Kraken’s Berkly Catton says Helsinki atmosphere ‘pretty cool’ after 4-1 loss to Hurricanes

The Story

The Seattle Kraken and Carolina Hurricanes paused their North American schedule to play two games at Veikkaus Arena in Helsinki for the 2026 NHL Global Series Finland.

In Thursday’s first game, the Hurricanes defeated the Kraken 4-1. The teams meet again on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET.

Kraken forward Berkly Catton said he will keep a blog with NHL.com throughout the Global Series, describing what it has been like for him to play in Finland for the first time.

Catton said the atmosphere from the start of the game was “pretty cool,” adding that coming out for warmups was “awesome” and “very energetic.” He said fans’ reaction made it feel “really fun,” and described the warmup as a “special memory” from his first game in Finland.

He also pointed to the presence of Finnish players and how it felt for them. Catton said the impact was clear for Seattle players Kaapo Kakko, Ville Ottavainen and Jani Nyman, and said Finnish fans enjoy hockey and seeing the NHL and those players in person was “pretty cool to watch.”

Despite the atmosphere, Catton said Seattle spent much of Thursday’s game “chasing it,” and that Carolina was “on top of us all night.” He said the Kraken have “a lot to learn” from the game and will address it in practice ahead of Saturday.

Catton said the Hurricanes were ready and that the Stanley Cup-winning team from last season was a high standard to measure against. He credited Kraken goaltender Philipp Grubauer for keeping Seattle in the game, adding that while the team would prefer fewer saves, Grubauer “stood on his head again.”

Catton also said the experience in Helsinki has included positive moments for Seattle fans, noting that Kraken supporters were seen around the city, that he spoke with some of them, and that their noise during the game was “pretty special.”