Draft day

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For the fourth consecutive year, the Seattle Kraken have selected a center-iceman as the number-one pick in the amateur draft. With the overall eighth pick, the Kraken selected Berkley Catton from the Spokane Chiefs of the Western Hockey League.

Matty Beniers, the first-ever selection by the Kraken in 2021, made the selection at Sphere (not the Sphere) in Las Vegas. Catton, 18, a 5-11 native of Saskatoon, SK comes off a 54-62-116 season. That placed him third in goals and fourth in points in the WHL. The NHL Central Scouting Bureau ranks Catton 8th among North American players.

"We liked him. He's a gifted offensive player with good speed," said Kraken general manager Ron Francis. "He has a skill set to make plays. We think he's a high-end offensive player and we're happy to have him in the fold."

Catton, who was on-hand in LV for the draft, sounded equally pleased with joining the Kraken organization.

"This is so cool. Playing with Spokane, I'm in Seattle all the time," said Catton. "And we played at Climate Pledge Arena."

In his post-selection interview, Catton came across as a player not lacking in confidence.

"I'm a smart dynamic player. When I have the puck on my stick, I believe the next move is going to put us in a better position. I have the power to change the momentum of the game."

Some pre-draft projections had the Kraken selecting a defenseman - either Sam Dickinson of London (OHL) or Zayne Pareah, Saginaw (OHL) Dickinson, ranked 7th among North American skaters, was selected by the San Jose Sharks at number 11, and Parekh, ranked 5th, was the Calgary Flames' pick at number nine.

The draft continues tomorrow (July 29) at Sphere with rounds 2-7. Seattle has nine picks in the seven-round draft. 

Previous Kraken first round picks

2021 Matty Beniers, 2 

2022 Shane Wright, 4

2023 Eduard Sale 20



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