Blues Prospects Thread 2018-2019

[Vladys Gumption]

was Maroon not an AAA Blues?

Elite prospects has him listed as playing at least two years of AAA.

I’m sure I missed multiple other former and current players. Come to think of it, Joe Vitale did too.

 

[Bluesnatic27]

NHL Draft Picks

There is a list of AAA Blues alumni, in case anyone was wondering.

 

[Frenzy31]

Bokk has 7 points in 15 games in the top swe league

 

[MortiestOfMortys]

Bokk has 7 points in 15 games in the top swe league

Not great, considering three of those came in one game. I expected a lot more out of him so far.

 

[STL fan in MN]

Not great, considering three of those came in one game. I expected a lot more out of him so far.

Considering what I saw from Bokk in Traverse City, this is about what I expected. Plenty of skill but still a long way to go in terms of his overall game and he’s also still in a boy’s body. Needs to bulk up to be able to use his skills better.

Not too worried about him. I think it’ll come but he’s still quite raw.

 

[The Note in MI]

Bokk with another goal today. One timer at his offwing circle on the PP. Recording the second and third periods. Will post up later.

He gets fairly limited minutes.

 

[LetsGoBLUES91]

Honestly I never know how to evaluate how well a prospect is doing overseas. Some guys have great years with mediocre at best statistics. Especially in the SHL and KHL.

 

[542365]

Honestly I never know how to evaluate how well a prospect is doing overseas. Some guys have great years with mediocre at best statistics. Especially in the SHL and KHL.

It's hard to judge, and it doesn't actually mean anything because they could be better on either ice surface and we'd never know until they try it. Some comparables and their draft +1 season in Sweden:
Mikael Backlund-13 points in 37 games(Swe-1)
Marcus Johansson-20 points in 42 games(SEL)
Patrik Berglund-48 points in 35 games(better numbers than he had when he went back to the same league and the same team 6 years later during the lockout)
Filip Forsberg-33 points in 38 games(Swe-1)
Mika Zibanejad-13 points in 26 games(SEL)
Jakob Silfverberg-16 points in 48 games(SEL)
Alexander Wennberg-21 points in 50 games(SWEHL)

It's really all over the place, but I don't think Bokk's production is anything to scoff at thus far. He's holding his own in a league full of men. What Petterson did last year was an anomaly from an All World level talent. Bokk clearly isn't at that level, but he's producing right along with several good NHLers.

 

[MortiestOfMortys]

Context matters. In U20 scoring, Bokk is in the top 10 in the SHL, despite the relatively long swoon and a few healthy scratches. The top guys are a guy that went undrafted (inexplicably) last year, and a (much bigger, I.e. pro-size) guy who went in the 4th to Dallas. Bokk is 1 or 2 in assists though. He’s doing fine, just not as well as I was expecting.

 

[Oberyn]

TOI is probably a better indicator for a lot of the EU prospects. Points certainly don't tell the whole story, as it could seem like a player is struggling, but in reality they're only getting 6 minutes of ice time per game.

 

[Zamadoo]

TOI is probably a better indicator for a lot of the EU prospects. Points certainly don't tell the whole story, as it could seem like a player is struggling, but in reality they're only getting 6 minutes of ice time per game.

Indeed. P/60 is a great stat as well.

 

[MortiestOfMortys]

TOI is probably a better indicator for a lot of the EU prospects. Points certainly don't tell the whole story, as it could seem like a player is struggling, but in reality they're only getting 6 minutes of ice time per game.

I agree, but unfortunately those stats are hard to come by. Sometimes the best you can do is read between the lines.

 

[carter333167]

I agree, but unfortunately those stats are hard to come by. Sometimes the best you can do is read between the lines.

I trust your opinion and always enjoy reading your posts.

I'm curious, when you have a minute, to hear your thoughts on what we have in Kostin. Do you think he has realistic top 6 potential in the NHL or is he a true dark horse at this point?

 

[MortiestOfMortys]

I trust your opinion and always enjoy reading your posts.

I'm curious, when you have a minute, to hear your thoughts on what we have in Kostin. Do you think he has realistic top 6 potential in the NHL or is he a true dark horse at this point?

I really want to like Kostin, but at this point it’s hard to get too excited. His production really hasn’t been that bad, and if anything it’s a little underrated - especially down the stretch last year when he really seemed to go on a run. But he’s still figuring things out, and I’m not seeing a lot of progress from him. He’s pushing too hard, instead of just playing hockey.

I will say, if you look at other Russian guys with similar pedigrees and similar sizes, like Guryanov, Svechnikov or Buchnevich, it took them several years to figure things out too. At this point, I wouldn’t call Kostin close, but I think there’s probably still a glimmer of hope to hold onto there. Sometimes as guys get older and they start playing against guys 2-3 years older than them as opposed to 5-6, their games come out a little stronger. There’s still cause to cut him some slack and be patient, but obviously you’d like to see a former #1-ranked player take control a little more authoritatively. We’ll see!

 

[Bluesnatic27]

I’m not too worried with Bokk. As IA said, he was always raw with tremendous potential. Besides, hearing from Swedish posters, or posters who at least watch the SHL, it sounds like he’s doing well with the limited time he gets.

Honestly, his production is splendid considering his age and how low scoring Vaxjo is. He's 18 and currently the sixth highest point scorer on the team while only averaging 11:30 minutes a night. That's damn good. He's not Pettersson, but he's certainly doing well.

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

I really want to like Kostin, but at this point it’s hard to get too excited. His production really hasn’t been that bad, and if anything it’s a little underrated - especially down the stretch last year when he really seemed to go on a run. But he’s still figuring things out, and I’m not seeing a lot of progress from him. He’s pushing too hard, instead of just playing hockey.

