It’s weird to think that forwards this year might actually be the least coveted part of the draft outside of Celebrini. Sure, there are great names and stories throughout, but I think the overwhelming consensus is that blueliners this year are the hot ticket. That I think gives guys who aren’t Macklin Celebrini a chance to both fly under the radar and become hidden gems, but also become the real stories of their draft year if given the right opportunity.
And I think Berkly Catton could have that opportunity. Because he’s more than used to slipping through those who doubt him. Let’s meet Spokane’s latest, greatest hope.
Who is he?
Berkly Catton is a Canadian-born forward who measures in at 5’11, and weighs 183 pounds, shooting left-handed. He plays in the Canadian Junior Western Hockey League with the Spokane Chiefs.
What is he good at?
Honestly? Just about everything when it comes to offense.
Berkly Catton is another in a rising class of high-end talents who use their explosive acceleration and agility to both find open ice and make open ice, but Catton’s acceleration seems to stand out above a good number of his peers for just how immediate it is, thanks to some efficient mechanics of his skating stride; allowing him to stop, start, and stop again on a dime. Catton’s strong skating also helps him when it comes to one of his very favorite activities; scoring goals and making plays.
While his skating is impressive, Catton’s point-getting skills should come with a glass case and a pair of white gloves to behold. Catton just finds space; whether through those maneuvers from the acceleration he can get, or by use of his impressive hand-eye coordination with his stick when under pressure. He’s not gonna blow anybody away on sheer footspeed, but rather let the opponent do half the work for him, and make him pay for it in the worst possible way by stickhandling through them, and then getting a real good shot off that’s quick and accurate; allowing him to turn extremely tight angles into dangerous parts of the ice; especially when traffic starts to converge on him. Further, even while being undersized, he’s more than willing to invite contact to continue a play, and if he can continue to create an opportunity to score? Well, he’s gonna take that lump and let his teammate figure out the rest. This willingness has also helped him in the defensive zone, where while he’s not exactly an imposing force, he can be pretty annoying to deal with, able to swoop in out of checks or into piles and swipe the puck out of skates and sticks to create rushes.
But let’s also not forget; he was doing all of this on a Spokane team that was…let’s be nice and say “inconsistent“; for much of the year, he was asked to do a ton of work for them, and he met that challenge with aplomb, with the rest of his team struggling to even match his goal totals in points, let alone ever reach him with points; the only other guy with his level of production was Connor Roulette, an undrafted playmaker who benefitted greatly from his presence. If there is any situation that Catton appears to be uniquely suited for, it’s being a major shot in the arm of a struggling offense.
Of which Washington State based teams could speak volumes. Drafting Catton gets you a playmaker and goalgetter who could be the centerpiece of a power play, or even of your even strength goal differential.
What does he need to work on?
His size, honestly.
At 5’11 and 183, that is a slight player, which is fine for Canadian Junior; especially given how good he is at avoiding danger. But a real “Welcome to the NHL”-ass hit is in his future if he can’t get some bulk on that body for a . Further, it would help him a lot more in board battles to bulk up a bit and not have him rely on fancy tricks that the NHL game can sometimes punish for a lack of progress.
Other than that? Berkly Catton’s biggest not-size related issue is probably his dogged desire to Make Something Happen, which can create turnovers when he attempts to force a pass into traffic, or taking a low danger opportunity….which, given that he had over 100+ points this year, was not often enough to be a problem, but something noticeable he can use to improve upon his already impressive game. It’s a nitpick in his game that could theoretically find it’s way into being a flaw if left unsmoothed out by development and training. Timing that allows for plays to develop naturally, or to find better angles to attack a defense, will generally always require further ice time to improve, and he’ll be getting that in spades if whatever team who decides to draft him keeps him in Spokane.
My Verdict
I am pretty sure Berkly Catton’s going Top 5.
Even with the concerns, Catton’s skillset places him in a unique position where just about any of the bottom 5 teams in the draft, all of whom desperately need an influx of skill, a firecracker to light up an offense, and honestly a half-decent center just to make the bare minimum play of establishing possession after a play ends easier. Just about every team in the top 5 of the draft order needs that, and Catton can get you that.
But! You never know!
People can be super weird about height in this game because they kind of internalize that being big means you have more space to put on power, and to impose that power on other players. I would say that one of the single biggest, most crushing hits of my lifetime came from a dude who was 5’7, but hey! This is why I write about the Draft, and men three times my senior get to go make decisions about it. On the extremely off chance Catton experiences a fall outside the Top 5, I’d be stunned if Utah or Ottawa decided to pass on that. Both of them need a Berkly Catton. But if he ends up getting all the way down to 8th?
That’s found money.
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