Prospect Info: 2020 Draft Thread

[Davimir Tarablad]

Around where we should be picking, I wonder if we go with a guy like Jake Neighbours. He’s has skill and scoring ability. But what I really like about him is his combination of “Hockey smarts”, physicality and compete level.

Seems like a guy that would be a perfect fit in the blues Middle 6 in 3-5 years.

definitely going to be watching him more.

Jake from State Farm?
Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there

 

[Beauterham]

James Hardie is an interesting name. Here's a scouting report.
Undersized at 5'11'' 161


“I think you if look in his draft class, I think that only five guys in our league have scored more than him,” Richmond said. “So I think he’s really unnoticed for some reason. Because last year he had the same number of goals as Owen Tippett did in his first year. He’s off to a good start this year. He’s a great kid. He’s working hard at his game. Scouts are always going to find certain things that players need to work on. But he’s a goal scorer and he’s going to score a lot of goals for us this year.”
He is someone I will be watching closely. My knock on him is his skating, but that can easily improve as we move along. But if he can show a knack for scoring goals, he will be noticed in no time. He’s on a 40-goal pace in the early going. Can he keep it up?

Glad I'm not the only fan.






After a slow start of the season he's been incredible the last 2 months. Almost PPG right now. He meshes really well with Florida draftee Schwindt. With Washkurak (who's returned from IR btw) on the same team, we should have scouts that see Hardie play regularly. He was projected to go in the 7th round of the draft earlier this season. If he keeps up his current play the rest of the season I'll boldly predict he will go in the second round.



Another player that cought my eye is Riley Piercey. Flint Power forward (6'3, 200lbs) that was part of the trade that brought Tyler Tucker to the Firebirds. Piercey was 'meh' playing for the Barrie Colts but has gone berserk since being traded to the Firebirds. He's glued on Ty Dellandrea's line. Had 13 points in 35 games for Barrie, is at 12 points (6 goals) in 8 games for the Firebirds and is at +9. This is a player that Berube would love and would fit perfectly in the Blues system. And, like with Hardie/Washkurak, because Tucker is playing in Flint, we should have scouts there regularly.

 

[simon IC]

James Hardie is an interesting name. Here's a scouting report.
Undersized at 5'11'' 161


“I think you if look in his draft class, I think that only five guys in our league have scored more than him,” Richmond said. “So I think he’s really unnoticed for some reason. Because last year he had the same number of goals as Owen Tippett did in his first year. He’s off to a good start this year. He’s a great kid. He’s working hard at his game. Scouts are always going to find certain things that players need to work on. But he’s a goal scorer and he’s going to score a lot of goals for us this year.”
He is someone I will be watching closely. My knock on him is his skating, but that can easily improve as we move along. But if he can show a knack for scoring goals, he will be noticed in no time. He’s on a 40-goal pace in the early going. Can he keep it up?

I am not as enthusiastic. At 5'11", I actually don't think he is really undersized. Not by today's NHL standards. I didn't like the comment about his skating, however. That for me is always a big issue. Perhaps as a 2nd or 3rd round pick ... I dunno. There are other prospects I would look at before him.

 

[Beauterham]

I am not as enthusiastic. At 5'11", I actually don't think he is really undersized. Not by today's NHL standards. I didn't like the comment about his skating, however. That for me is always a big issue. Perhaps as a 2nd or 3rd round pick ... I dunno. There are other prospects I would look at before him.

The knock on him was his skating and his vision. Both have been improved considerably during this season. Is it enough to be selected in the first round? Probably not, he still needs to go a long way, but he seems to have the right attitude. I'm not advocating to draft him in the first round, but if he's still available in the 3rd or later? Definatly! If he keeps on his current play maybe even the second round as I said in my previous post.

 

[simon IC]

The knock on him was his skating and his vision. Both have been improved considerably during this season. Is it enough to be selected in the first round? Probably not, he still needs to go a long way, but he seems to have the right attitude. I'm not advocating to draft him in the first round, but if he's still available in the 3rd or later? Definatly! If he keeps on his current play maybe even the second round as I said in my previous post.

Fair enough! Btw, I really appreciate your attention and insight regarding our prospects. Really appreciated! The draft is my favourite part of the hockey year.

 

[Blueston]

Fair enough! Btw, I really appreciate your attention and insight regarding our prospects. Really appreciated! The draft is my favourite part of the hockey year.

I used to think that. Then I saw how much more fun Cup parades are.

