Berkly Catton : In-Depth Scouting Report

Berkly Catton is a dynamic offensive forward, having just concluded one of the most prolific seasons in the WHL for a draft-eligible player with his 116 pts in 68 games. He is almost as good as a scorer as he is as a playmaker and that is reflected in his statistical profile as he has amassed 54 goals and 62 assists.

Endowed with great offensive creativity, Catton shines when it comes time to set the table for his teammates.

His passing skills can be analyzed in many ways, but at the top of the list, his ability to connect with his teammates with cross-ice passes is what sets him apart from his peers. He was the player who completed the most of such passes this season. This makes him a formidable playmaker on the power play as he can feed his teammates for one-timers as well as anyone in this draft can. Some of these passes are very impressive as we are under the impression that he is literally threading a needle, passing the puck through multiple opposing sticks.

It is also possible to observe Catton’s natural talent level on his saucer passes. This is another aspect at the forefront of his playmaking. It’s an asset that few players can boast of having up their sleeve. Passing lanes that seem inaccessible suddenly become achievable thanks to excellent hand dexterity giving him the opportunity to make these passes.

The final aspect that distinguishes Catton as a playmaker is his ability to spot his teammates coming in on the second wave. This demonstrates how far his vision of the game is broadened as well as a composure preventing him from forcing passes at the net.

What sets Catton apart, when compared to players of similar stature and style, is that his ability to put the puck in the net is at a level far beyond what one would expect.  His 54 goals this season bear witness to this.

His wrist shot can be a real laser and leaves his stick at astonishing speed.

But beyond that, Catton manages to score so many goals thanks to a superior understanding of the game. His spatial recognition is the perfect demonstration of this. He spots gaps in defensive coverage as well as anyone and his confidence in possession of the puck allows him to attack those areas with all the confidence needed. Despite a less than optimal size, Catton is one of the good players in this draft to win the center of the slot.

His way of treating his environment is also illustrated in his way of using ‘Give N Go’ with a teammate in order to eliminate an opposing defender obstructing his path, and thus gain an advantageous zone to take his shot.

A very interesting way that Catton uses his shot is to perform a ‘Cut Back’ at the last second to avoid imminent pressure from an opponent. He therefore places himself in a more favorable position to take his shot. But beyond the skills required to carry out such a maneuver, I will once again refer to his intelligence to not only identify a possible threat that could prevent him from taking his shot, but also to the intelligence to recognize his own skill register. Catton doesn’t have the speed or physicality to out-skate players or push them away, so he finds another way to get rid of them.

He also has a fairly strong tendency to take shots from restricted angles. It’s okay for a player of his talent to play boldly and try to catch the goalkeepers if they cheat. Early in the season, his usage of such attempts was perhaps too high for my liking. I found that he had his finger on the trigger a little too easily but his use is now more temperate.

The Spokane Chiefs center’s puck handling is a key part of his offensive arsenal, giving him the confidence to create scoring chances from virtually nothing.

His hands make him one of the best players in this draft to carve up opposing defenses when he carries the puck in the neutral zone. He can slip through tight coverage very well and this makes him a preferred option for bringing the puck into opposing territory during important situations such as powerplay or at the end of the game when his team is trying to tie the game.

On the other hand, I must admit that these sequences were somewhat misleading and caused me to misjudge Catton’s skating in the first half of the season. Generally, I think I do a good job of spotting defenders who don’t have as much speed as it seems since they carry the puck in front of immobile defensive core, making it harder to adequately assess their speed.

As I paid closer attention, I noticed that Catton’s skating is somewhat of a weak point for him. Without saying that he is slow, his top speed is not sufficient for a player of his size.

My assessment was more optimistic at the start of the season because I found that he showed good balance on his skate when players tried to push him while he was at full speed.

Sequences where Catton managed to find passing lines for his teammates even when pinned to the boards suggested that he could find ways to counter his physical limitations.

But as with his skating, by enlarging my games sample, I realized that the fears associated with his size are indeed justified. It’s not so much Catton’s height per se that is problematic but rather his weight. And after watching the player in interviews, without his equipment, he is of a rather frail constitution. I have difficulty anticipating that he will be able to add a lot of weight to his frame.

Without the puck, Catton deploys an overall appreciable level of effort, but even if I try, it is difficult for me to find strong points in his defensive game that would allow me to see him as a Center in the NHL. And if we add his lack of physical strength, I have a hard time imagining him lending a hand to his defenders around the net. This is why I have no other choice than to see him play on the wing.

Although I really like his offensive creativity and I can only admire how he led his team throughout the year, both with Canada at the Hlinka and with his team in the WHL, I must remain objective regarding his profile. Wingers who are physically frail and who are not very fast are not what is most in demand among NHL GMs. Realistically, you can only have one position filled by a forward like this, so it’s more understandable when teams pass over this type of player.

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