Berkly Catton, Jagger Firkus and David Goyette spoke to the media following the Seattle Kraken’s final game of the 2024 NHL Rookie Faceoff and expressed their feelings about the tournament and what they are looking to accomplish during training camp and preseason.
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Firkus and Goyette featured in both games for the Kraken while Catton was a scratch for the opener against the Colorado Avalanche and returned to the lineup against the Vegas Golden Knights. Firkus and Goyette are heading into their first professional seasons with the Coachella Valley Firebirds and are using both the rookie camp and training camp to leave a lasting impression on the coaching staff and front office.
“For me now that the two games are over I need to get right back into training camp. For me it’s to make an impression,” said Goyette. “The goal is always to obviously make the team and go from there.”
The 20-year-old didn’t find his name on the score sheet as much as he would have liked, registering just one assist on the first Kraken goal of the tournament but his work ethic never faltered.
For Firkus, he found his name on the scoresheet more than any other Kraken player, recording a goal and three assists including points on all three Kraken goals in their attempt at a comeback against the Golden Knights on Sunday. His 2023-24 campaign was special as he took home the CHL and WHL MVP honours and the WHL championship. Only two players recorded more points than Goyette across the entire CHL and Firkus was one of them.
“Very exciting,” said Firkus. “Obviously training camp is something that you look forward to and you’re ready for all summer. Now that it’s here it’s time to get back to Seattle and get into it I guess.”
On the subject of high-point producers, no draft-eligible player notched more points than Catton and only four players across the CHL scored more than he did. The Kraken’s eighth overall pick in the 2024 NHL draft didn’t register a point against the Golden Knights but was his usual play-driving self and exemplified it with a soft saucer pass to set up Eduard Sale on a 2-on-1 but was stopped by Carl Lindbom.
For Catton, he knows he’ll be heading back to the WHL unlike Firkus and Goyette and is viewing training camp a bit differently than the two 20-year-olds.
“Having that before going into a camp with the best players in the world is definitely going to be so I’m really glad I got to play today and I think it’s just a building block in the future.”
All three offensively gifted prospects are looking to give the Kraken coaching staff every reason to give them a shot in the NHL. It might not happen at the beginning of the season but if they can make a lasting impression they’ll find themselves up in the big leagues very soon.
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Related: Kraken Can’t Complete Comeback; Lose 5-3 To The Golden Knights
Related: Kraken Viewing Rookie Tournament As “Business Trip”
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