Blues Prospects Thread 2020-2021

[tfriede2]

Blues really lucked out with Hartley being Kostin’s coach in the KHL this year. Per JR’s article, Hartley and Kostin go through video of every shift after every game, and every time Kostin thanks Hartley for taking the time and teaching him. Hartley had great things to say about Kostin’s character, work ethic, etc. He’s been trying to get Kostin to use his size and play a north-south game, and at some point this season, it clicked for Kostin. Even in games where Kostin doesn’t register a point, Hartley says he’s been a factor or even a determining factor in the game.

This isn’t to say that Kostin is now a top 6 prospect, but rather that concerns about his character and ability for his game to translate to the NHL (even as a mid or bottom 6 player) should be allayed a bit. I’m more confident that he will have an NHL career, either as a middle 6 player who can jump into the top 6 when injuries occur, or as a physical energy player with a scoring touch.

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

Blues really lucked out with Hartley being Kostin’s coach in the KHL this year. Per JR’s article, Hartley and Kostin go through video of every shift after every game, and every time Kostin thanks Hartley for taking the time and teaching him. Hartley had great things to say about Kostin’s character, work ethic, etc. He’s been trying to get Kostin to use his size and play a north-south game, and at some point this season, it clicked for Kostin. Even in games where Kostin doesn’t register a point, Hartley says he’s been a factor or even a determining factor in the game.

This isn’t to say that Kostin is now a top 6 prospect, but rather that concerns about his character and ability for his game to translate to the NHL (even as a mid or bottom 6 player) should be allayed a bit. I’m more confident that he will have an NHL career, either as a middle 6 player who can jump into the top 6 when injuries occur, or as a physical energy player with a scoring touch.

When I read that article, I found myself wondering why the AHL experience wasn’t as impactful. Hartley was very gracious to give that interview. I hope this is a turning point for Klim, but I’m going to stay a little skeptical about him putting it all together at the NHL level. It’s good to hear that he’s still working hard.

 

[Frenzy31]

Ellis with another shut out.

 

[Linkens Mastery]

Ellis with another shut out.

Ellis and Hofer make me happy. Either one could become a great starter.

 

[Vincenzo Arelliti]

I think Ellis could be the real deal, and should be looked at as our best goalie prospect; though we should not dismiss Husso or forget Hofer yet. Fitzpatrick has an outside chance of becoming something. We have a very nice set of goalies, but Ellis appears to be a top goalie prospect in the league.

 

[Stealth JD]

I think Ellis could be the real deal, and should be looked at as our best goalie prospect; though we should not dismiss Husso or forget Hofer yet. Fitzpatrick has an outside chance of becoming something. We have a very nice set of goalies, but Ellis appears to be a top goalie prospect in the league.

how does that differ from Hofer? Hofer has better size and was great in winning gold for Canada at last year's WJC.

 

[execwrite1]

I think Ellis could be the real deal, and should be looked at as our best goalie prospect; though we should not dismiss Husso or forget Hofer yet. Fitzpatrick has an outside chance of becoming something. We have a very nice set of goalies, but Ellis appears to be a top goalie prospect in the league.

Hope he's willing to wait six years while we pay off Binnington's inflated contract

 

[Linkens Mastery]

Hope he's willing to wait six years while we pay off Binnington's inflated contract

Ellis will be on a low priced contract during that time. He could very well take the reins from Binnington and take a larger contract after Binnington becomes a UFA. We shouldn't forget, Ellis is only 19, most goalies doing break into the league until around 23-24.

 

[MissouriMook]

Ellis will be on a low priced contract during that time. He could very well take the reins from Binnington and take a larger contract after Binnington becomes a UFA. We shouldn't forget, Ellis is only 19, most goalies doing break into the league until around 23-24.

Ellis is actually 20 and will be 21 (as will Hofer) before the puck drops next season. Hofer will have 2 years remaining on his ELC and Ellis will have all 3 going into next season, but I'd be (pleasantly) surprised if either of them made it permanently on the NHL roster before the end of their ELCs. That gives Army the opportunity to bridge either or both depending on who ascends faster at the pro level, and should only have to worry about 1-2 years of higher salary from either prospect overlapping the end of the Binnington extension.

 

[Vincenzo Arelliti]

how does that differ from Hofer? Hofer has better size and was great in winning gold for Canada at last year's WJC.

Size is the main thing that concerns me with Ellis, but that record is impressive. I’d rank both Hofer and Ellis as top goalie prospects in the league. Is Ellis’ shutout streak more impressive than Hofer’s WJC? I don’t know.

