Bluesnatic27
Registered User
- Aug 5, 2011
- 4,715
- 3,212
The Blues 2020 - 2021 Top-20 Prospect List:
1) Klim Kostin - 61.3%
2) Scott Perunovich - 50%
3) Zachary Bolduc - 45.9%
4) Jake Neighbours - 63.8%
5) Simon Robertsson - 35.8%
6) Nikita Alexandrov - 62.1%
7) Joel Hofer - 72.1%
And the goalie Hofer takes the number 8 spot. As we all know by now, goalies are harder to predict than defense or offense. Saying that, Hofer is one goalie that has yet to give any reason why he should be doubted at this point. Playing his first year in the AHL, he had some eye opening numbers, just not positively. Yet, it should be noted how Utica was a disaster defensively and Hofer did play the most out of any goalie in Utica. Pretty remarkable given that Utica is Vancouver's affiliate and Hofer is only 21. So despite the sub par numbers, he seemed to have the trust of a coaching staff that has no reason to assist in the development of another NHL team's prospect. Granted, Hofer only has 10 games at the pro level under his belt. He will need at least another year before he sees the NHL, and my money is on him being two years away if that. Hopefully we see his numbers look better when put in a more stable environment where his development will be at the forefront of the coaching staff's mind in Springfield. The good news is Hofer plays that style of game that has historically fit well with the Blues. He plays angles well, pushes side-to-side effectively, and utilizes his 6'4" frame well. I know that is a more high-level view of his strengths, but I can't think of many glaring weaknesses to his game. As said prior, he has only played 10 games in the AHL on a defensively challenged team, so the data is not on his side for the finer details. Still, I really like Hofer and have yet to discover a reason to not like him. He could easily be a diamond in the rough in terms of standing around the league. But truthfully, I think he can be the right goalie for the right team. And there isn't anything wrong with that.
Time to start the voting for number 8!
1) Klim Kostin - 61.3%
2) Scott Perunovich - 50%
3) Zachary Bolduc - 45.9%
4) Jake Neighbours - 63.8%
5) Simon Robertsson - 35.8%
6) Nikita Alexandrov - 62.1%
7) Joel Hofer - 72.1%
And the goalie Hofer takes the number 8 spot. As we all know by now, goalies are harder to predict than defense or offense. Saying that, Hofer is one goalie that has yet to give any reason why he should be doubted at this point. Playing his first year in the AHL, he had some eye opening numbers, just not positively. Yet, it should be noted how Utica was a disaster defensively and Hofer did play the most out of any goalie in Utica. Pretty remarkable given that Utica is Vancouver's affiliate and Hofer is only 21. So despite the sub par numbers, he seemed to have the trust of a coaching staff that has no reason to assist in the development of another NHL team's prospect. Granted, Hofer only has 10 games at the pro level under his belt. He will need at least another year before he sees the NHL, and my money is on him being two years away if that. Hopefully we see his numbers look better when put in a more stable environment where his development will be at the forefront of the coaching staff's mind in Springfield. The good news is Hofer plays that style of game that has historically fit well with the Blues. He plays angles well, pushes side-to-side effectively, and utilizes his 6'4" frame well. I know that is a more high-level view of his strengths, but I can't think of many glaring weaknesses to his game. As said prior, he has only played 10 games in the AHL on a defensively challenged team, so the data is not on his side for the finer details. Still, I really like Hofer and have yet to discover a reason to not like him. He could easily be a diamond in the rough in terms of standing around the league. But truthfully, I think he can be the right goalie for the right team. And there isn't anything wrong with that.
Time to start the voting for number 8!