| Carter Sotheran | Portland Winterhawks | WHL | R | D | 6’3″ | 185 | Portland Winterhawks | 2020 | Sanford, MB | 2005 | 2022-2023: B- |
Neutral Zone’s Ian Moran, January 21, 2023: There’s a lot to like about Sotheran’s game and future. First off he’s a good 6’3″ and looks a bit taller. He he has a fluid stride and a skating base that will allow him to carry considerable more mass effectively. He handles poor passes smoothly and has little difficulty handling passes on his backhand if he gets stuck. At this point he is not a a real offensive threat, but he does show passing deception and he can make an indirect pass. I know this isn’t sexy, but it does tend to show me that he understands relieving pressure and not forcing plays are sometimes the key to not spending time in your end. Defensively I would like to see him defend with his stick on the ice more consistently. I feel there are still too many times when his stick is parallel to the ice and he can not use his length to his advantage. Obviously Portland has a great coaching staff so this is something I will be watching for. With that said, Sotheran still seems to get his on a lot of passes by baiting his opponent into thinking they have space and then deflecting the puck. As of today he’s winning 51% of his puck battles and would expect that percentage to rise as he gains strength and confidence in the WHL. His role in professional hockey will be to be a solid defense first thinking defender who is very difficult to play against. To do this he will need to continue developing his explosive first step and overall strength so he can hit and pin opponents to the walls and clear shooting lanes.
WHL: Portland vs Everett, December 3, 2022: Standing at 6’3″ Sotheran has an NHL frame to work with. He was very easy to notice from his first shift of the game when he won a 50/50 battle near the right defensive face-off dot. He then moved his feet to beat the forechecker then made the mature decision to make the 5′ pass to his forward rather than risk a turnover in the grey area. We really liked his willingness to move his feet after receiving a pass or winning a battle. Yes there were times he tried to do too much, but we feel this tendency can be coached out of him. As the game went on we saw improved defensive gap control and overall aggressiveness while defending. Sotheran totaled 17:05 in ice time including 0:05 while shorthanded. He did not play on the power play. Although he was on the ice for a defensive zone face-off that resulted in a goal against he finished the game even with a secondary assist, 1 hard one-timer from the right point, 1 hit, 5 giveaways, 3 takeaways and he won 30% of his 10 puck battles.
U18: Pembina Valley Hawks vs Winnipeg Thrashers, January 26, 2022: Sotheran is a big lumbering right shot defender who was the key guy for Pembina. Offensively he showed an easy first touch and the ability to handle poor passes without much panic. Early in the first period during a neutral zone regroup his partner jammed him with a pass to his backhand. Sotheran calmly collected the puck while moving his feet to get the redline for a dump. It’s not the type of play that’s going to make the highlights, but it is a subtle play that gives you a glimpse of what his high end future could be. By our count he had 8 shots on net with 7 of them coming while he had his eyes walking the blueline. His eighth shot came after a ridiculously pretty toe drag with 1:40 left in the third period. Whether during 5on5 play or on the power play Sotheran had the opportunity to fire a few one-timers, but did not to attempt one and always chose the sweeping wrister. As he continues to grow into his body we feel he shows the athleticism to add this to his game. After beating the defender he fired a 24″ snapper over the blocker. Sotheran totaled a team high 28:25 in ice time including 4:40 while on the power play and 2:24 while shorthanded.
U18: Pembina Valley Hawks vs Southwest Cougars, October 13, 2021: At this point in his development Sotheran is a boy still growing into a man’s body. We like his skating base and even though he looks to be close to 6’3″ he has a fluid stride and a nice shoulder width return leg that allows him to land on a flat edge. He over powered opponents in the corners or in front of his net and we love how he looked to join the offense whenever possible. On line rushes there were times when he tried to do too much, especially during even man situations, but in all honesty there were more times when the game looked too easy for him so we liked his assertiveness. On the power play he looked to shoot as often as possible. Sotheran is a player to watch for when his WHL time arrives.
U14: Hockey Manitoba Bantam AAA Showcase, October 20, 2019: Carter is a big defenseman with elite skating abilities. He has a powerful stride and really strong mobility in all areas of the ice. He was quick on loose pucks in the defensive zone and did well to keep the play alive by holding the line in the offensive zone. The ’05 took pucks end-to-end often and he was the Hawks best chance at creating offense which says a lot of the big defender. His passes were crisp and accurate; especially his first pass out of the defensive zone. He engaged physically and was tough on the penalty kill where he played aggressive. His stick is active and he did well to get it into passing and shooting lanes. We liked the power and quickness of both his slap-shot and wrist-shot and he used them both often. He led the team in scoring with five assists and was noticeable on every shift he was on the ice. Grade: A+
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images