WHL Stars & NHL Debuts: Catton ‘Kraks’ Seattle lineup

Philadelphia, Pa.- After five long games where he sat percolating in the press box, it was finally Berkly Catton’s time to shine.

The Seattle Kraken’s 2024 eighth-overall draft pick made his NHL debut in front of a hostile Flyers crowd on Monday night- and it didn’t take long for the wily forward to have an impact.

On his second shift of the match, Catton caught the puck on the half wall and played it up to defenceman Cale Fleury, who fired a long shot that deflected off Captain Jordan Eberle and past Dan Vladar for the game-opening strike.

“I think my first touch of the game was an assist,” Catton, 19, reflected postgame. “Secondary assist in the second shift is pretty cool.”

His parents, Chris and Desrae, also made the stopover-laden trip from Saskatoon, Sask. to the City of Brotherly Love to witness Berkly’s big moment.

Catton’s first point in the show also marked an all-WHL alumni goal.

Eberle (Regina Pats) is regarded as one of the greatest players in modern WHL history and was named Player of the Year in 2010, while Fleury captained the then-Kootenay ICE before helping the Pats reach the 2018 Memorial Cup Final.

While the Flyers would claw back to a 5-2 win, Catton put forward a strong effort in his first NHL outing.

The 5-foot-10, 179-pound forward logged an assist, a shot, one block, and a +1 rating in 13:49 of ice time, while winning his lone faceoff attempt.

“I thought he made a really good play on the first goal. It was really nice for him to get his first NHL point,” Kraken Head Coach Lane Lambert said. “He made a really good play off the faceoff, too, hitting the seam. It’s his first game, get his feet wet. I’m sure it was a learning experience for him.”

First NHL game, first NHL point for Berkly Catton! 👏 pic.twitter.com/pwN5pICNOc

— NHL (@NHL) October 20, 2025

Despite the team leaving Philadelphia with a loss in the midst of a tough road trip, Seattle veteran and fellow Saskatchewan product Jaden Schwartz quickly pumped up the youngster’s play.

“You can see his vision, his skill set,” Schwartz added. “Pretty good with the puck. Sees the ice very well and just makes a lot of little plays and highly skilled. It was fun to see him out there.”

second shift. secondary assist. first @NHL point!

congrats, Berk! 👏 pic.twitter.com/htAIZJAivt

— Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) October 21, 2025

Catton is working to carve out a role with Kraken after a phenomenal WHL career with the Spokane Chiefs.

The reigning WHL and CHL Most Sportsmanlike Player is coming off a second consecutive 100-plus point campaign with the Chiefs.

Catton put up 109 points (38G-71A) in 57 regular-season games in 2024-25 to finish third in the league scoring race.

He also erupted for a league-leading 42 points (11G-31A) in 20 playoff games to help Spokane reach the 2025 WHL Championship Series.

The two-time WHL All-Star is also a favourite to represent Canada for a second time at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship after earning one assist in five games in his first trip to the prestigious tournament.

With 284 career points (116G-168A) in Spokane, Catton is eighth in all-time Chiefs points and assists, while ranking 10th in goals.

Now, it’s all about finding his footing at the next level.

The Kraken now face the second half of a road back-to-back as they travel to Washington to face the Capitals at 5:00 p.m. MST.