Blues Prospects Thread 2018-2019

[David Dennison]

23 goals, 52 points in 95 career OHL games since being drafted. I know he is a size/speed guy, but how many guys with such low numbers in juniors post-draft have made it to the NHL?

 

[Blanick]

23 goals, 52 points in 95 career OHL games since being drafted. I know he is a size/speed guy, but how many guys with such low numbers in juniors post-draft have made it to the NHL?

I have had nothing but glowing reviews about Toropchenko from what I witnessed in prospect camp. I want to be very clear though we are not looking at a top6 talent here. This kid can skate at a NHL level and not only does he have size he uses it. All through prospect camp he played through people, he would take the puck hard to the net over and over again daring someone to stop him. I can easily see him carving out a 4th line NHL role.

 

[bleedblue1223]

I have had nothing but glowing reviews about Toropchenko from what I witnessed in prospect camp. I want to be very clear though we are not looking at a top6 talent here. This kid can skate at a NHL level and not only does he have size he uses it. All through prospect camp he played through people, he would take the puck hard to the net over and over again daring someone to stop him. I can easily see him carving out a 4th line NHL role.

Right. I don't really care what his production is in juniors or the minors. His future and development is dependent on becoming a great 4th liner and PK specialist.

 

[KahunWOW]

Bokk goal from today at 1:57:20

 

[KahunWOW]

The last match for Bokk and Germany vs. France starts in 2 hours. If Germany wins, they advance to WJC next year.
Sometimes Bokk tries to do a little too much while playing vs. lesser opponents. But hopefully he has a big day today!

Livestream here:
LIVE: U20 WM Division I Deutschland vs. Frankreich

 

[MortiestOfMortys]

The last match for Bokk and Germany vs. France starts in 2 hours. If Germany wins, they advance to WJC next year.
Sometimes Bokk tries to do a little too much while playing vs. lesser opponents. But hopefully he has a big day today!

Livestream here:
LIVE: U20 WM Division I Deutschland vs. Frankreich

Is it next year or this year?

 

[Frenzy31]

Yes. Next year. Bokk led all skaters with 8 points. He had 1g and 7a. Pretty solid for 5 games.

 

[The Note in MI]

Yes. Next year. Bokk led all skaters with 8 points. He had 1g and 7a. Pretty solid for 5 games.

I watched three of those games. He wasn’t particularly impressive. I’m not sold on Bokk yet. I think he has good size. Decent skating. Nifty hands and a nice one timer but he’s so raw. He’s gonna need to marinate for a few years.

 

[MortiestOfMortys]

I watched three of those games. He wasn’t particularly impressive. I’m not sold on Bokk yet. I think he has good size. Decent skating. Nifty hands and a nice one timer but he’s so raw. He’s gonna need to marinate for a few years.

There in lies the problem with boom or bust picks! He’ll be in his 20s by the time he reaches the big show, at the very least. I would like to see him get a few more years in Sweden before he even comes to North America. He’s got skills and vision that are undeniable imo, but that really doesn’t get you very far if you don’t have the rest of your game together, and Bokk is still putting it together.

Still, leading a tournament in points is a good sign and one worth celebrating

 

[Brockon]

There in lies the problem with boom or bust picks! He’ll be in his 20s by the time he reaches the big show, at the very least. I would like to see him get a few more years in Sweden before he even comes to North America. He’s got skills and vision that are undeniable imo, but that really doesn’t get you very far if you don’t have the rest of your game together, and Bokk is still putting it together.

Still, leading a tournament in points is a good sign and one worth celebrating

At this stage, I'm more interested in how our prospects are coming along than watching our games... It's gotten to the point where I am not willing to go watch games at the bar anymore - I'll watch Canadian matchups because that's what I get with my cable package (except Calgary and Edmonton games which are regional blackouts).

 

[MortiestOfMortys]

At this stage, I'm more interested in how our prospects are coming along than watching our games... It's gotten to the point where I am not willing to go watch games at the bar anymore - I'll watch Canadian matchups because that's what I get with my cable package (except Calgary and Edmonton games which are regional blackouts).

Tough sledding out there partner. There’s really not much exciting going on in prospect land. We got spoiled with Thomas and Kyrou last year, which, in recent Blues history, was pretty unprecedented. We don’t have that kind of performance to admire this year.

Andersson, Tucker, and Perunovich are all having good seasons on the back end. McGing, Laferriere, and Bokk are also turning in decent performances, but those performances come with asterisks and qualifications. Toropchenko has been a giant disappointment so far, imo (even though that Guelph team is somehow way worse than it has any right to be). Bourque isn’t even worth mentioning. Noel has been injured all season.

Joel Hofer is still something to be excited about. There’s no goalie in any of the three CHL leagues or the USHL that is seeing more shots per game than he is, and the fact that he’s hanging in around a .900 sv% is impressive to say the least. People will see his “poor” stats and write him off, but they shouldn’t. He’s got a bit of that Fitzpatrick underdog in him.

The AHL woes have been well-documented, but things do seem to be improving. 2019 should be an interesting ride in San Antonio.

