Blues prospect Ty Rattie has been named MVP of the WHL Championship Series that saw his Portland Winterhawks beat the Edmonton Oil Kings, 4-2, to advance to the 2013 Memorial Cup in Saskatoon.
Rattie finished with 20 goals and 16 assists in 21 playoff games. The 19-year-old winger, who the Blues drafted 32nd overall in 2011, also had 110 points in 62 regular-season games for a star-studded Winterhawks side that includes this summer’s potential first overall pick Seth Jones, as well as Pittsburgh defense prospect Derrick Pouliot.
At 6'0 and 176 pounds, some have questioned whether Rattie has the size and strength to be a star in the NHL.
“His instincts, his offensive ability translates to the NHL level, but he will have to continue to develop his game to deal with the bigger (defensemen) in the league,” St. Louis director of amateur scouting Bill Armstrong told The Oregonian in April.
“Some of those guys are 230, 240 pounds and they’re fast. He still has strides to go, still has some things he needs to improve.”
The Memorial Cup (May 17-26), by the way, will also feature top draft prospects Nathan MacKinnon and Jonathan Drouin of the Halifax Mooseheads.