Chris Mast / Portland Winterhawks

Fantasy Summary

Transition specialist with surprising mobility and intelligence for his size. Developing consistency is key, but could be a fringe second-pair defenceman down the line.


Observations

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June 2023 – Sotheran was selected 135th overall by the Flyers. Pat Quinn

 

June 2023 – Sotheran has a special skillset, which was difficult to fully grasp from a scouting perspective. Although he is a big body and can get involved defensively, his primary asset is how good he is in transition. This barely shows on the scoresheet, however, as his 23 points in 68 games for the Portland Winterhawks this past season don’t jump off the page.

Sotheran is exceptionally good at drawing pressure in and making plays through it. He has a very high threshold for panic, which allows him to keep a cool head in the midst of an opposing forecheck and find the right passing lane to diffuse that pressure and contribute to clean breakouts. He has a unique combination of size, intelligence and composure, while showing a growing habit of hopping into rushes and activating from deep within the neutral zone. These remain flashes, however, and a lack of developed offensive skill still limits his game, but as a third or fourth round option, Sotheran is a solid bet. Hadi Kalakeche

Attributes
Fantasy Upside 5.5
NHL Certainty 4.5
Country CAN
Position D
Roster Type Junior
Shoot/Glove Right
Date of Birth June 26, 2005
Height 6‘3”
Weight 185 lbs
Drafted 2023 Round 5; Overall: 135

Stats

 Season Team League GP G A TP PIM      Playoffs GP G A TP PIM 
 2014-2015 Winnipeg Jr. Jets (Brick)Brick Invitational6 0 00 2|        
 2018-2019 Pembina Valley Hawks U15 AAAWAAA U1536 12 2032 38|        
 2019-2020 Pembina Valley Hawks U15 AAAWAAA U1536 14 3044 38|        
 2020-2021 Pembina Valley Hawks U18 AAAMU18HL4 1 01 0|        
 2021-2022 Pembina Valley Hawks U18 AAAMU18HL41 20 3454 42|        
 2022-2023 Portland WinterhawksWHL68 4 1923 54|Playoffs9 0 11 12 
 2023-2024 Portland WinterhawksWHL66 13 2740 68|Playoffs14 4 711 14 
 2024-2025 Portland WinterhawksWHL18 1 56 18|        

Highlights