Prospect Info: 2018 St. Louis Blues Prospect Camp

[Blanick]

McGing intrigues me. I don't know anything about him, could anyone at the camp give me a player comparison? Are we looking at another puck hound ala Schwartz or does he play a more cerebral game like Gaudreau?

I think he was the one Bill Armstrong said reminded him of Andy McDonald and I kind of agree.

 

[Oberyn]

I think he was the one Bill Armstrong said reminded him of Andy McDonald and I kind of agree.

Thanks. If he even turns out to be half as good as McDonald, I'll be a happy camper.

 

[Daley Tarasenkshow]

How did Kaspick look today for anyone who was there? He's really intrigued me with his play in junior hockey. I think he could be a successful bottom six player for the Blues.

 

[Blanick]

How did Kaspick look today for anyone who was there? He's really intrigued me with his play in junior hockey. I think he could be a successful bottom six player for the Blues.

From my notes today.

Hard worker in corners who is good on edges but not great out right speed. Sneaky quick shot and decent hands, nothing that is going to wow you but could carve out a nice bottom six role in the NHL with his work ethic

 

[David Dennison]

I'll change my name to BluesiestOfBluesies is that happens

He got all excited, Blue it and prematurely shot his wad.

 

[Bluesnatic27]

Okay everyone, I am now sitting down and I will give my full thoughts on what I saw today. For those that aren't used to my evaluations, or to those who just forgot, I like to walk into each day of camp with between 6 - 7 prospects to keep an eye on. I take notes on what I see in both drills and scrimmages to gain a more well rounded look at everyone. I also recorded who scored during the scrimmages just to provide some numbers to guys, although I should say that they aren't going to be completely accurate because of how hard it is to keep track of things like secondary assists and deflections. Without further ado, let's begin.

Klim Kostin:
I wanted to start out camp by looking at how Kostin has progressed given his unorthodox development path. I know many on this board aren't too high on Kostin given things like perceived lazy play and whatnot. I'm not saying that those are unfounded fears, but I do say, Kostin looks like a real professional on the ice. As Blanick pointed out, he looked like a man amongst boys today in pretty much everything he did. His size certainly helps with that, but his ability to maintain puck possession, his skating, his ability to read the plays, etc., he seemed to be on a different level than all those around him. It makes sense given he played the entire season in the AHL, but it is reassuring, to me at least, that his development progressing like it should. I hoped he would look like a true professional today, and I didn't leave disappointed. However, that doesn't mean he's flawless. His skating still isn't his strong suit. He's got great balance due to his weight, and his top speed is fine. The problem is his acceleration. He has a strong stride that just takes forever for him to go from stop to start. A lot of the time he was moving at what seemed like half speed just minimize the time he was standing still. Yet, Kostin still has the best shot in the camp, and all of his other tools give me hope he can be a dangerous weapon in the Blues top-6 at some point.

Mathias Laferriere:
Surprisingly, on a list full of guys like Kostin, Perunovich, and Foley, the prospect I spent the most time watching was Laferriere. I guess I was just mystified at how a guy can look so competent one second, only to look so pedestrian the next. I'm not even really exaggerating when I say that. On some drills, his possession of the puck would look as good as any other in camp. Yet, he would also have drills where he would fumble the puck like three or four times before he finished. He would do this on every drill regardless of what it was. Raw doesn't begin to describe Laferriere. I've seen fresh ground beef less raw than him. However, being raw is not synonymous with being bad. For as how often as Laferriere fumbled plays or drills, I could never bring myself to write him off. For one, his edgework is rather good. Not Kyrou or Mikkola good, but adequate enough where his overall agility is passable. He's going to have to work on his speed if he wishes to progress as a player, but that should come with strength. What I would like to highlight is his passing because his passes are rather impressive. In a variation shooting drill, Laferriere's passes would always be the most crisp and accurate compared to everyone I saw at camp today. His passes were so clean and flat, that it ended up taking guys by surprise more often than not. However, Laferriere's shot is not good, especially his wrister. He would routinely not get everything on it, or would just flat out whiff. This problem stemmed from him almost slap passing the shot through to the goalie, leading to no torque on the stick and no way to keep the shot accurate. Saying all of this, I fully acknowledge that this is his first prospect camp. It's common for players to not look their best when thrust into this sort of situation, just look at Nolan Stevens for example. I'm more than willing to give him the benefit of the doubt this year and wait until what he does next year. This goes for guys like McGing as well (pseudo spoiler). All in all, I like Laferriere. I think he did enough to keep me intrigued at his development.