But in general, our prospect pool is thin at the moment. We’ve traded away so many first rounders (Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee among them) lately that our cupboards are just not as stocked as they have been in the past, even as recently as last year. The 2019 draft will be an important one, and a top-10 pick would go a long way to making our farm exciting again.

The good news: the USHL and WHL are stocked silly with big, smooth-skating dmen this year. It’s also the deepest goalie draft in recent memory. The forward depth isn’t as great, but imo that shouldn’t be our focus right now.

 

[542365]

Denis Gurianov is an interesting comp for Klim Kostin. Similar size and draft pedigree(though Denis was drafted at 12, some mock drafts had Klim that high on multiple occasions so it wouldn't have been a huge shock to see him go in the teens somewhere). Gurianov played his D+1 season in the KHL, but he's been in the AHL the past two and a half seasons. His first two seasons in the AHL saw him put up relatively pedestrian numbers(similar to Klim's) and just now, in his D+4 season, is he really breaking out. Second on the team in scoring and above a point per game. I hope we see similar progression in Klim's production and I'm excited to see him at the WJC again. He was great last year.

 

[Caser]

Kostin will be captaining Team Russia at the WJC.

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

Kostin will be captaining Team Russia at the WJC.

Oh thank goodness. I have a reason to watch and root for a team in this tournament. I have to admit, I'd forgotten a bit about Kostin, and the Blues relative lack of participating prospects made me apathetic.

 

[Brockon]

Oh thank goodness. I have a reason to watch and root for a team in this tournament. I have to admit, I'd forgotten a bit about Kostin, and the Blues relative lack of participating prospects made me apathetic.

I get to watch team Canada and go watch CAN vs CZE on the 29th before I fly home the morning of the 30th.

And then follow some of my dynasty league entry draft picks - see how Robertson, Tippett, Skarek and Wahlstrom look playing against high end competition.

Blues wise, I'll be watching CAN vs RUS on New Years and then likely watch Russia in the quarter finals.

 

[Frenzy31]

Kostin with 2 assist today. Considering the Ruskies had 26 PIM in the game and Kostin didn’t have any. That is pretty good.

 

[Mike Liut]

I bet Kostin gets a cup of coffee up here at some point this year. He needs to see what it’s like.

 

[CoverYour5]

Kyrou apparently with another goal on the farm tonight

 

[Blueston]

I bet Kostin gets a cup of coffee up here at some point this year. He needs to see what it’s like.

Not too big of a cup. Would like to keep him exempt from expansion draft.

 

[CoverYour5]

Kyrou apparently with another goal on the farm tonight

Make that two

 

[Brockon]

Not too big of a cup. Would like to keep him exempt from expansion draft.

I was under the impression that AHL seasons counted towards the 2 pro seasons... Thank you for making me question that!

Apparently it's either 40 NHL games in 2020-21 or 70 NHL games between 2019 and 2021 with the draft being in June of 2021...

 

[Alklha]

I was under the impression that AHL seasons counted towards the 2 pro seasons... Thank you for making me question that!

Apparently it's either 40 NHL games in 2020-21 or 70 NHL games between 2019 and 2021 with the draft being in June of 2021...

AHL seasons do count towards pro seasons, except when the player is teenager (so basically when their contract is eligible to slide).

If Kostin completes the rest of this season in the AHL then he is going to be exempt from the expansion draft, even if he somehow became a fulltime NHL'er next season onwards.

He could play in the NHL this season and still be exempt from the expansion draft, but I forget the specific rules on that. I believe he could be on the roster for 39 games this season and still be exempt. I done a quick search and found a site saying that playing 10 games would count as a pro season, but I'm pretty sure that is wrong.

Either way, I don't think significant NHL time is really a probability with Kostin in the short term.

 

[BleedBlue14]

I’m pretty sure Jordan Kyrou has 19 points in his last 13 at SA. One of the few players with a positive plus minus on that team. I’d have to imagine he’s going to be a full time NHLer by next season, right? Has anybody watched a lot of the SA games? I get that his stint in STL wasn’t great but I don’t think the environment at the time was extremely conducive to production.

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

I’m pretty sure Jordan Kyrou has 19 points in his last 13 at SA. One of the few players with a positive plus minus on that team. I’d have to imagine he’s going to be a full time NHLer by next season, right? Has anybody watched a lot of the SA games? I get that his stint in STL wasn’t great but I don’t think the environment at the time was extremely conducive to production.

Just had to get him away from that locker room cancer O'Reilly. More proof at how bad his mystical influence is on this team.

 

[Vincenzo Arelliti]

I’m pretty sure Jordan Kyrou has 19 points in his last 13 at SA. One of the few players with a positive plus minus on that team. I’d have to imagine he’s going to be a full time NHLer by next season, right? Has anybody watched a lot of the SA games? I get that his stint in STL wasn’t great but I don’t think the environment at the time was extremely conducive to production.

Unless this current streak is a giant fluke - from watching him, it’s not - Kyrou might be an NHLer before the end of the season. He just has to return to the NHL with an attitude to dominate. He’s just flat out better than everyone else right now in the AHL, and I think he could be one of our top scorers at the NHL if he put his mind to it.

Personally I think he has more skill than Fabbri when he made the team, and I think he has the higher ceiling.