Young Hawks Fly High

Joe Morrow (2011), D, Portland:

Steady youngster is already proving quite capable at the Junior level .. displays nice vision and usually finds the open man .. shows poise beyond his years and generally makes the high percentage play .. defensively conscientious and rarely puts the puck in harm's way .. reads the play well, but on occasion allows an opponent to slip behind him .. boasts a decent slap shot .. not hesitant to move the passing/shooting lane at the point .. will carry the puck up the ice, although seems to be more comfortable delivering a short crisp pass to start the breakout .. fairly smooth on the give and go .. sees time on the powerplay and penalty-kill .. definitely a player to keep an eye on come 2011. (33gp, 1-13-14, +12)

Ty Rattie (2011), RW, Portland:

Skilled right winger hits with effect even though he is only 6-foot-0, 170 pounds .. will drop his shoulder and fake the shot and then cut in the middle for a high quality scoring opportunity .. boasts terrific speed through open ice .. sees a regular shift, but has most of his success with less traffic such as on a powerplay and four-on-four .. tends to receive more ice time when the Winterhawks need a goal .. fast, but still must get stronger to be able to compete in the dirty areas .. uses his speed effectively to get in quickly on the forecheck .. showcases good vision and is already poised with the puck .. another one of Portland's prospects that will have them being heavily scouted again next season .. selected right after Ryan Nugent-Hopkins in the 2008 WHL Bantam Draft .. looked solid on a line with Luke Walker and Chris Francis. (32gp, 7-12-19, +1)

Mac Carruth (2010), G, Portland:

Sports pro-size at 6-foot-2, 170 pounds .. extremely agile goaltender .. boasts terrific recovery skills, as he can bounce back to his feet after going down to block the first shot .. had an air of confidence even in his first WHL game .. does a nice job of swallowing up long shots .. uses his blocker effectively to direct pucks out of harm's way .. communicates with his defence .. has a few issues catching the puck cleanly, however he is still able to get his glove on it .. confidently moves the puck to his defence if given the opportunity .. can lose focus and allow weak goals in .. has some difficulties with traffic and must improve his net presence .. would like to see him be more aggressive coming out to face the shooter .. Carruth's game is still a work in progress, but there is some upside that has NHL scouts paying close attention to him for the upcoming NHL Entry Draft .. his acquisition out of the NAHL ultimately led to the trading of Kurtis Mucha to Kamloops. (5gp, 1W, 4L, GAA 5.13, Sv% 0.834)