Ty Rattie’s stock keeps rising.
The Airdrie native, who will turn 18 next week, played in the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game at Toronto’s Air Canada Centre on Jan. 19 and was named as a potential first-round pick in both the NHL’s and TSN’s mid-season draft rankings on Jan. 17.
The annual showcase event featured 40 of the top-rated prospects for this summer’s NHL entry draft, scheduled for June 24 in Minnesota, playing in front of the majority of the league’s general managers and head scouts.
Rattie was a member of Team Cherry, coached by legendary coach and broadcaster Don Cherry, which lost 7-1 to Team Orr, coached by Doug Gilmour, the NHL’s 17th all-time leading scorer.
“It was a great experience, but it was definitely nerve-racking,” Rattie said. “It was a game that could really make or break your draft status and you really try to prove you’re better than the guys ranked alongside of you. It was a big game, but I thought I played really well.”
Rattie, who has 59 points in 48 games for the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks this season, had an assist on Team Cherry’s lone goal at the 11:59 mark of the second period.
“It was exciting. Shane Prince scored the goal; he passed it to me in the slot and I cut back and just dropped it to him and he put it in. He’s a good player and it was an exciting moment for sure,” said Rattie, who also had a shot ring off the post midway through the third period.
“The good thing is that I was creating chances and getting opportunities. I would have been more worried if I wasn’t getting any chances. In a game like that, the result isn’t overly important, as it’s more about showcasing the individual players. The other fun part was meeting new people and I came away with a bunch of new friends.”
The 5’10”, 170-pound right-winger said having a legendary figure walk behind him during the game, as well as provide feedback and advice during the intermissions, was another great aspect of the overall experience.
“Being coached by Don Cherry, and meeting him, was probably the biggest thing,” Rattie said.
“He’s a great guy. When you’re just together for one game, you don’t run through systems or anything, so he’d just come in between periods and give us a quick chat on how we’re doing. He kept it light, but when he walked in the room everybody would stop talking.”
Another influential hockey figure had Rattie on his radar recently, as TSN hockey insider Bob McKenzie had the former Airdrie Xtreme player ranked No. 11 out of North American skaters and 17th overall in his mid-season rankings.
“Between the mid-term rankings from the NHL and the TSN rankings – to be ranked in the first round is a huge accomplishment and it’s motivation for me to keep going and try to get higher before the draft,” Rattie said.
Further benefit to his draft status may come with the Winterhawks’ success this season, as Portland is currently sitting first in the WHL’s Eastern Conference with 67 points and will look to make a playoff run.
“It’s huge,” Rattie said.
“Anytime you can go far in the playoffs, it just gives you more opportunities, so I hope we can go far and I think it will help me and my (other draft-eligible) teammates out.”
