Prospect Info: 17-18 Blues Top Prospect #5

[EastonBlues22]

Matty is MIA so I'll get the next one up for him.

#1-Vince Dunn(67%)
#2-Ivan Barbashev(46%)
#3-Jake Walman(79%)
#4-Klim Kostin (31%)

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[Bobby Orrtuzzo]

Went with Husso here. Like what he's done in the AHL.

Wasn't easy, as Kyrou, Thomas, and Thompson are all right there in my mind.

 

[BangarangxRufio]

I'm taking Jordan Kyrou here

 

[TheBluePenguin]

Voted Tage

 

[Robb_K]

I went with Husso here. He has progressed well in The Pros, so far. He's got the skills. The only question is how his mental game will fare over the rest of his development years. As with all goalies, that is unknown. Kyrou is next, with Thomas and Thompson close behind.

 

[Memento]

Voted for Thompson again.

 

[Stealth JD]

HUSSO/Sanford/Schmaltz

 

[bleedblue1223]

Husso. He's proven the most so far and has highest ceiling IMO.

Schmaltz is probably being a tad underrated.

 

[Oberyn]

I voted Kyrou last time so I'm selecting him again here. I have Thomas, Schmaltz, Husso, and Thompson after that.

 

[Majorityof1]

4th times a charm voting for Husso, who I had #2. Oh how the mighty have fallen.

How I see the rest:

Husso
.
.
.
Thomas
.
.
.
Thompson
Kyrou
Schmaltz
.
.
.
.
.
.Rest of the pack

 

[Splatter]

There's a clear top 9. I have Sanford as part of the top 10, but I'm going with Thomas here.

 

[Shwabeal]

Went Husso again. What he did in the AHL in his first year in NA was pretty impressive and despite goalies being bigger risks, think he has a good chance to be a difference making starting NHL goalie. Kyrou, Thompson and Thomas all bunched closely for my next pick.

 

[STL fan in MN]

It's between Husso and Thomas for me.

 

[Blueston]

Voting Thomas again. He is gonna be a good one.

 

[SirPaste]

Tage

 

[Blues0307]

Voted for Thomas again, have him as our second ranked prospect just a hair above some of the others. For how this vote has gone, I have it Thomas, Husso, Thompson, Kyrou, Schmaltz, then Sanford.

 

[Vincenzo Arelliti]

Thomas. He's got that combination of high-ceiling high-upside and is very well-rounded. I'll be voting between Thompson, Kyrou, and Husso next and I'm really not sure who to go with. I'm leaning towards Husso.

 

[PiggySmalls]

Husso all day long. Combine his body of work over the past 2 seasons and it is quite impressive.

 

[2 Minute Minor]

I may be shading my rankings by how good of a fit I think Thomas is, but I really loved that pick. He's a guy that is very easy to envision his progression to being a contributing NHL player, and a position and role that the Blues really need young depth.

Husso is close.

Its amazing that Tage Thompson had such a strong year and good showing at the WJC and he isn't really moving up the rankings much. The Blues' prospect pool has taken a very nice stride forward.

Add Bleackley, MacEachern and Opilka.

 

[LetsGoBooze]

For how this vote has gone, I have it Thomas, Husso, Thompson, Kyrou, Schmaltz, then Sanford.

Right there with ya.

 

[Halak Ness Monster]

Its amazing that Tage Thompson had such a strong year and good showing at the WJC and he isn't really moving up the rankings much. The Blues' prospect pool has taken a very nice stride forward.

He got much worse as that tournament went along and was pretty much benched in the Gold Medal game. I remember looking for him the whole 3rd period and he played 1 or 2 shifts. A look at the box score says he played 8:36 total for the game. He played 10:18 in the semifinal vs. Russia.

Then he put up just 5 points in 26 games in the AHL.

I'm not saying he's a bust because he didn't do well in the AHL at age 19. Just saying that I think his poor AHL performance soured some people.

To top it off, I don't think the reports from the prospect camp were all that glowing. At least in comparison to someone like Jordan Kyrou and others he is competing with for these 4 through 8 spots.

I'm still a fan of Thompson but he's a string bean that needs at least 2 more years in the AHL in my opinion. It's really difficult to predict his future. Probably more so than any of our other forwards.

 

[Stealth JD]

Thompson put up 32-points in 34 Hockey-East games in '15-'16. Sanford put up 39-points in 41 games in the same division.
Thompson put up 1 goal and 2 points in 16 AHL games last year. Sanford put up 11-goals and 16-points in 25 AHL games last year.

Obviously Thompson is 3-years younger than Sanford...but unless we're expecting a drastic step forward in development, what makes Thompson a more valuable prospect then Sanford? Both are winger/centers with good size and puck-skills. One happened to be drafted into the organization and the other was traded into it. Evidently the separation between 4 and 10 isn't very large...but it's funny how guys new to the organization are treated almost as an after-thought.

 

[Halak Ness Monster]

Thompson put up 32-points in 34 Hockey-East games in '15-'16. Sanford put up 39-points in 41 games in the same division.
Thompson put up 1 goal and 2 points in 16 AHL games last year. Sanford put up 11-goals and 16-points in 25 AHL games last year.

Obviously Thompson is 3-years younger than Sanford...but unless we're expecting a drastic step forward in development, what makes Thompson a more valuable prospect then Sanford? Both are winger/centers with good size and puck-skills. One happened to be drafted into the organization and the other was traded into it. Evidently the separation between 4 and 10 isn't very large...but it's funny how guys new to the organization are treated almost as an after-thought.

The age difference is HUGE when talking 6'4"-6'5" power forward prospects IMO.

Give Thompson three more years to add strength to his string bean frame and he could become a force. Or not.

One thing to note is that Thompson was 19 years old when he put up 32 points in 34 games in the NCAA this year. Sanford was 21 when he put up 39 points in 41 games in the same division.

I am excited to see Sanford's development this upcoming season. Hopefully he adds 8-10 pounds this offseason. If he can do that then he should be a solid power forward for our top 9.

 

[Majorityof1]

Yea, 3 years is huge at that age. Why aren't we comparing what 25 year old Agostino did in the AHL to Ranford? Clearly if comparing AHL points is all that matters, Agostino has much more upside than Sandy Ford.

 

[BlueDream]

Yea, 3 years is huge at that age. Why aren't we comparing what 25 year old Agostino did in the AHL to Ranford? Clearly if comparing AHL points is all that matters, Agostino has much more upside than Sandy Ford.

Leave it to you to completely miss the point.

A better comparison is Barbashev. Similar age to Sanford, and produced basically the same as him in the AHL and NHL.

One is our 2nd best prospect apparently. The other isn't even in the discussion.

If the roles were reversed and we had drafted Sanford and just traded for Barbashev, I'd bet good money the rankings wouldn't currently look like this. And that is what Stealth is saying as well.