Returning Winterhawk Profile #3: Ethan Price

(Editor's Note: In the countdown to the season opener on September 19th, I will be looking at each of the 15 returning Winterhawks that look to be on the opening night roster).

Next up (in numerical fashion): #3 Ethan Price

Born: 1/17/1997
Hometown: Lincoln, Nebraska
Position: Right Wing
How Acquired: 6th Round Pick (130th Overall) in the 2012 WHL Bantam Draft

Stats:
-2013/14: 67 Games Played, 4 Goals, 4 Assists, 8 Points, 30 Penalty Minutes, -9.
              Playoffs: 12 GP, 0 G, 1 A, 0 PIMs.

NHL Drafted: Eligible in 2015

Analysis:
-As a 16 year old last season, Price had very limited playing time, residing mostly on the 4th line for the Hawks. He has quite a bit of size for someone as young as he is, but is short (5'10") and is the same size as he was last year (182 lbs). Last year, he showed flashes of some offensive ability, getting 2 of his 4 goals on absolutely wired wrist shots. He also looked like he has a nice slap shot, but does not have the accuracy needed to expect he is going to shoot that much for the Hawks this year. He showed impressive improvement on the defensive end and was even given quite a bit of penalty killing time as the season went on and was relied upon more than 20 year old Adam Rossignol in crucial time during playoff games. This looks to continue this year as Price fore-checked the heck out of Tri City in a preseason game and was slotted as a top p'ker in that day's lineup.

Outlook:
-Price is eligible for this year's draft but is virtually off the NHL scouting radar so far as he was not listed in Central Scouting's Futures North American list released this July. With Coach Jamie Kompon looking to pair Chase De Leo, Alex Schoenborn and Dominic Turgeon on a second line, Price could be primed to take a spot on the wing of  Keegan Iverson or Adam de Champlain on a 3rd line. With his reliability and fore-checking tenacity, this does seem like a bit of a lock for a checking line with one or both of those older players. Should he show some offensive ability in this increased role and with scouts going to Hawks games to look at Paul Bittner and Keoni Texeira, he could climb his way onto the CSS list and earn a spot in some scout's heart and get drafted. Even if he does not do this, I think he will quickly become a crowd favorite, as he does absolutely everything you want a player to do, as far as effort is concerned. He is a strong player, who goes into all the tough areas, forces turnovers, throws checks and fights well. This is one of the players I am most excited about seeing this upcoming season. He will benefit from the older Hawk's forwards missing time at NHL training camps and at World Juniors, with increased playing time and responsibility.

Previous Returning Winterhawk Profiles: Brendan Burke, Anton Cederholm