It didn’t take Berkly Catton long to make an impact in his NHL debut.
Seattle’s first-round draft pick in 2024 got the secondary assist on Jordan Eberle’s goal at 7:16 of the first period Monday, but the Kraken took their first regulation defeat of the season, 5-2 to the host Philadelphia Flyers.
The Kraken will complete their first back-to-back of the season on Tuesday when they oppose the host Washington Capitals.
“It’s a lot, for sure,” Catton said of his debut. “It’s kind of nice, honestly just to even get the (ceremonial rookie) lap out of the way. Then, everyone just forgets about it, and you just go play.”
Catton, 19, watched the Kraken’s first five games of the season from the press box as a healthy scratch before getting the call with Jared McCann out due to a lower-body injury. Catton, a natural center, played left wing on the Kraken’s top line with Eberle and Matty Beniers.
Catton sent a pass back to defenseman Cale Fleury, whose shot was redirected by Eberle in front of the net.
“My first touch of the game was an assist, so that was pretty cool,” Catton said. “They’re a really good defensive team, too, and there wasn’t a whole lot (of opportunity) the whole game. Maybe the odd chance here or there.”
Teammate Jaden Schwartz, who said the Kraken “were a bit flat at times” on the fourth stop of a six-game trip, praised Catton’s play.
“You could see his vision, his skill set,” Schwartz said. “He’s pretty good with the puck, sees the ice well and makes a lot of little plays.”
Catton learned a day in advance that he would be playing on Monday, which allowed his parents just enough time to make the trip from western Canada for their son’s debut.
“Saskatoon to Philadelphia is not an easy flight,” Catton joked. “So, I think they’ve had a long day of travel. … I’m just happy my family was here, and I just got to share it with them.”
Now Catton and the Kraken move on to Washington, where the Capitals had a four-game winning streak snapped on Sunday with a 4-3 loss to the Vancouver Canucks.
It could’ve been worse, as Washington trailed 4-0 five minutes into the second period before rallying.
“The first (period) basically determines the game,” Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said. “We did a lot of good things in the second and the third, but you also have to take that with a grain of salt. Teams play a little bit differently when they’re winning 4-0, so they sit back a little bit and we get a lot of momentum. But we did a lot of good things in the second and third. The first derails us.”
Washington captain Alex Ovechkin, the NHL’s all-time leading goal-scorer, has one goal and three assists through the first six games of the season and has 898 career goals.
Capitals center Pierre-Luc Dubois, who has a lower-body injury, returned to practice Monday but was wearing a non-contact jersey. He will miss his fourth consecutive game on Tuesday.
“We have a few days in between (games) after Seattle, so that at least gives us a few more days for the potential of him to get back into a regular jersey,” Carbery said.
