Caps get ready for Rattie

WASHINGTON – The Washington Capitals get most of their offensive production from centers and left wings, and the right side is a particular concern this off-season with Mike Knuble turning 39 next month and Eric Fehr the next most productive player in that slot, with 10 goals last season. For those reasons, General Manager Mike McPhee could turn his attention to Ty Rattie, the 17th ranked North American skater and one of four Portland Winterhawks (WHL) ranked by Central Scouting at this year’s draft. Rattie isn’t big at 5 ‘ 11” 163 pounds, but the Airdrie, Alberta native played large in the WHL playoffs tallying nine goals (9-13-22) in 16 games as Portland made it to the league championship.

Rattie was Portland’s second-leading scorer with the man advantage during the regular season, notching 12 power play goals. He was fourth on the team with 79 points (28-51-79), helping the Winterhawks finish on top of the WHL’s Western Conference for the first time since 2001. Rattie also has experience in international tournaments; he was the top-scoring Canadian player at the 2010 World Under-17 Challenge with nine points (2-7-9) in five games.
Scouts report Rattie’s become smarter with his stickhandling, and that craftiness may overcome a lack of explosive skating power. Though the Capitals don’t always draft for position, the consensus is Rattie will evolve into a complete player — and may have the time to do so in Washington’s deep talent pool. For that reason, we expect we expect the team to announce:
“With the 25^th pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, the Washington Capitals are proud to select, from the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League, Ty Rattie.” To learn more about Ty Rattie click here.
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