WHL Portland Winterhawks

Six Winterhawks Selected on Second Day of the NHL Draft

Published on June 26, 2010 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Portland Winterhawks News Release


The Portland Winterhawks had six players drafted on the second day of the National Hockey League Entry Draft Saturday, as Brad Ross was selected in the second round, 43rd overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs, Taylor Aronson was selected in the third round, 78th overall by the Nashville Predators, Troy Rutkowski was taken in the fifth round, 137th overall by the Colorado Avalanche, Luke Walker went two picks later, 139th overall, also to the Avalanche, Mac Carruth went in the seventh round, 191st overall, to the Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks, and Riley Boychuk was selected in the seventh round, 208th overall, by the Buffalo Sabres.

With Ryan Johansen and Nino Niederreiter having been fourth and fifth, respectively, in the draft yesterday, the Winterhawks had a total of eight players taken overall, tying the highest total in franchise history. The Winterhawks previously has eight players taken in the 1978, 1980 and 1982 drafts. The Winterhawks have now had a total of 115 players selected in the NHL Entry Draft.

"I'm very proud of Brad, Taylor, Troy, Luke, Mac and Riley on being selected in the NHL Entry Draft," said Portland Winterhawks General Manager & Head Coach Mike Johnston. "To be drafted is a tremendous achievement for each player, and I couldn't be happier for them and their families."

The Maple Leafs traded an unsigned draft pick from a previous draft to the Chicago Blackhawks for the 43rd pick in order to draft Ross, a forward. In his second full WHL season, Ross set career-highs with 27 goals, 41 assists and 68 points, third on the team, and led the WHL with 203 penalty minutes. In December, he earned the WHL's Player of the Month Award with 20 points in 11 games. Prior to the season, Ross was a member of Canada's national under-18 team that won gold at the Memorial of Ivan Hlinka Tournament in the Czech Republic.

In his first WHL season, Aronson registered 30 points during the regular season, then led all Winterhawks defensemen in playoff scoring with nine points in 11 games, before suffering a shoulder injury that kept him out of the final two games. Aronson also set up Ty Rattie's game-winning goal in overtime in Game 7 at Spokane in the first round series.

In his second full season, Rutkowski set career-highs with 12 goals, 31 assists and 43 points for the team lead in scoring among defensemen. Along with teammates Ryan Johansen, Nino Niederreiter and Brad Ross, Rutkowski was invited to take part in the CHL's Top Prospects Game.

Walker has been with the Winterhawks for three seasons, and last year set a career-high with 57 points, including 27 goals. In three seasons the winger has totaled 65 goals and 65 assists for 130 points in 202 games. He also won a gold medal with the United States in the 2010 World Junior Championship, as his U.S. team snapped Canada's streak of five consecutive gold medals.

After joining the Winterhawks in November from the North American Hockey League's Wenatchee Wild, goaltender Mac Carruth finished with a record of 14-9-1-0, with one shutout, a goals against average of 3.41 and 89.3% save percentage. Carruth was the WHL nominee for CHL Goaltender of the Week in the final week of the regular season. He then played all seven games in Portland's first round victory over Spokane.

Boychuk set career-highs with 14 goals and 16 assists for 30 points in 66 games last season, his second full season in the league. He's played 133 career games for the Winterhawks, and totaled 21 goals and 27 assists for 48 points. He was Portland's first round pick, 10th overall, in the 2006 WHL Bantam Draft.

Below is a chart showing all of the Winterhawks' 2010 NHL Draft Picks:

Player Round Pick Team

Ryan Johansen 1 4 Columbus Blue Jackets

Nino Niederreiter 1 5 New York Islanders

Brad Ross 2 43 Toronto Maple Leafs

Taylor Aronson 3 78 Nashville Predators

Troy Rutkowski 5 137 Colorado Avalanche

Luke Walker 5 139 Colorado Avalanche

Mac Carruth 7 191 Chicago Blackhawks

Riley Boychuk 7 208 Buffalo Sabres

Along with the current players who were selected, other players with Winterhawks ties were selected in the NHL Entry Draft. Ben Gallacher, the son of team owner Bill Gallacher, was taken in the fourth round, 93rd overall by the Florida Panthers. Ben Gallacher is a defenseman who played for the Camrose Kodiaks of the Alberta Junior Hockey League last season. He will play one more year for the Kodiaks before joining Ohio State University on a hockey scholarship.

In addition, Jason Clark, a player on the Winterhawks' protected list, was taken in the third round, 82nd overall by the New York Islanders. Clark is a forward who played last season for Shattuck-St. Mary's High School in Minnesota.

Season tickets for the 2010-11 season are on sale now. Prices start at just $10.50 per game while a limited number of front row glass seats are available at only $23.50 per game. Contact the Winterhawks at 503-236-HAWK or seats@winterhawks.com to secure your seat for all 36 home games.

Check out the Portland Winterhawks Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Western Hockey League Stories from June 26, 2010


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central