Flyer draft target Catton has ‘ingredients’ to be top-tier center originally appeared in NBC Sports Philadelphia
Despite making it through most of the 2023-24 season, the Flyers still have a rebuilding mentality. The club’s decision-makers know there is a need for more talent and that the early draft remains the best way to acquire it.
“The majority of it still needs to be done through our young guys, especially through the draft,” general manager Danny Briere said in April.
The Flyers will have a good opportunity to boost their future when the 2024 NHL Draft arrives June 28-29 at the Sphere in Las Vegas. The first round is Friday at 7pm ET, while rounds 2 through 7 take place on Saturday starting at 11:30am ET.
Like last summer, the Flyers have 10 picks, including two first-round picks. Barring a negotiation, they will make their best overall selection at 12th position. Briere believes the Flyers “can get a very talented player” at that position.
In the first round of the 2023 draft, the Flyers attacked Matvei Michkov in the 7th position It is grabbed Oliver Bonk in 22nd place. They should also have two 2025 first-round picks.
Ahead of the 2024 draft, we’re breaking down the targets for the Flyers at No. 12.
Next:
Berkly Catton
Position: center
Height: 5-foot-10
Weight: 175
Photos: Left
Team: Spokane Chiefs
Scouting Report
As a shifty and shifty center, Catton has put up some of the flashiest numbers in Canadian junior hockey this season.
The 18-year-old had 116 points (54 goals, 62 assists) in 68 regular season games for the Chiefs. He had seven games of four or more points and 14 multi-goal performances, while his seven shorthanded goals led the WHL.
The way Catton changes direction at full speed but under control makes him a constant threat with the puck. He can score and impact a game in many ways.
Does he have top-tier potential at the NHL level?
“He does it in the sense that one of his strongest assets is his ability to control the game with his hockey sense,” Dan Marr, vice president of NHL Central Scouting, said a week and a half ago in a phone interview with NBC Sports. Philadelphia. “His vision, his anticipation, the way he sees the ice and reads the play allows him to prepare and make plays, execute plays when necessary. He’s a very, very smart player.”
Catton is on the smaller side, which will naturally create debate about how his game will fare against the pros. He is the eighth ranked North American skater by NHL Central Scouting It is EliteProspects. with considers him the eighth best prospect in the draft. TSN’s Bob McKenzie has Catton in 11th place overall, while TSN Craig Button he is in 15th place.
“He’s highly skilled and intelligent,” Marr said, “and those are the ingredients you want in a top-notch center.”
Adjustment with leaflets
Catton would be a great fit for the Flyers, who could really use top-end talent, especially in the middle.
Morgan Frost is the only first-round center the Flyers have taken in the last 11 drafts that are currently on their roster. With Catton, the future Flyers would have a huge boost in scoring and a player who could complement Michkov.
While Catton is a risk because the desired size isn’t there, the rebuilding Flyers wanted to take more hits in the first round. They didn’t take the safe route last summer. This summer, if they have a shot at Catton with the 12th overall pick, they will have to strongly consider taking him.
More targets
• Flyers should like Helenius, ‘one of the draft’s biggest talents’
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