Prospect Info: 2019 - 2020 Top 20 Blues Prospect List - #19

[DatDude44]

I still don't get the Perunovich pick. The kid is way too small for the NHL. Hope I'm wrong - Bill Armstrong knows better than most.

I wanted Calen Addison at that pick actually(I think he’s special) but I’m not angry about that pick at all. Size has been decreasing on basically a yearly basis in the NHL. Especially on D. If he has all the other attributes like skating, high hockey sense and a high compete/work ethic mixed with skill, he will be just fine. Obviously we don’t know if he’ll be a hit or not. But I’m not gonna solely based it off of his size. Look at Gaudreau, Krug, Dunn and many others

 

[simon IC]

I still don't get the Perunovich pick. The kid is way too small for the NHL. Hope I'm wrong - Bill Armstrong knows better than most.

Perunovich is definitely very undersized, and while I acknowledge that the NHL is changing, I still think it can be a big disadvantage for him. Jared Spurgeon, Tory Krug, Matt Grzelcyk and Victor Mete are all the same size, so there is proof that it can be overcome, but if you don't have the speed to compensate, I really think it can really compromise your ability to defend. Often players like this need to be "sheltered", but this can still be part of an effective transition game. I didn't like the Perunovich pick either, but not necessarily based on his size. I just thought there were better options available at the time. Oh well, in Bill we trust!