Prospect Info: Blues Top 20 Prospect List #7

[Majorityof1]

I mean, I think he's going to be 3rd pairing for decent stretches of the year at minimum personally.

He'll have to earn it. If healthy Bo, Gunnar and Borts will all get time as well. Even if he carves out a 3rd RHD role, how much ice time will he get with Parayko and Pie getting 24+ a piece? Maybe more importantly for a Offensive D, how much PP time over Parayko and Pie? It might be hard to carve out solid numbers on this team, but on a different team where he gets 16 minutes a game and 2nd PP QB role, he'd put up much better numbers.

 

[Ranksu]

I drank that Ranksu koolaid on Mikkola. From the brief video I have watched on him, I like his skating for someone his size.

Please share it video in here, 'cus maybe I've missed it. There isn't any good video about him, only couple interviews in finnish.

 

[Frenzy31]

I went with Walman here. He really got a big look last year during the preseason. I though he looked great at Traverse City. Then he was put in the AHL to FAIL along with a number of our other prospects. He is 22 and I think he will have a break out year.

I like Mikkola also. He is right behind Walman for me here. Blais is a tweener - likely great AHL scorer, but doesn't translate to the NHL. Foley is a 3rd/4th line player. Needs to improve his skating. Honestly, I like Musil much better.

The big issue with doing the fan vote - more then anything else - is we are doing it 2 months two early. This should be done in Sept when we have all had a chance to see them in a real camp.

Also - most of us have more a tier system. Where 3-5 prospects are pretty equivalent and interchange able and it comes down to personal preference.

 

[The Note in MI]

It’s obviously not a perfect system^

I disagree that Blais is a tweener and Foley a 3/4 liner. Blais is unquestionably more NHL ready at this point. Where they top out at may vary but Blais very much is a 3rd liner on at least 5 and maybe even 10 teams in the NHL.

 

[Stealth JD]

It’s obviously not a perfect system^

I disagree that Blais is a tweener and Foley a 3/4 liner. Blais is unquestionably more NHL ready at this point. Where they top out at may vary but Blais very much is a 3rd liner on at least 5 and maybe even 10 teams in the NHL.

I think Blais has more talent than he's being given credit for...not just by you.
If I'm an NHL team looking for cheap-talent that is being under-utilized by another NHL club (aka - a Vegas Knight), Blais interests me much more than some other guys buried in the depth like Soshnikov or Sanford. He could d be a cheap-option for a cap-team looking for depth scoring, and it would surprise me none to see him get claimed by a team like Edmonton and be successful in a top-6 role.

 

[Majorityof1]

I went with Walman here. He really got a big look last year during the preseason. I though he looked great at Traverse City. Then he was put in the AHL to FAIL along with a number of our other prospects. He is 22 and I think he will have a break out year.

I like Mikkola also. He is right behind Walman for me here. Blais is a tweener - likely great AHL scorer, but doesn't translate to the NHL. Foley is a 3rd/4th line player. Needs to improve his skating. Honestly, I like Musil much better.

The big issue with doing the fan vote - more then anything else - is we are doing it 2 months two early. This should be done in Sept when we have all had a chance to see them in a real camp.

Also - most of us have more a tier system. Where 3-5 prospects are pretty equivalent and interchange able and it comes down to personal preference.

How can anyone comfortably say Blais is a tweener at this point? Based on his whopping 100 minutes of NHL game time?

I honestly didn't mean to critique the system with my comments. It was more an observation on how my personal enjoyment fluctuates from poll to poll I do rank prospects in tiers. So when I have to decide between ones in the same tier, I actually have to spend time thinking about it and maybe even a little stat/video research. But when I decide and continually vote over and over for the same guy, which happens often to me, I get less involved. That doesn't mean the poll is more or less useful/fun/interesting, or should be changed. Just that I hope some other people will vote for Blais in the next poll so Ithen have to decide between Mikkola, Fitzopatrick and Foley in the one after that.

 

[Brian39]

I think Blais has more talent than he's being given credit for...not just by you.
If I'm an NHL team looking for cheap-talent that is being under-utilized by another NHL club (aka - a Vegas Knight), Blais interests me much more than some other guys buried in the depth like Soshnikov or Sanford. He could d be a cheap-option for a cap-team looking for depth scoring, and it would surprise me none to see him get claimed by a team like Edmonton and be successful in a top-6 role.