David Noel:
I was pretty critical of Noel last year at camp. I'm happy to say that he doesn't look near as bad this year like he did last. His mobility has improved, his puckhandling has improved, his reads have improved, and he's making better use of his shot. I can't think of many instances where I was left disappointed in his play today, which is good. That doesn't mean he was perfect, just that he was competent. His wrist shot is incredibly heavy. Listening to it hit the boards behind the goal was terrifying. Yet, for as dangerous as it sounds, I still don't find himself putting himself in great positions to use his shot. In fact, I don't remember him using his slap shot at all today. I also find his lateral movement lacking, although his balance is adequate. He's not particularly fast, but not slow. I don't know, it's hard to really find things to complain about or praise because he is a, sort of, vanilla defenseman. I don't know if I can say he'll have a future on the Blues blueline, but his improvement is positive nonetheless.

Scott Perunovich:
I walked into the rink today feeling very lukewarm about Perunovich. After drills, I still felt lukewarm. His skating and shot looked well enough, but I still wasn't seeing what made him a 2nd round pick. That is, until I saw the scrimmage. From the first puck drop, Perunovich took over. His intelligence both offensively and defensively were incredible. He would quarterback the back end with such authority, and his breakouts were Walman like. It was like I was watching a completely different player than what I saw in drills. I agree with Blanick that he is starting to make a believer out of me. Saying that, I still think his skating needs a little work if he is to make it in the NHL. I would like to see better lateral movement out of him so as to be more agile. IF he is to make it at 5'9", which he sure can do with his intelligence, he needs to take the Sam Girard route.

Erik Foley:
So now we get to the guy I really wanted to see, Erik Foley. I'm going to preface everything I say by stating he is good. His strength and balance are in a class of it's own compared to every other prospect, and his wrist shot is deadly if not a little inaccurate. His speed and handling is good, which pairs perfectly with the strength aspect of his game. He should be an NHLer sooner rather than later. Yet, I will say I was left a little unfulfilled today. I wasn't disappointed because he is exactly as advertised. But what I was a little hesitant about is his agility, which is rather poor. He doesn't move side-to-side much, and as a result, has to bully his way through people in order to get the puck or attack the net. It makes sense now seeing that a lot of his goals come from scoring in the dirty areas of the ice. While he can definitely make a career out his abilities, I question his offensive capabilities because of his deficiencies. He'll either have to bully his way through NHL players in order to score, or find a way to become more agile. Both entirely possible, but the former way involves a longer development curve in order to be effective both offensively and defensively. I don't want to make it sound like I don't like Foley, because I do. I'm simply giving out my impression of him, and from what I saw, he might take a little longer to become effective than most here would like to believe. Although, the flip side means that I think he can make the NHL sooner than his peers. We'll see what's in store for him in the AHL.

Hugh McGing:
I know that a lot of people who saw him today saw him as a standout. I also know that he's been compared to Andy McDonald. Well the good news is I can see why he's been compared to McDonald, but I don't see enough McDonald in him to be effective in the NHL. To me, what made McDonald effective was his ability to control the puck due to his ability to start and stop on a dime. It shook off defenders effectively in order to give himself plenty of room to work with. McGing has the stopping down to a T, just doesn't have the McDonald acceleration. I can't say for sure if the acceleration is deal-breaker in his NHL career, but not having it and having a bad shot like McGing does will be. I thought McGing's shot was bad in so many ways. I didn't like how he couldn't really settle it for one timers, he couldn't get much on it upon release, and how he whiffed it as much as Laferriere. I wasn't left too hopeful for McGing like others might have been, and I'll leave it at that. Yet, much like Laferriere, I know this is new for him, so it could just be nerves or experience. He also played well in the scrimmage, so on the whole, he had a better day than Laferriere. Like every single prospect, we shall see what the future holds.

