The Kraken have officially signed Berkly Catton to a three-year entry-level contract.
Catton, picked eighth in the draft last week, will have a cap hit of $975K. He’s the second rookie from this draft class to sign, following Adam Jiříček from the Blues. While it’s not expected that Catton will join the NHL roster this fall, signing him now gives him that chance. He also gets a $97.5K signing bonus with this deal, according to PuckPedia. The contract includes an annual base salary of $877.5K and up to $1M in performance bonuses each year.
Catton has already spent time in Washington State, playing for the Spokane Chiefs of the WHL over the past three seasons. At 5-foot-11 and 174 pounds, he led all WHL draft-eligible players in scoring last season with 116 points (54 goals and 62 assists) across 68 games. Known for his speed and offensive skills, some worry about his physicality against bigger opponents .
Contract Details:
Since Catton’s birthday is in January 2026, he’s not eligible for a full-time AHL spot until then; he’ll need to return to his junior team until that time. If he plays fewer than ten NHL games each season before then, his contract could extend as late as 2026-27 before starting fully. However, he still gets his signing bonuses regardless of how many games he plays early on.
Fans might think it’s exciting to see such young talent getting signed so quickly!
It’s interesting how these contracts work out sometimes—like little puzzles with bonuses and sliding start dates! What do you think about Catton’s chances?