Luckily, he is still waiver-exempt, so we have another year before we have to worry about that. I can't imagine us looking to trade him until that starts becoming a real concern and I'm hoping that if (when) injuries force a couple call ups he is able to play more than a couple NHL games without getting hurt.

 

[Stealth JD]

Luckily, he is still waiver-exempt, so we have another year before we have to worry about that. I can't imagine us looking to trade him until that starts becoming a real concern and I'm hoping that if (when) injuries force a couple call ups he is able to play more than a couple NHL games without getting hurt.

Yeah...we're currently in no danger of losing him...but he seems like one of those guys that could come on at age 25 and people ask, "why was he never given a chance?". He seems like a great get for a team like Seattle, though they're undoubtedly going to be getting a pretty nice choice from STL regardless, or some team with a young core and a need for a scoring winger (Buffalo?).

 

[Blanick]

I still like Fitzpatrick and think he is being slightly overlooked due to the much deserved Husso-hype. Fitz year last year was incredible and what I saw him do at prospect camp knocked him up several notches in my rankings.

My next 10 would be.
1.Fitzpatrick (Great season, great camp)

2.Walman (was amazing at camp last year, struggled this year in difficult situation)

3.Blais (Already a NHL tweener IMO)

4.Mikkola (Could leapfrog Walman next year with a strong year in AHL)

5.Toropchenko (Everyone knows how I feel about him, still a long way to go though)

6.Foley (Up and down camp, definitely see the potential though, safe bet to be a bottom 6 NHLer)

7.Reinke (Liked his camp and would be comfortable with him being a bottom pairing injury fill in this year)

8.Sanford (I have never been very high on Sanford, his return from injury last year was very lackluster)

9.Perunovich (Made me a believer in one day at prospect camp, limited viewing stops him from being higher)

10.McGing (Very raw still but showed fantastic instincts during scrimmages, very high hockey IQ)

 

[A Real Barn Burner]

How can anyone comfortably say Blais is a tweener at this point? Based on his whopping 100 minutes of NHL game time?

I honestly didn't mean to critique the system with my comments. It was more an observation on how my personal enjoyment fluctuates from poll to poll I do rank prospects in tiers. So when I have to decide between ones in the same tier, I actually have to spend time thinking about it and maybe even a little stat/video research. But when I decide and continually vote over and over for the same guy, which happens often to me, I get less involved. That doesn't mean the poll is more or less useful/fun/interesting, or should be changed. Just that I hope some other people will vote for Blais in the next poll so Ithen have to decide between Mikkola, Fitzopatrick and Foley in the one after that.

Would it be better if we voted in Tiers?

Would be interesting. Have 5 votes to establish tiers (or however many tiers be needed).

Then have individual votes inside those tiers. To rank each prospect.

Just a little bit more complicated.

 

[Frenzy31]

How can anyone comfortably say Blais is a tweener at this point? Based on his whopping 100 minutes of NHL game time?

I honestly didn't mean to critique the system with my comments. It was more an observation on how my personal enjoyment fluctuates from poll to poll I do rank prospects in tiers. So when I have to decide between ones in the same tier, I actually have to spend time thinking about it and maybe even a little stat/video research. But when I decide and continually vote over and over for the same guy, which happens often to me, I get less involved. That doesn't mean the poll is more or less useful/fun/interesting, or should be changed. Just that I hope some other people will vote for Blais in the next poll so Ithen have to decide between Mikkola, Fitzopatrick and Foley in the one after that.

I have watched Blais as much as you have. I don’t see him being anything more the a tweener. He isn’t a grinder and I don’t think he has the offense to be a top 6 forward. Yes he produces in the AHL. Not arguing that, but so do guys like Bennet, Pajiarvi (sp).

I would bet you that he never carves out more of a career then a guy who get occasional injury call up.

And yes, I am entitled to my opinion as much as you are. We will see what the future holds. Everything about ranking prospects is about projection, not one of us sees the future.

 

[EastonBlues22]

Would it be better if we voted in Tiers?

Would be interesting. Have 5 votes to establish tiers (or however many tiers be needed).