Alexei Toropchenko:
I love this guy and his potential. I was originally going to write about Andersson, but he wasn't there today. Hopefully there isn't a Taro Tsujimuto thing going on there, but anyways, I changed focus to Toropchenko because the guy is so much fun to watch. For one he's tall, and I he's gained weight as evidenced by Blanick's and I conversation earlier. But the guy might be the fastest prospect in camp. He skates like the wind and can think well at such high speeds as well. His puckhandling has always been his Achilles heel, but he's improved in that department. It's not at NHL level as of yet, but improvements are always nice. What I was left in awe about was his defensive reads. I never noticed how good he was defensively last year, so either I have a terrible memory, or he's developed it throughout his time in Guelph. I do know he was heavily relied upon defensively in Guelph, and I can see why after today. I compared him to Andreas Athanasiou last year, and I'm going to keep that comparison. I'm excited for Toropchenko's future with the Blues, and so should all of you.

Well I'll have the scrimmage results out later tonight, but I have to run somewhere. Please feel free to comment on who you would like me to analyze tomorrow. I have Ranksu's suggestions marked down, but anymore names would be appreciated.

 

[The Note in MI]

Tucker, Bokk, Kaspick, borque and one of the ATOs

 

[AjaxManifesto]

Fantastic stuff guys. You guys do some great analytical work. Beats the hell out of all the JT rumors that have populated the forum.

 

[Blanick]

Okay everyone, I am now sitting down and I will give my full thoughts on what I saw today. For those that aren't used to my evaluations, or to those who just forgot, I like to walk into each day of camp with between 6 - 7 prospects to keep an eye on. I take notes on what I see in both drills and scrimmages to gain a more well rounded look at everyone. I also recorded who scored during the scrimmages just to provide some numbers to guys, although I should say that they aren't going to be completely accurate because of how hard it is to keep track of things like secondary assists and deflections. Without further ado, let's begin.

Klim Kostin:
I wanted to start out camp by looking at how Kostin has progressed given his unorthodox development path. I know many on this board aren't too high on Kostin given things like perceived lazy play and whatnot. I'm not saying that those are unfounded fears, but I do say, Kostin looks like a real professional on the ice. As Blanick pointed out, he looked like a man amongst boys today in pretty much everything he did. His size certainly helps with that, but his ability to maintain puck possession, his skating, his ability to read the plays, etc., he seemed to be on a different level than all those around him. It makes sense given he played the entire season in the AHL, but it is reassuring, to me at least, that his development progressing like it should. I hoped he would look like a true professional today, and I didn't leave disappointed. However, that doesn't mean he's flawless. His skating still isn't his strong suit. He's got great balance due to his weight, and his top speed is fine. The problem is his acceleration. He has a strong stride that just takes forever for him to go from stop to start. A lot of the time he was moving at what seemed like half speed just minimize the time he was standing still. Yet, Kostin still has the best shot in the camp, and all of his other tools give me hope he can be a dangerous weapon in the Blues top-6 at some point.