 

[Beauterham]

Fair enough! Btw, I really appreciate your attention and insight regarding our prospects. Really appreciated! The draft is my favourite part of the hockey year.

Same goes for me, specifically the 2nd day of the draft. Drafting a hidden gem like Parayko, Mikkola or Blais gives me more satisfaction then selecting another Tage Thompson in the first. I like to look for players that might be better then advertised or that bring more value then their projected draftposition would suggest. Hence, players like Hardie, Piercey, Tynan.

 

[simon IC]

I used to think that. Then I saw how much more fun Cup parades are.

Lol, okay ya got me there!

 

[Ranksu]

Button is Button, but damn I would love IF my fav player Anton Lundell fall in to our lap. Army have to move up in draft IF he falls below #20.

Craig’s List: Tim Stutzle, Marco Rossi climb NHL draft rankings - TSN.ca

 

[execwrite1]

I'm begging you Doug - don't trade this year's draft picks.

According to this TSN list, Blues could get Kleven, O'Rourke or Mukhamadullin in the first round and Jack Finley or Kuznetsov with their second pick.

 

[CoMoBlues]

I really like both O'Rourke and Sanderson, but I'm resigned to the thought that they are both gone by pick 18.

If either are available, I'd jump all over them.

I went to Ann Arbor this past weekend, and saw Univ. of Michigan play the USNDTP U18 squad with my wife, and did some armchair scouting, focusing on Jake Sanderson for the U.S.

I did see that Kleven played for the US, but didn’t focus on him.

Jake Sanderson #8 D
U.S. National Under-18 Team - 2019-20 Regular Season - Roster - #8 - Jake Sanderson - D

Yost arena in Ann Arbor MI, home to Univ. of Michigan Wolverines. Was a cool venue/rink with a high energy, fun, student atmosphere. In pregame the Michigan Hockey Band and cheering section held up a huge banner of Red Berenson!
Jake Sanderson #8, played LD in top 4 for the USNDTP vs Michigan on 1/25/20.

On his first shift, noticed physical play along the boards in his own end, held forwards stick up, but could’ve made a better pass D to D while pressured, which led D partner to ice the puck.
On SHG, joined the rush on an odd man rush, wasn’t involved in goal but trailed the play, showing good offensive instincts even in pk situation.

Defensive awareness a positive. Good speed to get back and defend the house/tie up opposing forward, but sometimes he bumps into his own goalie during the process.

Kelley went out injured, a player who was slotted ahead of him on D prior, so he played increased ice time starting late in the 1st period.Was playing on 1st pp unit. Good attempt at zone entry and stopped at the blue line to pass-off to an on-rushing teammate.

In the 2nd power play, he was not so good. Failed zone entry, and couldn’t keep puck in the zone near the blue line, led to giveaway and rush against.

2 - 0 USNDTP led UMi after 1 period. In 2nd, Sanderson took a hit to clear puck in his d zone, always a good thing. Made a decent centering pass from the point in the offensive zone which led to weak chance (or may have been teammates fault due to a poor effort on net).

Good play to intercept an opponents pass and transition out of own D zone. Tended to play ‘stay at home’ style of D through the game, but didn’t look out of place. Another good play on defense, chopping player down to gain possession but no penalty called.

STRONG ON HIS STICK
On pk a pass in skates of fwd breaking out, who had to delay in neutral zone. Decent collapse on opposing net, or net front presence, and the size to stay planted there. Got an okay chance off a rebound, while battling opposing player for space.
Talked to a fan at 2nd Intermission that was saying the US NDP team plays the entire year long, which explains their domination of MI in the game. Grain of salt though, since he was a Michigan fan!

In the 3rd period, I ate Nachos. My wife said that Michigan had the better of the chances, especially in the first half of the 3rd, but the USA goalie was up to the task.

Nice one timer goal for Tuch on the 3rd US tally, off a great passing play setup. UM goalie had no chance on fourth goal late in the 3rd. My wife thought Michigan should’ve pulled their goalie while down 2-0 with more than 10 minutes left in the game. As usual, she was right, and USNDTP Under 18 team beat the Wolverines 4-1. Michigan scored by Johnny Beecher, a Ducks prospect, late at 19:01 in the third to avoid the shutout.

Notes:
Will Lockwood served as Michigan captain, forward #10, played LW is a St. Louis native.

 

[Brian39]

It'll be interesting to see what picks we ultimately end up with. If we end up still having our 1st and 2nd after the TDL, I'd be interested in seeing if Allen+our 2nd would net us an early 2nd and end up with 2 picks in the top 40. Would be nice to give BA a couple shots at getting us some top6F/top4D prospects for the cupboard.

