Scottie Upshall
Scottie Upshall was playing in the WHL with the Kamloops Blazers when he was drafted 6th overall in the first round of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft by the Nashville Predators. The Fort McMurray, Alberta native spent three seasons with the Blazers, where he won the WHL Rookie of the Year, Canadian Major Junior Rookie of the Year and was named to the WHL All-Rookie Team, CHL All-Rookie Team and the WHL West Second All-Star Team. He split the 2002-03 season between Kamloops, the Nashville Predators and their AHL team, the Milwaukee Admirals. He spent most of the 2003-04 season with Milwaukee, where he helped the Admirals win the 2004 Calder Cup and was named to the 2004 AHL All-Star Team. He played in 48 games with the Predators in 2005-06, where he led the team with a +14 rating, which also set a record for the highest rating in team history by a forward. He split the beginning of the 2006-07 season between Milwaukee and Nashville until he was traded in February, along with Ryan Parent, a first round draft pick and a third round draft pick to the Philadelphia Flyers for Peter Forsberg. He re-signed with Philadelphia to a two-year contract in May and spent his first full year in the NHL in 2007-08 with the Flyers. He played in 55 games with Philadelphia in 2008-09 until he was sent, along with a second round draft pick, to the Phoenix Coyotes for Daniel Carcillo at the trade deadline. He helped Team Canada win silver medals at the 2002 and 2003 World Junior Championships, along with the 2009 World Championships. Upshall is a fierce competitor who won’t back down from any player. He’s a good skater who works well in the corners and can play either wing position. He needs to stay injury-free and work on becoming a more consistent scorer.
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