Mathias Laferriere:
Surprisingly, on a list full of guys like Kostin, Perunovich, and Foley, the prospect I spent the most time watching was Laferriere. I guess I was just mystified at how a guy can look so competent one second, only to look so pedestrian the next. I'm not even really exaggerating when I say that. On some drills, his possession of the puck would look as good as any other in camp. Yet, he would also have drills where he would fumble the puck like three or four times before he finished. He would do this on every drill regardless of what it was. Raw doesn't begin to describe Laferriere. I've seen fresh ground beef less raw than him. However, being raw is not synonymous with being bad. For as how often as Laferriere fumbled plays or drills, I could never bring myself to write him off. For one, his edgework is rather good. Not Kyrou or Mikkola good, but adequate enough where his overall agility is passable. He's going to have to work on his speed if he wishes to progress as a player, but that should come with strength. What I would like to highlight is his passing because his passes are rather impressive. In a variation shooting drill, Laferriere's passes would always be the most crisp and accurate compared to everyone I saw at camp today. His passes were so clean and flat, that it ended up taking guys by surprise more often than not. However, Laferriere's shot is not good, especially his wrister. He would routinely not get everything on it, or would just flat out whiff. This problem stemmed from him almost slap passing the shot through to the goalie, leading to no torque on the stick and no way to keep the shot accurate. Saying all of this, I fully acknowledge that this is his first prospect camp. It's common for players to not look their best when thrust into this sort of situation, just look at Nolan Stevens for example. I'm more than willing to give him the benefit of the doubt this year and wait until what he does next year. This goes for guys like McGing as well (pseudo spoiler). All in all, I like Laferriere. I think he did enough to keep me intrigued at his development.

David Noel:
I was pretty critical of Noel last year at camp. I'm happy to say that he doesn't look near as bad this year like he did last. His mobility has improved, his puckhandling has improved, his reads have improved, and he's making better use of his shot. I can't think of many instances where I was left disappointed in his play today, which is good. That doesn't mean he was perfect, just that he was competent. His wrist shot is incredibly heavy. Listening to it hit the boards behind the goal was terrifying. Yet, for as dangerous as it sounds, I still don't find himself putting himself in great positions to use his shot. In fact, I don't remember him using his slap shot at all today. I also find his lateral movement lacking, although his balance is adequate. He's not particularly fast, but not slow. I don't know, it's hard to really find things to complain about or praise because he is a, sort of, vanilla defenseman. I don't know if I can say he'll have a future on the Blues blueline, but his improvement is positive nonetheless.

Scott Perunovich:
I walked into the rink today feeling very lukewarm about Perunovich. After drills, I still felt lukewarm. His skating and shot looked well enough, but I still wasn't seeing what made him a 2nd round pick. That is, until I saw the scrimmage. From the first puck drop, Perunovich took over. His intelligence both offensively and defensively were incredible. He would quarterback the back end with such authority, and his breakouts were Walman like. It was like I was watching a completely different player than what I saw in drills. I agree with Blanick that he is starting to make a believer out of me. Saying that, I still think his skating needs a little work if he is to make it in the NHL. I would like to see better lateral movement out of him so as to be more agile. IF he is to make it at 5'9", which he sure can do with his intelligence, he needs to take the Sam Girard route.

Erik Foley:
So now we get to the guy I really wanted to see, Erik Foley. I'm going to preface everything I say by stating he is good. His strength and balance are in a class of it's own compared to every other prospect, and his wrist shot is deadly if not a little inaccurate. His speed and handling is good, which pairs perfectly with the strength aspect of his game. He should be an NHLer sooner rather than later. Yet, I will say I was left a little unfulfilled today. I wasn't disappointed because he is exactly as advertised. But what I was a little hesitant about is his agility, which is rather poor. He doesn't move side-to-side much, and as a result, has to bully his way through people in order to get the puck or attack the net. It makes sense now seeing that a lot of his goals come from scoring in the dirty areas of the ice. While he can definitely make a career out his abilities, I question his offensive capabilities because of his deficiencies. He'll either have to bully his way through NHL players in order to score, or find a way to become more agile. Both entirely possible, but the former way involves a longer development curve in order to be effective both offensively and defensively. I don't want to make it sound like I don't like Foley, because I do. I'm simply giving out my impression of him, and from what I saw, he might take a little longer to become effective than most here would like to believe. Although, the flip side means that I think he can make the NHL sooner than his peers. We'll see what's in store for him in the AHL.

