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Allegiant · 06-10-2024, 02:15 PM

Who is Kyle Katterick
Denver Post - Hockey - General

If you haven't heard about Kyle Katterick, you're far from the only one. A speedy young center, Katterick missed the draft largely due to a filing error, though most suspect he would have fallen into the later rounds regardless. Now, he looks to fight his way into the SMJHL the hard way: missing training camp, all of the media hype around the draft, the combine, everything. Few would have blamed him if he had opted to take the college route and just try his hand at the draft in a couple of years, but his heart seems set on making a splash in juniors right away.

Aa a player, Katterick is unremarkable.

That might be a damning thing to say about a young player, but it's the truth: he's a capable passer and has solid all-around hockey senses, but he lacks the nose to score and he tends to wander out of position in the offensive zone. He's got passable defensive acumen, but that's an area of the game he's going to need to make some stark improvements on if he's going to play solid minutes, especially as a center.

We've already labelled him 'speedy', but that might be a bit of a dubious label. He's quick on his skates and he's agile, and it doesn't take long for him to reach his top speed -- but that top speed isn't anything remarkable on its own. He's an all-around skater more than anything else, but he needs more seasoning before he can parley that into any real on-ice advantage in a league which is full of blistering-quick forwards.

Whichever team gets ahold of Katterick should know what they're getting right off the bat: they can't expect a whole lot of points, and neither can they expect lockdown defensive play, a strong physical presence, or even above-average performance in the face-off circle. Instead, they get an all-around mediocre player. He doesn't have too many weaknesses or too many strengths, and maybe that means he has room to grow -- or maybe it means he's destined to be on the third line until he flounders out of the league.

That, above all else, is the real question mark over Katterick.

There is little to indicate that he has a serious chance for success at the highest level. His agency has produced good players in the past, but more recently the hype has been all smoke and mirrors. The most likely projection for Katterick sees him capping as a second line center at the SMJHL level, and even that isn't a sure thing. That raises an uncomfortable question for him: with how competitive the league is, can teams really afford to roll the dice on a center who's entering the league late and who has some real controversy over his trajectory?

The answer is 'probably not', but he's fit to make the attempt all the same.

"Look, I just want to play hockey," Katterick said when he was reached for question. "The rest of it is, you know -- you guys can figure all that out. I just want somewhere to play this year. If I can get paid for it instead of paying exorbitant fees to hit up a beer league, I will. Is that such a crime?"

A curious philosophy from the SMJHL's next likely bust.

By Will Windsor - 555 Words

***sve7en*** · 06-10-2024, 02:25 PM

Alle!

Allegiant · 06-10-2024, 09:36 PM

06-10-2024, 02:25 PMsve7en Wrote: Alle!

hi u

***WannabeFinn*** · 06-11-2024, 07:04 AM

Alle Alle Alley

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