 

[Linkens Mastery]

Ellis is actually 20 and will be 21 (as will Hofer) before the puck drops next season. Hofer will have 2 years remaining on his ELC and Ellis will have all 3 going into next season, but I'd be (pleasantly) surprised if either of them made it permanently on the NHL roster before the end of their ELCs. That gives Army the opportunity to bridge either or both depending on who ascends faster at the pro level, and should only have to worry about 1-2 years of higher salary from either prospect overlapping the end of the Binnington extension.

Oops, my bad. He always shows as 19 on NHL 21 so I had that engraved into my head. Lol

 

[Celtic Note]

Size is the main thing that concerns me with Ellis, but that record is impressive. I’d rank both Hofer and Ellis as top goalie prospects in the league. Is Ellis’ shutout streak more impressive than Hofer’s WJC? I don’t know.

I see Ellis listed at 6’ to 6’-1” depending upon where you look. He is by no means a big goalie, but I am wondering why his size concerns you?

 

[Vincenzo Arelliti]

I see Ellis listed at 6’ to 6’-1” depending upon where you look. He is by no means a big goalie, but I am wondering why his size concerns you?

In order to reach the elite tier of goalies, you almost always have to be 6’3”+. If he were that tall, I’d have no hesitation about proclaiming him to be the next big thing. I don’t think it’s something that will hold him back from being successful, but if there’s one thing that will hold him back from being elite, it will be his height. It’s really his only knock. Everything else is really impressive.

 

[MissouriMook]

I see Ellis listed at 6’ to 6’-1” depending upon where you look. He is by no means a big goalie, but I am wondering why his size concerns you?

Ellis (6'1" 188 lbs) is already bigger than Binnington (6'1" 174 lbs) and at 20 still has the potential to grow a little more (see Parayko, Colton), so I don't understand that either. The best goalie in the world right now (Vasilevskiy) is 6'3" 216 lbs and is on the low end of the top tier in terms of size. I'm far more concerned about athleticism, positioning, tracking, edgework, explosiveness and ability to read the play in front of him than I am about whether or not he is 1" shorter in the butterfly. To me, the biggest question mark is whether or not his performance in the Q this season is an aberration given that he is a 20 year old playing against predominantly 17-19 year olds. Both he and Hofer will need to prove that their skills will translate to the pro game and eventually be able to stop NHL caliber shooters.

 

[Brockon]

Size is the main thing that concerns me with Ellis, but that record is impressive. I’d rank both Hofer and Ellis as top goalie prospects in the league. Is Ellis’ shutout streak more impressive than Hofer’s WJC? I don’t know.

Quick seems to have had a pretty impressive career as a 6'1 goalie in the modern era. So has Lundqvist at 6'1.

The list of active goalies 6'1 and under isn't super impressive but guys like Grubauer, Halak, Khudobin, Georgiev, Raanta and Binnington are hardly slouches either.

I think the problem is that there are only so many starter roles available, and size is coveted in goalies - smaller guys need to force their way into a role, whereas the 6'4 guys are given more opportunity.

 

[Vincenzo Arelliti]

Quick seems to have had a pretty impressive career as a 6'1 goalie in the modern era. So has Lundqvist at 6'1.

The list of active goalies 6'1 and under isn't super impressive but guys like Grubauer, Halak, Khudobin, Georgiev, Raanta and Binnington are hardly slouches either.

I think the problem is that there are only so many starter roles available, and size is coveted in goalies - smaller guys need to force their way into a role, whereas the 6'4 guys are given more opportunity.

Good points. “Concerned” isn’t the right word; to my untrained eyes (and I haven’t watched Ellis this year), his abilities are all excellent. Since I’m not a goalie expert, the only thing that is capable of giving me pause from declaring him the next big thing is his height compared to the elite goaltenders in the league.

Quick was elite, but he also was absolutely insane during his prime — no one moves as fast as prime Quick, and no one had a better glove. He also benefitted from an elite defense, but that’s neither here nor there.

I’m not sure if Ellis’ abilities point to being elite in those ways, so while I think he’s a lock to be a starter, I’m not sure if he has that extra element to put him over the top — especially for someone who doesn’t have the advantage of extra long limbs.

That said, we should be very excited about our goalies, and Ellis in particular intrigues me. He and Hofer are both very good.

 

[Duke16]

2021 3-Round NHL Mock Draft 1.0 (Apply via PM)

Looking for someone to run the Blues in this Mock Draft (Expansion -> 2021 NHL Entry Draft -> Free Agency).
It's usually about a three-week commitment start to finish.

 

[mk80]

Seeing this a day late sorry if it's already been posted.