I will say, if you look at other Russian guys with similar pedigrees and similar sizes, like Guryanov, Svechnikov or Buchnevich, it took them several years to figure things out too. At this point, I wouldn’t call Kostin close, but I think there’s probably still a glimmer of hope to hold onto there. Sometimes as guys get older and they start playing against guys 2-3 years older than them as opposed to 5-6, their games come out a little stronger. There’s still cause to cut him some slack and be patient, but obviously you’d like to see a former #1-ranked player take control a little more authoritatively. We’ll see!

I remember a poster arguing adamantly last year that Kostin would make the NHL roster and that he was nearly ready. You don’t hear statements like that any more.

 

[Blueston]

I remember a poster arguing adamantly last year that Kostin would make the NHL roster and that he was nearly ready. You don’t hear statements like that any more.

I remember posters saying Kyrou was ready to produce in NHL. So easy to be over exuberant with prospects. Kostin and Kyrou both still have excellent potential, but wouldn't expect to see much out of either this year. If anything, Kostin may be closer.

 

[TK 421]

I remember a poster arguing adamantly last year that Kostin would make the NHL roster and that he was nearly ready. You don’t hear statements like that any more.

That poster must have bought the "near NHL ready" tag a few scouts put on him. It was clear as day in his camp last year he was nowhere remotely close to ready. He had trouble even keeping up with the pace in the AHL and anyone who's followed prospects for any length of time should have known it would be awhile before he saw NHL ice, if ever.

 

[Thallis]

I really want to like Kostin, but at this point it’s hard to get too excited. His production really hasn’t been that bad, and if anything it’s a little underrated - especially down the stretch last year when he really seemed to go on a run. But he’s still figuring things out, and I’m not seeing a lot of progress from him. He’s pushing too hard, instead of just playing hockey.

I will say, if you look at other Russian guys with similar pedigrees and similar sizes, like Guryanov, Svechnikov or Buchnevich, it took them several years to figure things out too. At this point, I wouldn’t call Kostin close, but I think there’s probably still a glimmer of hope to hold onto there. Sometimes as guys get older and they start playing against guys 2-3 years older than them as opposed to 5-6, their games come out a little stronger. There’s still cause to cut him some slack and be patient, but obviously you’d like to see a former #1-ranked player take control a little more authoritatively. We’ll see!

I'm not too high on Kostin either, but you do have to remember he's still 19 playing in the AHL. He's still one of, if not the, youngest players in that league and he moved across the world to do it. There's time and room for him still.

 

[carter333167]

I really want to like Kostin, but at this point it’s hard to get too excited. His production really hasn’t been that bad, and if anything it’s a little underrated - especially down the stretch last year when he really seemed to go on a run. But he’s still figuring things out, and I’m not seeing a lot of progress from him. He’s pushing too hard, instead of just playing hockey.

I will say, if you look at other Russian guys with similar pedigrees and similar sizes, like Guryanov, Svechnikov or Buchnevich, it took them several years to figure things out too. At this point, I wouldn’t call Kostin close, but I think there’s probably still a glimmer of hope to hold onto there. Sometimes as guys get older and they start playing against guys 2-3 years older than them as opposed to 5-6, their games come out a little stronger. There’s still cause to cut him some slack and be patient, but obviously you’d like to see a former #1-ranked player take control a little more authoritatively. We’ll see!

Thanks for your thoughts! Very much appreciated.

 

[David Dennison]

I'm not too high on Kostin either, but you do have to remember he's still 19 playing in the AHL. He's still one of, if not the, youngest players in that league and he moved across the world to do it. There's time and room for him still.

Yeah and sometimes I question if the AHL is the right spot for a 18-19 year old to develop. Would he get more out of playing 20+ minutes in all situations in the CHL or 10-12 minutes in the AHL with little special teams time. How can we expect a player to develop into a scorer if he isn't getting a lot of chances to score? It's moot because Kostin kind of forced the Blues hand but I'm not sure it was the best long term move.

 

[Zamadoo]

Yeah and sometimes I question if the AHL is the right spot for a 18-19 year old to develop. Would he get more out of playing 20+ minutes in all situations in the CHL or 10-12 minutes in the AHL with little special teams time. How can we expect a player to develop into a scorer if he isn't getting a lot of chances to score? It's moot because Kostin kind of forced the Blues hand but I'm not sure it was the best long term move.

I think he was a little different because he was already built like a man at a muscular 225lbs (I think) and took boxing lessons. He also had the dispute with his team giving him no ice time and wanted to come to NA to be a pro.

 

[MortiestOfMortys]

I think he was a little different because he was already built like a man at a muscular 225lbs (I think) and took boxing lessons. He also had the dispute with his team giving him no ice time and wanted to come to NA to be a pro.

After sitting out a year to injury, going to Kootenay was still probably the best option for him. Go to the WHL and dominate for a season, get back up to speed, and then hit the pros. He didn’t want to do that, and in the end it will probably end up being fine, but it looks like the development curve took a bit of a hit as a result. The AHL is a tough league to learn in.

 

[Zamadoo]

After sitting out a year to injury, going to Kootenay was still probably the best option for him. Go to the WHL and dominate for a season, get back up to speed, and then hit the pros. He didn’t want to do that, and in the end it will probably end up being fine, but it looks like the development curve took a bit of a hit as a result. The AHL is a tough league to learn in.

Yeah, it was his choice. He's going to be off his ELC faster this way, which was probably the main factor.

 

[David Dennison]

Yeah, it was his choice. He's going to be off his ELC faster this way, which was probably the main factor.

Isn't there something where the first year doesn't count when they are 18 in the AHL? Is it for arb eligibility? I forget, but there is a goofy rule there.

But yeah, he is earning a paycheck in the AHL as opposed to little to nothing in the CHL.