Why Seattle Kraken’s Berkly Catton likely won’t play in World Juniors

Nineteen games into his NHL career, Berkly Catton still has not found the net. Five assists, but no goals. It annoys him, as it would anyone.

He earned his first NHL point about eight minutes into his debut, so it seemed like his first goal would not be far behind. More than a month later, he came very close – again – to cracking the goose egg late in a 4-0 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday, but missed the net.

“At least getting good looks,” he said. “It’ll be a sense of relief, for sure.

“Just trying to not just focus on that, and think there’s lots of other components of the game that I can contribute with.”

This has to feel unfamiliar, as Catton scored 38 and 54 goals each of the last two regular seasons, respectively, with the Western Hockey League’s Spokane Chiefs, plus 11 in just 20 playoff games this spring.

A return trip to the 2026 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships later this month might help him rediscover his scoring touch, maybe feel comfortable while playing against guys his own age again. Kraken center Shane Wright had a grand time captaining Team Canada to gold in 2023 and even though he was returned to his junior club afterward, the experience helped reset a tough season.

Of course, the opposite could also happen. Catton, or Canada, or both, could have a bad tournament and then he has missed time with the Kraken with little to show for it.

Catton attended the World Junior Summer Showcase and is among a group of eligible NHL players who could be loaned by their respective clubs. Hockey Canada wants Catton, 19, but as of now, the feeling within the organization is that Catton likely will stay with the Kraken.

Team Canada’s 10-day camp in Niagara Falls, Ontario, begins Dec. 12. Sportsnet reported that a Team Canada official confirmed in rare exceptions, it could wait as late as Dec. 20 for a player to join the team.

The Calgary Flames plan to loan 19-year-old defenseman Zayne Parekh to Team Canada for the World Junior Championship next month, Sportsnet reported, as long as the upper-body injury he is dealing with resolves. The Flames are second-to-last in the league in points with a 9-14-4 record, so that is a different situation.

The Flames are looking to the future, but the Kraken have to consider the present and what is good for them. They sit 11-7-6, in the first wild-card spot as of Monday morning, and Catton is part of their oft-praised team chemistry.

They have also had bad injury luck lately, with two of their top scorers – Jared McCann and Jaden Schwartz – missing significant time. Sending away someone who has spent most of the season with the team and running into more injury troubles could hamper the team’s playoff hopes.

Team USA released its 28-player preliminary roster, which includes Kraken prospect Blake Fiddler, a defenseman drafted in June, on Monday. The Americans are going for a threepeat at the championship they’re hosting Dec. 26-Jan. 5 in Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minn.

The tournament is a huge deal generally, but must-see TV in Canada. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, native Catton went last year and had an assist in five games as Canada placed fifth for a second straight year. To make matters worse, Ottawa hosted the tournament.

Would he want to return and hopefully lead Canada back to medal contention? “Yeah,” of course. He said he is not in the loop on that decision.

“Whatever they tell me to do, I’ll be happy to do,” Catton said.

Catton is settling into Seattle life after the team opted to keep him past the nine-game mark. He moved in with Kraken center Chandler Stephenson right after the team returned from a four-game road trip Nov. 23. He has the basement mostly to himself, though Stephenson’s kids are looking to hang out.

A longstanding agreement with the Canadian Hockey League allowed the Kraken a nine-game tryout, essentially, during which they could decide if Catton was ready to play at the NHL level. If he was not, he was too young to continue playing in the pros at a lower level and would have to return to his junior club in Spokane. That rule will reportedly be tweaked soon.

Catton did not play for the Kraken the first week of the season, but a roster spot opened up for him when McCann was injured. Ultimately, McCann’s injury cost him 17 games, and Catton has appeared in every contest since his debut Oct. 20. The Kraken liked what they were seeing out of Catton, and the Entry Level Contract deadline came and went.

Kraken general manager Jason Botterill called Catton a “student of the game.” President of hockey operations Ron Francis went over clips with him recently and Catton’s savviness impressed.

The sense is that once one goal comes, more will fall.