Ty Rattie

The 25-year-old winger has seen limited action at the top level throughout his career (49 games) but his late-season surge in 2017-18 (nine points in the final 12 games) made for one of the more intriguing stories around Oil Country. If Rattie is to share shifts on the top line alongside offensive goldmine Connor McDavid -- as he is did at the conclusion of last season -- the heady contributor could be in for a breakout year.

Following back-to-back 100-plus point seasons at the junior level, Rattie made the jump to the AHL Chicago in 2013-14, scoring 31 goals and adding 17 assists in 72 games. While the performance certainly wasn’t sensational, it was a respectable showing for a 21-year-old playing against older competition. Rattie’s high draft pedigree and advanced skills on the offensive end make him one of the Blues’ top prospects, but the excess of existing forward talent at the NHL level will prompt the organization to proceed slowly with his development. The young winger still has a ways to go in improving defensively, and could be forced to spend the next season or two with Chicago before he’s with the Blues to stay.

Rattie is a top prospect in the Blues' organization and he has backed that up by piling up 231 points in his last two WHL seasons. He is lacking size at 5-11 and 170 and will need to bulk up before attempting to make the transition to the NHL. There have been countless small players that have gone on to have huge NHL careers and Rattie has the skills to do the same. It just won't happen this season.

Rattie, 19, lit up the Western Hockey League with 57 goals and 121 points in 69 games for the Portland Winterhawks. The output represented big jumps from his season before (28 goals, 79 points in 67 games). There’s nothing wrong with Rattie’s offense; he needs to add bulk and improve in his own zone. He checked into the Blues’ prospects orientation at 173 pounds, up 10 from last summer. He’ll get another year in the WHL, but will likely need a year or two in the AHL before he’s ready for the NHL game.

Rattie, selected early in the second round of the 2011 NHL draft by the Blues, is a highly skilled offensive player who dropped out of the first round due to concerns about his size. He was very productive for Portland of the WHL last season, but at 165 pounds, there were concerns about his ability to sustain the rigors of NHL-sized defensemen. He's still just 18 and there's time to add the bulk -- he's reportedly up to 175 this offeseason -- and that will be his challenge in the coming years.