In the years leading up to his junior career, Catton appeared for various AA and AAA teams in his hometown of Saskatoon, and for one season attended Shattuck-Saint Mary's, where he played at the 16U AAA level.[1]
Catton was selected first overall by the Spokane Chiefs in the 2021 Western Hockey League (WHL) bantam draft. Although he considered playing college ice hockey, he ultimately chose the WHL.[2] In his first full WHL season, the 2022–23 season, he scored 23 goals and 55 points in 63 games.[3] Finishing tied for fifth in rookie scoring and first among 2006-born players, Catton would be nominated for the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy for the WHL's top rookie, which would ultimately go to Ryder Ritchie.[4][5]
As one of the top draft-eligible prospects in the Canadian Hockey League, Catton was selected to compete in the 2024 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game, where he and Sam Dickinson were named captains of the two teams.[6] On March 5, 2024, Catton surpassed the 100-point mark for the season and recorded his first WHL hat-trick with a career-high five points in a 6–3 win over the Victoria Royals.[7] He finished the season with 54 goals and 116 points, good for fourth in the league in points and top-five in goals, and led the league with seven shorthanded goals.[2] His 1.71 points per game led all draft-eligible CHL players.[8] In four playoff games, he would record four assists.[1]
Catton represented Canada as the captain of their 'Red' team at the 2022 World U-17 Hockey Challenge, winning a silver medal and being named to the tournament all-star team.[9]
At the 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, Catton captained Team Canada to a gold medal. In five games played, his eight goals and ten points were each the best totals at the event.[2]