Then have individual votes inside those tiers. To rank each prospect.

Just a little bit more complicated.

In the recent past we've also done a ballot ranking (everyone submits their list, and the final ranking is compiled by averages) to go with the poll series. We can try doing a tier system this time around as well, or instead. Plenty of time to kill before the season starts.

 

[Majorityof1]

I have watched Blais as much as you have. I don’t see him being anything more the a tweener. He isn’t a grinder and I don’t think he has the offense to be a top 6 forward. Yes he produces in the AHL. Not arguing that, but so do guys like Bennet, Pajiarvi (sp).

I would bet you that he never carves out more of a career then a guy who get occasional injury call up.

And yes, I am entitled to my opinion as much as you are. We will see what the future holds. Everything about ranking prospects is about projection, not one of us sees the future.

I never said you had seen less than me, not that you weren't entitled to your opinion. My point was I don't understand how anybody, myself included, has seen enough of him at the NHL level to definitively say he cannot carve out a role there.

Paajarvi was all tools, no tool box. Blais' toolbox is probably his best asset. Bennett actually put up decent offensive numbers but was weak in battles and injury prone. Blais probably could use a little more strength but he isn't scrawny like Bennett, nor ever injured. Their failures have absolutely zero relationship to Blais as they play a different game. Plus, they have 200 and almost 400 games. Nobody wrote them off after 11 games. It takes time to see.

Unless you are thinking about some factor that's comparable between those guys, I can just as well say Demitra, Spezza and Tyler Johnson all put up good AHL numbers as a 21 year old so Blais will be Top 6 NHLers like them. It has just as much relevance as Bennett and Paajarvi. You have not said one reason why his offensive game won't translate (not fast enough? not a strong enough shot? Not strong enough physically? Poor vision? Poor IQ?). "I don't think he has the offense" isn't very convincing. Now its not your job to convince me, but that is why I brought up the NHL sample size. Because there was no argument presented as to why his success won't translate.

 

[STL fan in MN]

That's exactly what I am saying. Apparently, I am over-rating him when compared to the prevalent opinion of the board, which has him much lower than I do. Whether I am over-rating him vs what actually happens, we shall see. He has IQ for days over almost any other prospect we have. Outside Thomas, I put him as top hockey IQ. He has size, decent speed and good hands, vision and shot. He has dominated in the AHL and looked good better than any of our other current prospects in the NHL. He was blocked last year as a pure LW, but was far better than Thompson or other guys who got ice time. Given decent time on the third line, I see him as a good middle 6 option.

What intangibles does he need to push out a 3rd liner? He is better offensively than Soshnikov, Jaskin, Sundqvist. He is better defensively than Maroon. And he has a ton more upside than any of them. I take him in the top 9 over any of those guys. With consistent minutes and decent line mates, I'd project him as a 30-35ish point guy this year, and he actually would start driving the play on the back-half of the season. To me, that is worth more than intangibles.

I guess I would just disagree with a lot of what you’re saying here. I think Blais thinks the game well but I haven’t seen elite hockey sense from him.

To me, it boils down to what does he have that others don’t? It sounds like you think it’s his hockey sense. I just don’t see it as good enough to make him better then other options.

He’s not good at board battles, isn’t in good position a lot of the time, plays a bit timidly, turns pucks over a good amount...and what skills does he bring? He’s a fine skater, and has ok hands and a decent shot but really no one big asset IMO. To me, it’s all just average. Nothing stands out to me. Now if he had elite hockey sense then he’d be able to make a career of it with average skills but I just don’t see that elite hockey sense you’re seeing.

And of the 4 guys you mentioned, only Maroon is likely to be in the top-9 so I’m not sure why you’re talking about Blais being a 3rd liner and then mentioning them. But that said, they all bring things Blais doesn’t. They all have niches. Blais has no real speciality. Maroon is huge, has good hands and plays a simple game. I take him over Blais 100 times out of 100. Jaskin is a possession and cycle machine. And he uses his body much much better than Blais. That makes him a much better 4th line option than Blais. Sosh is actually pretty decently skilled from the little I saw but I’m still getting a read on him. He seems like a wrecking ball out there though and I liked his positioning generally. Again, the type of intangibles that make for a good 4th liner that Blais doesn’t have. Sundqvist...I’m not a big fan of him either but he’s ok defensively and can play C. And with Brodziak gone, that helps Sunny perhaps find a niche on this team as it’ll likely come down between him and Barbs for the 4C role. But with him a C and Blais a LW, those 2 aren’t really competing for the same spot(s) anyway.