Hugh McGing:
I know that a lot of people who saw him today saw him as a standout. I also know that he's been compared to Andy McDonald. Well the good news is I can see why he's been compared to McDonald, but I don't see enough McDonald in him to be effective in the NHL. To me, what made McDonald effective was his ability to control the puck due to his ability to start and stop on a dime. It shook off defenders effectively in order to give himself plenty of room to work with. McGing has the stopping down to a T, just doesn't have the McDonald acceleration. I can't say for sure if the acceleration is deal-breaker in his NHL career, but not having it and having a bad shot like McGing does will be. I thought McGing's shot was bad in so many ways. I didn't like how he couldn't really settle it for one timers, he couldn't get much on it upon release, and how he whiffed it as much as Laferriere. I wasn't left too hopeful for McGing like others might have been, and I'll leave it at that. Yet, much like Laferriere, I know this is new for him, so it could just be nerves or experience. He also played well in the scrimmage, so on the whole, he had a better day than Laferriere. Like every single prospect, we shall see what the future holds.

Alexei Toropchenko:
I love this guy and his potential. I was originally going to write about Andersson, but he wasn't there today. Hopefully there isn't a Taro Tsujimuto thing going on there, but anyways, I changed focus to Toropchenko because the guy is so much fun to watch. For one he's tall, and I he's gained weight as evidenced by Blanick's and I conversation earlier. But the guy might be the fastest prospect in camp. He skates like the wind and can think well at such high speeds as well. His puckhandling has always been his Achilles heel, but he's improved in that department. It's not at NHL level as of yet, but improvements are always nice. What I was left in awe about was his defensive reads. I never noticed how good he was defensively last year, so either I have a terrible memory, or he's developed it throughout his time in Guelph. I do know he was heavily relied upon defensively in Guelph, and I can see why after today. I compared him to Andreas Athanasiou last year, and I'm going to keep that comparison. I'm excited for Toropchenko's future with the Blues, and so should all of you.

Well I'll have the scrimmage results out later tonight, but I have to run somewhere. Please feel free to comment on who you would like me to analyze tomorrow. I have Ranksu's suggestions marked down, but anymore names would be appreciated.

Well said. If you are there again tomorrow, we should meet up.

 

[AjaxManifesto]

I’ll try to make it on Wednesday. Where is the schedule?


Toropchenko is the kid I liked last year. I think he makes an impact in the next 2-3 years.

 

[Oberyn]

Yeah what the hell is up with Andersson, does he even exist?

 

[Blanick]

Yeah what the hell is up with Andersson, does he even exist?

He wasn't there today and no mention of him from any of the Blues beat guys. So nobody knows I guess.

 

[The Note in MI]

He wasn't there today and no mention of him from any of the Blues beat guys. So nobody knows I guess.

The Blues beat guys probably don’t even know who he is

 

[WiscoBlues]

Anton Andersson: The New Franchise Savior

Move aside Colton Parayko and Filip Helt.

 

[Linkens Mastery]

Opilka played? Wasn't he coming off like his 3rd hip surgery? Kid is a trooper but he needs to look after his body more.

 

[Brockon]

Great content for a hockey deprived mind! Thanks @Blanick, @Bluesnatic27, @bluesfan3109 and others for taking the time to share your thoughts, opinions and observations with the board! I'm seriously loving the details of the viewings for the 3 posters called out by name.

Blanick, just wow... This board is lucky to have you able and willing to share this with us, greatly appreciated.

It makes it easier to be a fan from afar to get that kind of detail when few others can/do share prospect camp coverage.

 

[ezcreepin]

Yeah what the hell is up with Andersson, does he even exist?

I asked some Swedes on the board a couple of months ago about Andersson and they all basically held the same opinion: He is pretty meh

 

[MortiestOfMortys]

I end up saying this every year but it beats repeating: prospect camp means a lot of different things to different players. For guys who got drafted last week, it’s their first chance to put on the uni, get to know the coaches and teammates, and start their summer training by seeing what is expected of them at the pro level. For guys who have done this once or twice already, it means substantially less. There’s no reason to floor it, this camp means nothing for where they end up in the fall; I.e you don’t make the team out of prospect camp.

