Blues Draft Ty Rattie In 2011 NHL Entry Draft Second Round

The Blues' first selection of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft is Portland RW Ty Rattie, number 8 in the Portland Winter Hawks' program and number one for this year in the eyes of the Blues' scouts.

The Scouting Report.com website noted that Rattie "was certainly a key part of the Portland attack," calling him "an excellent passer, with good vision and patience with the puck." They went on to note that:

The biggest concern in Rattie’s game right now is simply that he needs to get stronger. Rattie tends to play primarily along the perimeter, and though he has been effective for the most part, one has to wonder how good he could be if he were able to play in the rough areas of the ice. Rattie is a good skater, but he is by no means going to put you in awe with his speed – another aspect of his game that could use improvement. His defensive play improved a little over the season, but still needs work. There are stretches of time where you don’t even notice him on the ice, which may be a byproduct of him playing away from the danger zones.

Rattie was named after world-champion bull rider (and significant other of pop star Jewel) Ty Murray by his parents in Airdrie, Alberta, and he had the highest score on the Wingate test (the dreaded stationary bike test) at the recent NHL Scouting Combine with a peak power output (watts per kilogram) of 15.9, well above the average score of 13.4.

The Calgary "Herald" website recently ran a story on Rattie, making note of his work ethic on and off the ice.

One request is an interview mainstay - outlining your own weaknesses. Because it's the (skinny) elephant in the room, Rattie made sure he brought it up himself every time. His spare build.

"The weight's going to come - I told that to every scout," says Rattie, who, on this day, is carrying 167 pounds on his six-foot-tall frame. "I'm not going to be 163 or something the rest of my life. One summer, it's just going to pile on. I'm going to put on 10, 15 pounds - just like that. I'm waiting for that summer and I'm working my ass off in the gym."

LINK to Rattie profile at NHL.com.

LINK to Rattie story at the Portland "Oregonian" website (OregonLive.com).