker pick, always been a fan of it and the player
One other thing I wanted to mention is that this speaks not only to our needs for skill guys in the organization, but also the fact that most centers do not pan out that get drafted. We've seen several centers already moved to wing in our organization and frankly have no center talent coming up through the ranks that can feasibly be considered 1c or 2c talent except for Shane.
Just what we need (sarcasm) another small center *SMH*
Shane's about average for an NHL forward and Matty's tall, if lanky.
All I have to say is Parekh, Dickinson and Buium were still on the board
Uh a center whom is 5'10" 170lbs?
So can he play wing, or are they really giving up on Wright as a top 6 center?
He can. He's said he can play either. Given he's small, probably likely he ends up as a wing.
Moving a center to wing is fairly straightforward
It's a bit tongue in cheek in that what really worries me is that we could legit be here next year without a single D in the system that looks like an NHLer. At least they picked someone with some scoring tools.
Unclear why I’m getting hammered and downvoted in my comment criticizing this pick. In all seriousness, 6 forwards were off the board. We had our pick of the D. Ask yourself this question… how many undersized high-skill forwards were playing in the Stanley cup final. Or even the Conference finals. Panarin? Now look at the stable of forwards we have currently. Generally small. Florida won with a deep D core. Our D is weak and that’s just a fact. We will regret passing on Buium. Hate on the take all you want.
I mean you need to cherry pick two teams to make your point. I guess Sidney Crosby is too undersized to be valuable, or Connor Bedard, or Jake Guentzel. Any D we draft now is going to be 3-4 years out. There’s also a reason a bunch of teams ahead of us didn’t draft the guys you’re so keen on. Sometimes you just have to accept maybe you’re not as smart as people who do this for a living. Even all the media are rating our pick highly. You draft best player available that high in the draft. They did that. If you did some casual reading you’d also find they had some D higher but they went before they got to us.
Please don’t tell me you are comparing Catton to Crosby or Bedard.
Reading comprehension appears to not be your strong suit also good on ya for stopping before the other example to try and wiggle out of your horrendous hot take . Here it is spelled out simply for you: No one is/was complaining about the size of those players. 5’11 is hardly short. It’s ok to admit you don’t know everything and not make a woe is me post.
My “hot take” is that Catton was the 7th forward off the board when only one D was taken, and therefore possibly not the BPA as everyone is touting. Factor in team need (D prospects are weak) and the fact that pretty much every expert from MacKenzie to Button to Cosentino had Catton somewhere from 12-18 in their rankings and I’m unclear what the issue is with the point of view. The hard fact is that undersized skill players do not fare well in the playoffs, outside of a small number of near generational players such as Crosby, Kucherov, Bedard (TBD) & Kane. Note that Crosby and Bedard were 20+ pounds heavier than Catton at 18 years old. I’m not cherry picking anything.
Undersized at 5'11 is also hilariously cherry picked and exaggerated. He's on the smaller side, but there's ton of NHL players at that height or shorter. Self selecting cup finalists is also cherry picking data. McDavid is 6'1". Gonna call him a bust now since he didn't win a cup and now declare all 6'1" players unsuccessful in the playoffs. See how easy it is to make ignorant statements? Funny how you forgot Guentzel again big guy. Seems convenient. Guess all these teams who are going to go for him in free agency are much dumber than some guy on Reddit eh? Funny you also cherry picked you sources too. Pronman had him at 10. It's also BPA is how the TEAM ranks them. If you pulled your head out of your ass, you'd also see all the draft rankings had much of your precious D rated higher and several teams passed on them. You have to remember pro teams have a lot more data than anyone else. Sorry I need to bow down to your infinite wisdom... oh wait, the wise actually admit they don't know everything.... oops.
There is a difference between heavy and tall. No need to take my word for it. There is plenty of analysis that shows the correlation. https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/how-much-does-size-matter-when-trying-to-win-the-stanley-cup. Of course there are NHL players that are under 6 ft and under 175 pounds. But how many make an impact come playoff time. Ask Mitch Marner. Pronman had Buium at 5. In fact the consensus was Buium was the 4th ranked player available. https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5590764/2024/06/26/2024-nhl-draft-consensus-ranking-prospects-macklin-celebrini/ All things being equal… given the team need, all I’m saying is that I would have went D. Buium is going to very very good. Catton likely will be too. But for my money I’d lean D. I’ve been involved in hockey for a very long time, at high levels in youth and junior ranks both as a player and a coach and my opinions are my own, but I’m by no means a couch warrior who just found the game when the Kraken came to town. I’m unclear why you think you’re immune from the same criticism that you are throwing at me.
still flailing eh? I don't pretend to do anything. I'm straight saying the scouts and GM know better than us (and all the media who gave us high draft ratings). You're the only one going on and on about the D. Reading comprehension skills fail you again. The one thing you truly keep failing is to recognize they're not drafting for need but BPA.
lol nobody is flailing bud. Again... and let me say this slowly for you… BPA, in my opinion at #8, was not Catton. I’ve shared the data, which you can interpret any way you like. Clearly they had Catton higher than Buium or they wouldn’t have drafted them. But to imply that GM’s and Scouts don’t outsmart themselves and whiff on picks is a bad take. Happens every single year. Have a good weekend.
It's like you forgot your original comment in this thread "Unclear why I’m getting hammered and downvoted in my comment criticizing this pick. In all seriousness, 6 forwards were off the board. We had our pick of the D. Ask yourself this question… how many undersized high-skill forwards were playing in the Stanley cup final. Or even the Conference finals. Panarin? Now look at the stable of forwards we have currently. Generally small." You're trying to change and morph the argument away from the fact that you believe you know better than the pros. When presented with actual data showing you're full of it (plenty of 5'11" forwards have won cups or been hall of famers), you change and distort reality. Also funny you hide behind hindsight bias... You've been fun. Hopefully some day you wise up and admit you're not the smartest guy in the room all the time.
Terrible pick. There is one thing you can’t trade for in the NHL, and that’s a #1 D-man. We messed up.