Don’t be surprised if a pair of 1st round draft picks for the Seattle Kraken and Vancouver Canucks each receive cheers during Saturday’s prospect game in Everett.
Squads of talented young hopefuls will square off twice this weekend, beginning 6 pm tomorrow at Angel of the Winds Arena, home of the WHL Everett Silvertips. The teams will rematch 4 pm Sunday at Kraken Community Iceplex (not open to the public).
Berkly Catton (Seattle, 2024) and Braeden Cootes (Vancouver, 2025) share much in common besides being 1st round draft choices. Both are centers, both have been captains of WHL teams, and both are sure to have rooting sections in any Puget Sound setting.
To say Kraken players and management have hinted at their excitement about Catton would be an understatement. More accurate is their openly-stated anticipation that the high-scoring center will play in Seattle sometime this season – maybe as soon as opening night.
Cootes, meanwhile, knows all about the Silvertips’ home rink, and Seattle, too. Following Canucks camp, he’ll start his fourth season in Kent with the WHL Thunderbirds, after scoring 26 goals last year.
Coachella Valley Firebirds Not A Catton Option This Season
Catton registered 109 regular season points and 42 more in the playoffs last season for the Spokane Chiefs. The question for Kraken management is what to do with Catton after he’s played nine games. That’s the maximum a teen prospect can play in the NHL without burning a year off his entry contract.
Should he demonstrate more than a hint of his junior production, the decision becomes somewhat easier.
If the (more likely) determination is made that more seasoning would aid the 5-foot-10, 175 pound center, the dilemma becomes where to place him. Like Shane Wright before him, Catton at his age is ineligible to play in the AHL. It’s either return to the Chiefs, where he has nothing left to prove, or stay with the Kraken, burn the contract year, and have him see only spot duty.
WHL Photo
“I’ve been really curious about that rule,” Catton told ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski. “Honestly, as of right now, all I can really do is go to camp, have a good camp and kind of force their hand.”
As Wyshynski points out, the rule is likely to change – but not soon enough for Catton. “The current rules state that a player drafted from the CHL must be at least 20 years old or have played at least four full seasons in the CHL to be eligible for the AHL. In the new NHL and NHLPA collective bargaining agreement (starting in 2026), there is a provision for teams to loan one 19-year-old player to their AHL farm team without the requirement of offering that player back to their Canadian junior team first.”
Catton says, almost wistfully, “That AHL rule would be really cool. Sometimes you’ve done what you’re supposed to do in junior. That kind of middle ground could be nice if you need to develop a little bit more.”
The View From Spokane
One keenly interested observer will be tracking Catton’s progress from across the state. Spokane Chiefs coach Brad Lauer said to the Spokesman-Review, “We always wish the best for guys that can make that next step into the NHL. That means we’ve done our part. We’re excited for him to be where he is in his journey.
“Is there an opportunity for him to be back here? There is. But we always want what’s best for him. Hopefully he makes (the Kraken). But you don’t replace guys like him. There’s few guys like that. They don’t come around very often.”
Catton believes his commitment to off-season strength training will help him, as he put it, “force the Kraken’s hand.” The Saskatoon native knows what – or rather, who – he’ll be up against. “These guys are men. It’s not a 16-year-old kid going into a puck battle. It’s a guy with kids and stuff, but you got to come out with the puck somehow.”
Cootes, Who Plays For Seattle, Will Play Against Seattle
WHL Photo
We mentioned Braeden Cootes’ familiarity with Everett. Last season, in a six-game playoff series loss to the ‘Tips, Cootes scored two goals and six assists for his Thunderbirds. Not only was he the WHL’s youngest captain, he also captained Team Canada to the gold medal at the 2025 IIHF U18 World Championship.
Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin took note of those leadership qualities. “He’s a leader by example on and off the ice. Our staff was really impressed with him during the process of the due diligence meeting him in Seattle.” Allvin projects the 5-foot-11, 183 pound pivot in his future “middle six.”
Cootes explained to TheProvince.com, “I love it here in Seattle, with our coaches and the set-up we have. I have to give a lot of credit to (Thunderbirds coach) Matt O’Dette. Culture is a big thing here in Seattle. We talk about it a lot. It was how I was raised, too. It is pretty natural and it’s something I’ve found makes me successful.”