Carter Ashton
Submitted by timothy on June 26, 2009 - 22:06
Basics
Type:
Prospect
Position:
Right Wing
Shoots/Catches:
Left
Height:
6.03
Weight:
205
Born:
04/01/1991
Age:
18
Hometown:
Winnipeg, MAN
Acquired:
Selected 1st Round (#29) in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft
Last Team:
Norfolk (AHL)
Projects As:
Scoring liner
Prospect Ranking:
2
Depth Chart Weight:
8 Draft Info
Draft Status:
Drafted
Draft Year:
2009
Draft Type:
NHL Entry Draft
Drafted By:
Tampa Bay Lightning
Round:
1
Pick No.:
29
Draft Team:
Lethbridge (WHL) Contract
Contract Status:
Signed
Waiver Status:
Waiver Exempt
Signing Date:
10/02/2009
Contract Type:
Two-way
Contract Length:
3 years
Cap Number:
$1 100 000
Contract Start Year:
2010
Contract End Year:
2013
Contract End Status:
RFA
Salary:
$900 000
Salary:
$900 000
Salary:
$900 000 Bio
History:
Ashton is the son of former NHL left winger Brent Ashton, who played 998 NHL games split between nine NHL clubs. He was selected in the first round, seventh overall, of the 2006 WHL Bantam Draft by the Lethbridge Hurricanes. Carter posted modest point totals as a WHL rookie in 2007-2008, scoring 5 goals and 40 points in 40 games in an injury shortened season. In 2008-2009, his draft year, he had a breakout season for the Hurricanes scoring 30 goals and 50 points in 70 games to go along with 93 penalty minutes. At the end of the season he was ranked the twelfth best North American skater prospect by NHL Central Scouting and the twenty-second best overall prospect by Red Line Report. Despite projections that Ashton might go as high as the middle of the first round, he fell to the twenty-ninth overall pick where the Lightning selected him after engineering a draft night trade with the Detroit Red Wings to gain a second first round pick for the first time in team history.
Scouting Report
Scouting Comments:
"Carter is a solid prototypical power forward; he knows the game and really is astute at the power-play and penalty kill, offensive and defensive parts of his game." - NHL CSS Director EJ McGuire
Strengths:
Ashton plays a meat and potatoes pro style game that should translate well to the NHL. He plays a solid north-south style and will go into the high traffic areas to score goals and make plays. He has a long frame that is just beginning to fill out and is exceptional at protecting the puck down low in the offensive zone. He is deadly as a finisher from anywhere below the dots in the offensive zone. In terms of intangibles, Ashton is a very hard worker who had the best VO2 max rating at the Scouting Combine in 2009.
Weaknesses:
His offensive game is still in its infancy and he's just learning how to use his linemates to create scoring chances. As a consequence, he needs a playmaking centerman to truly be effective offensively.
Projection:
Carter in still a work in progress, but the foundation is there for him to develop into an NHL power forward who will have a long and successful career. He'll need another year of junior hockey to continue to flesh out his offensive game and possibly one season in the AHL with Norfolk. His father Brent was a solid 25 goal, 50-55 point a year man in the NHL and the apple doesn't appear to fall that far from the tree. Carter projects to be a solid second line winger who will do the dirty work for his linemates and bang home 20-30 goals a season like NHLers Ryan Malone or Dustin Penner.
Statistics
- 4048 reads
