It’s Halloween weekend. By pure luck, we get to head into the weekend focusing in on a mean, nasty, and just downright violent defensive prospect in Ryan O’Rourke. It feels almost weird to deem an 18-year-old as a “violent” player, but the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhound seems to turn back the clock when he steps on the ice and plays a similar style to an NHL defenseman of yesteryear.
O’Rourke, the first 2020 draftee to make the Top 25 Under 25 list, sits at No. 22 in his first year of eligibility. Earlier this month, Minnesota Wild General Manager Bill Guerin and Director of Amateur Scouting Judd Brackett selected the CHL’s youngest captain last season with their 39th overall selection in the draft.