So if guys look a little lazy or nervous, cut em a little slack because it’s probably true. This camp is more for the fans and the first year guys than anything, imo. For a lot of these guys, their seasons are barely over

 

[The Note in MI]

I end up saying this every year but it beats repeating: prospect camp means a lot of different things to different players. For guys who got drafted last week, it’s their first chance to put on the uni, get to know the coaches and teammates, and start their summer training by seeing what is expected of them at the pro level. For guys who have done this once or twice already, it means substantially less. There’s no reason to floor it, this camp means nothing for where they end up in the fall; I.e you don’t make the team out of prospect camp.

So if guys look a little lazy or nervous, cut em a little slack because it’s probably true. This camp is more for the fans and the first year guys than anything, imo. For a lot of these guys, their seasons are barely over

Exactly. Why do you think Thomas is sitting out. The prospects tournament definitely is important as a first look in real games. But training camp and the preseason is where the real prospects come to play, and the pros not until the last couple games of preseason

 

[Mike Liut]

I end up saying this every year but it beats repeating: prospect camp means a lot of different things to different players. For guys who got drafted last week, it’s their first chance to put on the uni, get to know the coaches and teammates, and start their summer training by seeing what is expected of them at the pro level. For guys who have done this once or twice already, it means substantially less. There’s no reason to floor it, this camp means nothing for where they end up in the fall; I.e you don’t make the team out of prospect camp.

So if guys look a little lazy or nervous, cut em a little slack because it’s probably true. This camp is more for the fans and the first year guys than anything, imo. For a lot of these guys, their seasons are barely over

Maybe so, but if im a prospect trying to make the team, im trying to dominate every chance I get.

 

[Dbrownss]

Maybe so, but if im a prospect trying to make the team, im trying to dominate every chance I get.

For guys like Kyrou, that comes at main camp and preseason

 

[Frenzy31]

I don't put much stock into the prospect camp. It is more for fans then anything else. The scrimmages are worthless for evaluating players due to the format.

However, what is important is what the kid looks like on the first vs. the last day and then year to year. Who ever posted last years write ups - great job in finding them as it gives you an indication of what you thought of the player last year and allows you to see what they are like this year.

Finally, there will always be a difference in both comfort and ability for the kids that are older vs. the 18/19 year olds. McGing and Perunovich should be dominant, even though they were just drafted due to age. JK should be the best player out there, not due to the highest ceiling (which he may have vs. Bokk), but due to being drafted 2 years ago - two years of extra development is huge. The biggest difficulty is trying to compare someone like JK to Kostin. JK is older and should be more polished. If that makes any sense to everyone. Remember, last year JK was the toast of the prospects camp, but Thomas surpassed him during the year.

Thanks for the write ups. I enjoy reading them

 

[bleedblue1223]

For guys like Kyrou, that comes at main camp and preseason

Sure, but there is still a point to laying the groundwork for the coaches. Just look at Kyrou's quote. In past camps he said he just wanted to take it in, learn, and meet new people, but this year he wants to make the team. If he can give Army or the coaches one or a few of those wow moments that makes them think, then it will give him a boost when training camp starts. Planting the seed in the coaches head that he can be ready is the first step.

It's not that influential for him to make the club, but he wants to make a good first impression for this season, and this is where he makes it. The mentality that he has in this camp is a good first step.

 

[MoPucks]

How has Kent Hutchinson looked so far? Do we need to be concerned about finding another emergency backup goalie?

 

[Dbrownss]

Sure, but there is still a point to laying the groundwork for the coaches. Just look at Kyrou's quote. In past camps he said he just wanted to take it in, learn, and meet new people, but this year he wants to make the team. If he can give Army or the coaches one or a few of those wow moments that makes them think, then it will give him a boost when training camp starts. Planting the seed in the coaches head that he can be ready is the first step.

It's not that influential for him to make the club, but he wants to make a good first impression for this season, and this is where he makes it. The mentality that he has in this camp is a good first step.

I just saw that as lip service even if its sincere. Coaching staff has their expectations already set for him. He's one of the Blues top prospects, he's expected to have that mentality.

Now if he came in and didn't care, that would cause concern. Him not going full throttle or being defensively lax shouldn't be a concern in the prospect camp scrimmage shouldn't affect his chances. He's 20 playing against newly drafted players and much lesser guys. He knows he can dance around them and so do they.