If Allen ends the year with a .920+ then I would hope that we could move him for an early 2nd without having to include our own 2nd. There are a good chunk of teams in the bottom 10 of the league who have cap space for the upcoming season and could use a tandem/mentor for a less experienced goalie.

 

[Bluesnatic27]

A little late, but Bob McKenzie released the TSN Midterm 2020 NHL draft rankings:

Alexis Lafreniere enhances No. 1 status in TSN's mid-season NHL draft ranking - TSN.ca

A very strange list to be certain. I understand that this list is an aggregate of other scouts, but I'm I'm amazed at how different this list is from the other lists I've been reading recently. The top-10 is no surprise, except for Sanderson at #9. I really like Sanderson, but I do have concerns regarding his offense at the higher levels. But to have Guhle at #12? Braden Schneider that high up? Reilly Greig in the 1st round? Ryan O'Rourke and Jan Mysak out of the 1st round, with Mysak all the way at #53? Heck, even Evangelista behind Stranges is puzzling.

I find this list strange as a lot of talented players are being knocked down with a few players really being reached at in the 1st. It comes to show you how different NHL scouts view players as opposed to the general fandom.

On a side note, if Gunler is available at #27, the Blues should be all over that.

 

[Ranksu]

Intersting to see how far Anton Lundell fall.

 

[MortiestOfMortys]

A little late, but Bob McKenzie released the TSN Midterm 2020 NHL draft rankings:

Alexis Lafreniere enhances No. 1 status in TSN's mid-season NHL draft ranking - TSN.ca

A very strange list to be certain. I understand that this list is an aggregate of other scouts, but I'm I'm amazed at how different this list is from the other lists I've been reading recently. The top-10 is no surprise, except for Sanderson at #9. I really like Sanderson, but I do have concerns regarding his offense at the higher levels. But to have Guhle at #12? Braden Schneider that high up? Reilly Greig in the 1st round? Ryan O'Rourke and Jan Mysak out of the 1st round, with Mysak all the way at #53? Heck, even Evangelista behind Stranges is puzzling.

I find this list strange as a lot of talented players are being knocked down with a few players really being reached at in the 1st. It comes to show you how different NHL scouts view players as opposed to the general fandom.

On a side note, if Gunler is available at #27, the Blues should be all over that.

It’s a thin year on defense, but that really just means that lower-value dmen will be going in the 1st round and higher-value forwards will fall. Askarov also pushes some guys back towards the end of the round that arguably should go earlier. Teams that think they need defense will go defense in the first round, regardless of how good the crop is. Duncan Siemens anybody? So with that in mind, this list feels less to me like a “here is their value, ranked” and more like “here’s where they are likely to go.”

 

[Bluesnatic27]

It’s a thin year on defense, but that really just means that lower-value dmen will be going in the 1st round and higher-value forwards will fall. Askarov also pushes some guys back towards the end of the round that arguably should go earlier. Teams that think they need defense will go defense in the first round, regardless of how good the crop is. Duncan Siemens anybody? So with that in mind, this list feels less to me like a “here is their value, ranked” and more like “here’s where they are likely to go.”

Yes the defense is thin this year, but the defensemen that are being highly rated are the ones I'm confused about. I can understand Sanderson to a degree, but Schneider? Guhle? Barron? All of these guys are being more highly rated than Wallinder, who has shown truly impressive offensive abilities.

Barron has always been highly rated, but he's seen as a Chychrun-like prospect. One who has a very high floor, but the overall offense might be stunted. This was before his injury and clot debacle, which I wouldn't be surprised to see him fall further in the future. Schneider is a real head scratcher because the guy is being rated for his physical and defensive package (funny that you mention Siemens because the hype for Schneider seems awfully similar). Guhle is a player that I really like, but in no way should he be that high given his overall influence this year. It seems weird that all of these guys are being so highly rated given the thin defense this year. They are all more "safe picks", however asinine I find that statement to be, as opposed to the more offensive players this year. I would have expected Wallinder and Grans to be getting more attention for their talent, but it seems like scouts are playing it safe this year. Either that or they see something I don't.

 

[MortiestOfMortys]

Yes the defense is thin this year, but the defensemen that are being highly rated are the ones I'm confused about. I can understand Sanderson to a degree, but Schneider? Guhle? Barron? All of these guys are being more highly rated than Wallinder, who has shown truly impressive offensive abilities.