 

[neelynugs]

Ellis and Hofer make me happy. Either one could become a great starter.

nice problem to have. how do you guys see the top 10 blues prospect list now?
ellis rocketing up that list for me, had hofer a lot higher a few months ago.

 

[Vincenzo Arelliti]

Our pool isn't nearly as bad as most people claim. Kostin, Perunovich, Neighbours, Ellis, Hofer, and Alexandrov are all good prospects, and we currently have Kyrou, Thomas, Husso, Mikkola, and Walman on the team. If we had to only use players 25 and under:

Kostin Thomas Kyrou
Neighbours Alexandrov Toropchenko
Blais Barbashev Poganski
Kaspick Stevens


Dunn
Perunovich
Mikkola
Walman
Tucker


For a team that isn't trying to rebuild and make this group a core, that's a lot of really good pieces to be adding to an already solid core of Taraasenko, O'Reilly, Parayko, Schwartz, Schenn, Krug, Faulk, and Binnington. I'm very confident in the Blues' ability to effectively retool when the time comes/wheel and deal to supplement our core in the meantime.

If I had to rank our top ten prospects:
Kyrou Top-6
Thomas Top-6
Perunovich Top-4
Ellis Starter
Hofer Starter
Kostin Top-6
Alexandrov Middle-6
Neighbours Middle-6
Mikkola Bottom Pairing
Tucker Bottom Pairing

That top-8 is not bad at all.

 

[JMCx4]

Seeing this a day late sorry if it's already been posted.

Not that I'm hoping that young Mr. Ellis doesn't become a future contributor to the Blues' success, but only two of the next nine QMJHL goaltenders on the League's list of career shutout leaders ever made it to the NHL (Christopher Gibson & Adam Russo). And only Gibson actually played (14 games over 3 seasons with the Islanders). History read.

 

[mk80]

Not that I'm hoping that young Mr. Ellis doesn't become a future contributor to the Blues' success, but only two of the next nine QMJHL goaltenders on the League's list of career shutout leaders ever made it to the NHL (Christopher Gibson & Adam Russo). And only Gibson actually played (14 games over 3 seasons with the Islanders). History read.

That’s the tough thing with drafting and development, teams have projections for these hound players and sometimes they just don’t pan out in any form.

 

[GoBluz24]

If I had to rank our top ten prospects:
Kyrou Top-6
Thomas Top-6
Perunovich Top-4
Ellis Starter
Hofer Starter
Kostin Top-6
Alexandrov Middle-6
Neighbours Middle-6
Mikkola Bottom Pairing
Tucker Bottom Pairing

I would say that Thomas is not a prospect. He hasn't seen the minors in 3 years or so. I also believe Kyrou has graduated from "prospect" as he is now a very important everyday player.

 

[neelynugs]

Our pool isn't nearly as bad as most people claim. Kostin, Perunovich, Neighbours, Ellis, Hofer, and Alexandrov are all good prospects, and we currently have Kyrou, Thomas, Husso, Mikkola, and Walman on the team. If we had to only use players 25 and under:

Kostin Thomas Kyrou
Neighbours Alexandrov Toropchenko
Blais Barbashev Poganski
Kaspick Stevens


Dunn
Perunovich
Mikkola
Walman
Tucker


For a team that isn't trying to rebuild and make this group a core, that's a lot of really good pieces to be adding to an already solid core of Taraasenko, O'Reilly, Parayko, Schwartz, Schenn, Krug, Faulk, and Binnington. I'm very confident in the Blues' ability to effectively retool when the time comes/wheel and deal to supplement our core in the meantime.

If I had to rank our top ten prospects:
Kyrou Top-6
Thomas Top-6
Perunovich Top-4
Ellis Starter
Hofer Starter
Kostin Top-6
Alexandrov Middle-6
Neighbours Middle-6
Mikkola Bottom Pairing
Tucker Bottom Pairing

That top-8 is not bad at all.

haven't paid much attention to toropchenko and peterson, any updates on them?
always thought peterson could be a nice 3C, late bloomer type who figures out how
to use his tools eventually.

 

[Vincenzo Arelliti]

haven't paid much attention to toropchenko and peterson, any updates on them?
always thought peterson could be a nice 3C, late bloomer type who figures out how
to use his tools eventually.

I haven't seen Peterson, but I have seen Toropchenko. Not much to report. Toropchenko is as advertised: fast, not afraid to use his body, and can score a bit. Best case scenario he's a Chris Kreider: Big Jet No Pilot. If he can get a spot in a top-9, I think he'll flourish if you're okay with him driving north-south and having no brain.