 

[Majorityof1]

I guess I would just disagree with a lot of what you’re saying here. I think Blais thinks the game well but I haven’t seen elite hockey sense from him.

To me, it boils down to what does he have that others don’t? It sounds like you think it’s his hockey sense. I just don’t see it as good enough to make him better then other options.

He’s not good at board battles, isn’t in good position a lot of the time, plays a bit timidly, turns pucks over a good amount...and what skills does he bring? He’s a fine skater, and has ok hands and a decent shot but really no one big asset IMO. To me, it’s all just average. Nothing stands out to me. Now if he had elite hockey sense then he’d be able to make a career of it with average skills but I just don’t see that elite hockey sense you’re seeing.

And of the 4 guys you mentioned, only Maroon is likely to be in the top-9 so I’m not sure why you’re talking about Blais being a 3rd liner and then mentioning them. But that said, they all bring things Blais doesn’t. They all have niches. Blais has no real speciality. Maroon is huge, has good hands and plays a simple game. I take him over Blais 100 times out of 100. Jaskin is a possession and cycle machine. And he uses his body much much better than Blais. That makes him a much better 4th line option than Blais. Sosh is actually pretty decently skilled from the little I saw but I’m still getting a read on him. He seems like a wrecking ball out there though and I liked his positioning generally. Again, the type of intangibles that make for a good 4th liner that Blais doesn’t have. Sundqvist...I’m not a big fan of him either but he’s ok defensively and can play C. And with Brodziak gone, that helps Sunny perhaps find a niche on this team as it’ll likely come down between him and Barbs for the 4C role. But with him a C and Blais a LW, those 2 aren’t really competing for the same spot(s) anyway.

I guess I don't see much difference between thinking the game well and hockey sense. Blais got a late start in hockey so his hockey sense isn't as instinctual as some players yet. He is still learning the game defensively. He has been praised for his coach-ability by coaches at all levels, including Yeo and Berube. He has good offensive instincts, but needs to work on some of the ones without the puck. But he is working on it and improving according to all reports. Offensively I like his positioning and instincts. He had a few turnovers in his NHL stint, but it was such a small sample size, I don't know how much we can judge. He is no Jaskin on the cycle, but he doesn't have issues in AHL. I think we should be able to excuse a couple jitters. I was more impressed with how he created offensive opportunities in his short stint. His plus skills are his vision and playmaking. He has a good shot, good skating and can learn to use his size. He just hit a growth spurt, so it must take time to adjust going from 5'9" to 6'3" in a few seasons.

I mentioned the ones I did because those are the guys on our team I'd be more comfortable with him in a 3rd line role. If healthy and if Fabbri is playing well, there is no top 9 room for him. That was the original point, not that he should be on OUR 3rd line, but he could be on several less deep team's 3rd line. He was a better option than several guys who played last year but was the wrong wing. He is a better 4rd line option than the guys I mentioned if an injury occurs. Jaskin I like for what he brings, so not going to argue he doesn't bring something unique. Soshnikov has speed and a shot but thats it. His offensive IQ is horrifically bad. That shot he should be a 20 goal scorer, but he is never in position to use it. And throwing yourself willy-nilly into checks is good to get fans out of their seats but bad for winning hockey games. More often than not, it puts the guy throwing hinself around in harms way and out of position. Maroon is worse defensively than Blais who is a rookie. Blais can improve, Maroon won't. Maroon's simple game doesn't create anything. Blais skill and vision allow him to create offense, not capitalize on others like Maroon.

 

[BangarangxRufio]

Mikkola. I just dont see Blais being better at the NHL level. he has never really impressed me.

 

[Stealth JD]

I have watched Blais as much as you have. I don’t see him being anything more the a tweener. He isn’t a grinder and I don’t think he has the offense to be a top 6 forward. Yes he produces in the AHL. Not arguing that, but so do guys like Bennet, Pajiarvi (sp).