Barron has always been highly rated, but he's seen as a Chychrun-like prospect. One who has a very high floor, but the overall offense might be stunted. This was before his injury and clot debacle, which I wouldn't be surprised to see him fall further in the future. Schneider is a real head scratcher because the guy is being rated for his physical and defensive package (funny that you mention Siemens because the hype for Schneider seems awfully similar). Guhle is a player that I really like, but in no way should he be that high given his overall influence this year. It seems weird that all of these guys are being so highly rated given the thin defense this year. They are all more "safe picks", however asinine I find that statement to be, as opposed to the more offensive players this year. I would have expected Wallinder and Grans to be getting more attention for their talent, but it seems like scouts are playing it safe this year. Either that or they see something I don't.

I don’t think you’re wrong, although any team should be happy drafting a guy who ends up like Chychrun.

But *because* things are thin on defense this year, the guys at the top of the list end up rated better than they are, simply by virtue of being the best available. Idk why Wallinder isn’t getting the love he should, but I’m sure some team will end up taking him in the first. As for the other guys, I think in general there’s a lack of legitimately solid defensive dmen available in the league right now, and we showed how important that is last year.

So that, plus the thing that happens every year where at least one team goes wayyy off the boards for some reason or another, I think it’s a good year to hang onto the first and hope someone falls. Ironically I hope we take a defenseman, but it’s too hard to say what’s going to be around in the 1st and 2nd, much less where we’ll be picking.

 

[MortiestOfMortys]

Gustav Portillo at eliteprospects.com

Potential off-the-board pick for this year’s draft: Gustav Portillo of Sweden. He is the younger brother of goalie Erik Portillo, a massive tendie drafted by Buffalo as an overager last year (why he wasn’t picked in his draft year is still a total mystery to me), who is now playing in Dubuque of the USHL. Why is that important? If Portillo the Younger gets drafted, there’s strong reason to believe he would come to North America too.

But as a player in his own right, Gustav is a big (6’3”), left-shooting RW, who has been a big producer at just about every level he’s been at, being promoted out of his age group for the last 3 years. He has no caps for the national team, and has spent some time in second divisions in his young junior career, but I think there’s enough of a track record of improvement recently to think that he isn’t anywhere near his ceiling yet. He’s also a very late birthday (August), so despite his size, he is still more than a year back in his development from his opponents, and producing very well despite that. For a late-round pick, he seems like a good boom/bust pick.

However, bc he hasn’t appeared for Sweden’s national team, it isn’t likely that our small scouting staff has seen a lot of him. We also haven’t done a lot of drafting from Europe in general, but when we do it tends to be sort of off-the-board guys (Andersson, Zherenko), so who knows.

 

[MortiestOfMortys]

Draft more Finnish defensemen, Barmstrong. I really like Jurmo’s game, and I think he’s got the potential to be a good pro dman.

 

[jbron]

Second the endorsement of Joni Jurmo. Think he will be a good player at the next level. Interesting to see just where the Blues pick in the first as there might be a good forward like Jacob Perreault or Seth Jarvis that falls to them.

 

[Davimir Tarablad]

Draft more Finnish defensemen, Barmstrong. I really like Jurmo’s game, and I think he’s got the potential to be a good pro dman.

He's big and has a good one timer?

 

[simon IC]

Second the endorsement of Joni Jurmo. Think he will be a good player at the next level. Interesting to see just where the Blues pick in the first as there might be a good forward like Jacob Perreault or Seth Jarvis that falls to them.

Third! He looks really good. I would like to know more about his defensive game.

 

[execwrite1]

Draft more Finnish defensemen, Barmstrong. I really like Jurmo’s game, and I think he’s got the potential to be a good pro dman.

Jurmo LHD, 6'4" 190

Jurmo is a powerful skater with good top-end speed. He carried the puck into the zone several times with relative ease. He has good passing skills and even though he had some turnovers, I like his potential as a puck distributor. He didn’t play an overly physical game, but used his stick rather well to defend. His overall defensive play has improved since the start of the season.

 

[execwrite1]

Would be a great pick for the Blues - Yan Kuznetsov, UConn, LHD, 6'4" 200

 

[MortiestOfMortys]

Once again, we should be drafting for college and Euro players as much as possible this year so we can “outsource” their development while we figure our AHL situation out. If that means taking Kuznetsov, I’m fine with that.

It sucks, but not having an AHL team locked down really limits your draft strategy. Not to mention how hard it’s going to be to get free agents to sign here. Nobody wants to go to a team they can’t actually play for.