Ty Rattie, is a very interesting prospect for the St. Louis Blues. A former second round draft pick from the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League, Rattie is an undersized forward who possesses some incredible puck skills.
He registered some solid numbers in the American Hockey League last season, scoring 31 goals as a rookie with the Chicago Wolves.
He played in two games for the St. Louis Blues last season, registering 4 shots and a -2 in those two games. However he showed a lot of speed and tenacity in those two games for the Blues, just a sample of what he'll be able to do when he packs on a few more pounds.
Rattie surprised many with his immediate success in the AHL and his quick transition to the professional game. With his strong rookie season last year, and his quick development in just one year, he might make a case to be on the St. Louis Blues roster out of training camp this next season.
Now the top six wingers are pretty set in stone next season. Between Vladimir Tarasenko, Jaden Schwartz, T.J. Oshie, and Alexander Steen. However the third line wingers are very much a toss up. Joakim Lindstrom, Magnus Paajarvi, Dmitrij Jaskin, Patrik Berglund, and Ty Rattie will all be battling for a roster spot at training camp.
Now Rattie is probably last on the Blues list to make the roster, as he doesn't have to go through waivers and another year in the AHL won't hurt his development. However, he adds an element to the Blues roster that not many have. His incredible speed, his tenacity, and his willingness to throw pucks on goal from just about anywhere is something the Blues could use a lot more of.
However, with Berglund (RFA), Paajarvi, Lindstrom, and Jaskin vying for roster spots, Rattie would have to have an incredible camp to bump someone off the roster. He'll likely end up back with the Wolves, logging a ton of minutes and will get the first call up in case of injury.
Rattie is the definition of a boom or bust prospect. He's not great in the defensive zone and his size really limits him in the bottom six. The beauty of the Blues make up is that they role three scoring lines, so as long as he's not playing on the fourth line, he should be a threat to score.
However if he's not able to add more size and muscle, he'll get eaten alive playing against the men in the NHL. For Rattie, it's either add some size and keep his speed up to be an effective NHLer, or he'll wind up as an AHL superstar who just can't cut it in the NHL. Much along the lines of Jason Krog, Alexandre Giroux, Darren Haydar, and Corey Locke.
What are you expecting to see from Ty Rattie next season?