I would bet you that he never carves out more of a career then a guy who get occasional injury call up.

And yes, I am entitled to my opinion as much as you are. We will see what the future holds. Everything about ranking prospects is about projection, not one of us sees the future.

Difference between Blais, Bennet & Chef Pay-R-Vee is that the latter two have proven to be nothing more than replacement-level NHL'ers. Blais has actually looked ok with the Blues, when he's been up-right and available. Unfortunately, he hasn't yet found the trick for accomplishing those two things. The kid has more hockey sense in his big toe than Bennett and Pay-R-Vee have combined, so I'm not ready to cast him down with the rankings with Poganski and Toropchenko, guys who if they make it will do so with 4th-floor ceilings.

 

[STL fan in MN]

I guess I don't see much difference between thinking the game well and hockey sense.

There isn’t a difference. Hockey sense, Hockey IQ, thinking the game, it’s all the same thing. I wasn’t differentiating from you at all by using the term “hockey sense.”

As for the rest of the post about Blais, I just disagree. See it much differently. Feel like moving on.

 

[Ranksu]

Mikkola. I just dont see Blais being better at the NHL level. he has never really impressed me.

I liked Blais last season and I would prefer him getting more icetime NHL level, but...

Idk what he's. He doesn't have 4th line energy tempo in his game and not physical game at all, not high end top6 winger potential, not scorer maybe playmaker? He has hockey IQ, he has good position awarness, he has bad skating, kind of ok I guess shot, weak at corners, can be easily man handled.

Blais reminds me a lot of Rattie with better hockey IQ.

 

[mw2noobbuster]

How can anyone comfortably say Blais is a tweener at this point? Based on his whopping 100 minutes of NHL game time?

I honestly didn't mean to critique the system with my comments. It was more an observation on how my personal enjoyment fluctuates from poll to poll I do rank prospects in tiers. So when I have to decide between ones in the same tier, I actually have to spend time thinking about it and maybe even a little stat/video research. But when I decide and continually vote over and over for the same guy, which happens often to me, I get less involved. That doesn't mean the poll is more or less useful/fun/interesting, or should be changed. Just that I hope some other people will vote for Blais in the next poll so Ithen have to decide between Mikkola, Fitzopatrick and Foley in the one after that.

100 minutes of game time, also combined with some bad luck with injuries. Kid needs a real shot in the lineup.

 

[Ranksu]

@Bluesnatic27 maybe new poll?

 

[MissouriMook]

Not really wanting to get into the Blais discussion at all, but I will point out that if we end up moving towards being a 4 line team this year with no real defined 3rd and 4th lines, that bodes well for Blais. I don't think he is a fit for a traditional 4th line and I'm not sure he belongs in the bottom 6 at all, but the ability to put him on a line with skilled players, even if their ice time is fairly limited, gives him a better chance to make the roster, IMO.

 

[EastonBlues22]

Not really wanting to get into the Blais discussion at all, but I will point out that if we end up moving towards being a 4 line team this year with no real defined 3rd and 4th lines, that bodes well for Blais. I don't think he is a fit for a traditional 4th line and I'm not sure he belongs in the bottom 6 at all, but the ability to put him on a line with skilled players, even if their ice time is fairly limited, gives him a better chance to make the roster, IMO.

I'm honestly not sure it really does. The bottom six of this team is going to have a different texture and generally higher skill level than past bottom six lines the Blues have had in recent years, but they're still going to have to do most of the same things a typical bottom six does...provide some mix of energy/tempo/physicality, chip in on special teams (especially the PK), and be fairly reliable defensively.

If Blais isn't checking at least two of those boxes, and preferably all three, he's probably not earning a regular spot in the Blues lineup. I don't see any way the Blues carry him with the plan of spotting him a dozen sheltered minutes a game with top 6 guys unless they're forced into it by injuries.

Generally speaking, I think one's faith in Blais as a prospect basically boils down to whether one thinks he projects as a top 6 player in the NHL...if not here, then somewhere else. Some see to see that in him (or at least haven't seemed to rule it out yet), and some don't see it, which is fine. I wouldn't expect everyone to agree on something like that, especially with a prospect like Blais whose tools don't really add much to his case.