Seven Seattle Kraken draft choices participated at last week’s World Junior Summer Showcase in Plymouth, MI. Players representing the USA, Canada, Finland and Sweden showed off their wares in the round-robin tournament, hoping to enhance their chances of being picked for the actual World Juniors this December.
Seattle goalie prospect Visa Vedenpaa certainly made his case. So did forwards Carson Rehkopf and Berkly Catton. Thumbnail reports below. (Note: Because of their larger rosters, Team USA and Team Canada split their squads for some games.)
Visa Vedenpaa, Team Finland (G, 2023 6th Round)

@Jennthulhu_Photos
Vedenpaa had a fine first game, spectacular second game, and a third game he’d like to forget. July 28 vs. USA “White,” stopped 22 of 25 shots in a 3-2 defeat. He allowed the game-winner to James Reeder of the USHL with 59 seconds to play.
“Vendenpaa held his own very well in the game,” wrote Chris Peters at FloHockey. “He got a lot of work and made some very difficult saves, including robbing Cole Eiserman on a 2-on-1.”
July 31 vs. USA, Vedenpaa again went the distance, stopping 39 of 42 shots in a 5-3 Finland victory. After a shaky 1st period, in which he allowed two goals on seven shots, Vedenpaa shut the door. He saved all 18 Team USA shots in the 2nd period, and 16 of 17 in the 3rd.
From Steven Ellis of DailyFaceoff.com: “The 19-year-old netminder earned Finland their first win of the Summer Showcase. With the win, Vedenpaa may have locked himself on the roster this winter.” Peters concurred. “Vedenpaa was under siege in the game, but was outstanding. USA created a lot of traffic and made him move around, but he was able to play a very reserved game. He never seemed to lose his net and showed some great compete to make things more difficult for the USA shooters.”
August 2 vs. Canada, Vedenpaa was pulled early in the third period after allowing his sixth and seventh goals against, 45 seconds apart.
Kim Saarinen, Team Finland (G, 2024 3rd Round)
July 29 vs. USA “Blue,” Saarinen entered the game at 8:01 of the 2nd period, with Finland trailing 5-1. Saarinen stopped all seven shots he faced in 31 minutes of work in a game won by USA “Blue,” 5-3. Ellis wrote: “Saarinen looked solid. The big goaltender is in a race to steal the No. 1 goalie spot for the big event in December and while he wasn’t too busy, he stood strong as the pressure kept on mounting. I think Saarinen has a decent shot, despite losing the starting gig at the U-18s.”
The tournament concluded on Aug. 3 with what were called “rivalry games.” In the Sweden vs. Finland match, Saarinen allowed three goals on 12 shots after two periods. The 6-foot-4 goalie who turned 18 two weeks ago authored a 3rd period shutout with eight saves, as Finland rallied for a 5-3 win.
Zeb Forsfjall, Team Sweden (C, 2023 6th Round)
In four games, Forsfjall contributed one assist. In fairness, checking is his forte, not scoring. Ellis was impressed by his Game 1 effort against USA “Blue,” a game Sweden lost 7-2. “Forsfjäll brought speed and energy to every shift,” observed Ellis. “He could have easily backed down in the latter stages when it was clearly a crapshoot, but he kept forechecking and keeping (USA goalie Trey) Augustine on his toes. I’ve had a love-hate relationship watching Forsfjäll the past few years, but I thought he played well enough here.”
Carson Rehkopf, Team Canada (LW, 2023 2nd Round)
Rehkopf was the offensive hero for Team Canada “Red” in the only Summer Showcase game played outside Plymouth. Team Sweden traveled up to Windsor, Ontario and took a 3-2 shootout victory over their hosts. Rehkopf scored both Canada goals, including the tying 2-2 tally with 1:47 left and Canada having pulled their goalie for a sixth attacker.
Berkly Catton, Team Canada (C, 2024 1st Round)
Team USA beat Team Canada 5-4 in a shootout in their Aug. 3 rivalry game. Catton, who didn’t score against Sweden, earned two points with a pair of assists for Canada. (Carson Rehkkopf didn’t play in this game.)
Catton may have only been part of the Kraken organization since being drafted June 28, but Peters of FloHockey sees a bright future: “Catton was his team’s most threatening player. His speed game challenged USA’s defense and he was able to create in transition. He was solid on the power play and made a number of nice plays to the interior, especially with his high-end passing ability. Catton’s dynamic skill set is fun to watch and he processes the game at such a high speed, too.”
Here’s video of both of Catton’s assists. He’s #21, walking in from the left point and firing the shot that gets tipped in.
On the goal which tied the game 3-3 for Canada, Catton uses his speed to catch up to the puck and makes a nifty late feed.
Caden Price, Team Canada (D, 2023 3rd Round)
Julius Miettinen, Team Finland (C, 2024 2nd Round)
Price played two games on defense for Canada and earned one power play assist.
Miettinen, an Everett Silvertip, played two games at forward for team Finland without a point.
Seattle Thunderbirds on Team Canada
Goalie Scott Ratzlaff of the Seattle Thunderbirds, now a Buffalo Sabres prospect, came in for Canada at the game’s midpoint July 31 against Sweden and played well. Ratzlaff stopped 12 of 13 shots in 34 minutes of regulation and overtime. He did allow two scores in three Sweden attempts in the shootout.
Fellow T-Bird and Vancouver Canucks prospect Sawyer Mynio, a defenseman, saw his first action in Canada “White’s” 8-6 victory over Finland on Aug. 2. Mynio also played on Aug. 3 against Team USA. Though he didn’t record a point in either game, he still stood out. From Ellis: “I like how good he was at clearing space around his net and keeping the puck away from danger.”
Note: The 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship will be held in Ottawa between Dec. 26, 2024 and Jan 5, 2025.