Prospect Info: Robert Thomas (20th overall in 2017)

[Klank Loves You]

Summed it up perfectly. There is a lot more to it than end to end speed. Wasn't it mentioned a few years ago that Polak was the fastest, or one of the fastest, skaters on the team? That didn't get him so far, except impressing the boys during the team skills competition.

There is a huge difference between top speedand top speedwhile handling the puck. McDavid is making a career out of the latter.

 

[BlueDream]

Polak is one of the slowest guys in the league and always has been.

No, he definitely isn't.

They could do that but IMO it would only tell a small fraction of the tale of how good of a skater a guy is. Besides top end speed, what is perhaps even more important is acceleration - how long it takes a guy to get to that top end speed. Pivots, jump, edge work, balance, acceleration, momentum shifts and lateral ability are all very important in terms of how good someone is at skating so thus why simply measuring how fast someone can go from Point A to Point B only tells a small % of the story.

It's never going to be perfect but you can still tell a lot about a player from their top-end speed in a straight line.

It would be a useful addition to the combine.

 

[LetsGoBooze]

Kid has Doug Weight upside. Very excited about him...moreso than ANY other draftee. In fact, he is the only forward for whom i see top-line upside. (Yes, i'm aware of Kostin, Thompson & Kyrou...all whom look like 2nd/3rd liners to me)

Much like you Stealth, he's my favorite Blues prospect right now. He just seems to have the 'it' factor and brings a ton of intangibles and hockey sense.

Personally, I've always liked the Giroux comparisons. I see a lot of similarities in their games.

Also, fun fact:
Giroux was taken 22nd overall in 2006.
Thomas was taken 20th overall in 2017.

 

[542365]

Polak is one of the slowest guys in the league and always has been.

He most certainly is not. His physical fitness and skating speed are the only reasons he ever made it to the NHL.

 

[Reality Czech]

There is a huge difference between top speedand top speedwhile handling the puck. McDavid is making a career out of the latter.

For sure, not to mention starting/stopping ability + acceleration.

Regarding Polak, I just recall how the announcers would periodically mention how he's one of the fastest guys in practice, which I always found surprising. Just goes to show that speed alone only gets a player so far.

 

[simon IC]

For sure, not to mention starting/stopping ability + acceleration.

Regarding Polak, I just recall how the announcers would periodically mention how he's one of the fastest guys in practice, which I always found surprising. Just goes to show that speed alone only gets a player so far.

Yakupov.

 

[Renard]

For sure, not to mention starting/stopping ability + acceleration.

Regarding Polak, I just recall how the announcers would periodically mention how he's one of the fastest guys in practice, which I always found surprising. Just goes to show that speed alone only gets a player so far.

I remember the claim that he was one of the fastest defensemen on the team. And he was built like a blacksmith.

I thought he would be a star. He got off to a good start, then declined.

 

[Stealth JD]

I remember the claim that he was one of the fastest defensemen on the team. And he was built like a blacksmith.

I thought he would be a star. He got off to a good start, then declined.

Polak NEVER had any picks skills...ever. He was a physical beast, but had average IQ and bad hands. Not a great skill-set, regardless of how many reps he could bench-press or how fast he could straight-line skate.

 

[David Dennison]

I remember the claim that he was one of the fastest defensemen on the team. And he was built like a blacksmith.

I thought he would be a star. He got off to a good start, then declined.

Polak and Russell were a heck of a 3rd pairing that first season under Hitch, perfect for his system.

 

[ChicagoBlues]

Polak and Russell were a heck of a 3rd pairing that first season under Hitch, perfect for his system.

Yeah, they had a good year together. Russell is a little one-dimensional, but I was still sad he was traded for a 5th. That draft pick yielded Jaedon Descheneau, who is, sadly, no longer with the organization.

 

[DatDude44]

i've been saying this since we drafted him (after i watched a couple of his games w/ london) I see ALOT of Giroux in his game. I'm way too excited for him. I could see him pushing late into training camp a la fabbri then making the team as a top6/9 C next season. I think he's that good

 

[Dbrownss]

i've been saying this since we drafted him (after i watched a couple of his games w/ london) I see ALOT of Giroux in his game. I'm way too excited for him. I could see him pushing late into training camp a la fabbri then making the team as a top6/9 C next season. I think he's that good

I agree with you. I pegged him as a RHS Fabbri....who I compared to Giroux

 

[Zaddy]

I'm so jealous of you guys' drafting. Wanted Thomas badly at the Oilers pick. I was also a huge, huge Vince Dunn fan in 2015 (had him ranked in the 1st round, watched him probably 20+ times that year). I wanted Husso with the Oilers 4th rounder in 2014....Barbashev, Fabbri, Kostin, Kyrou were all great picks as well. Not to mention Tarasenko, Schwartz, Parayko etc. So jealous...Bill Armstrong has to be one of the best scouts in the NHL.

 

[zman77]

St Louis drafts 'character' as well as skill.
Robert Thomas fits into the Blues program like a glove.
You drafted a hard working guy who has a very high Hockey IQ along with his skill level.
Claude Giroux-Robbie Fabri...............excellent comparisons.
Highlights of Blues vs Caps:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nzlypFPqLg

 

[carter333167]

Bill Armstrong is the MVP of the organization by a wide margin.

 

[Mike Liut]

I'm so jealous of you guys' drafting. Wanted Thomas badly at the Oilers pick. I was also a huge, huge Vince Dunn fan in 2015 (had him ranked in the 1st round, watched him probably 20+ times that year). I wanted Husso with the Oilers 4th rounder in 2014....Barbashev, Fabbri, Kostin, Kyrou were all great picks as well. Not to mention Tarasenko, Schwartz, Parayko etc. So jealous...Bill Armstrong has to be one of the best scouts in the NHL.

We arent use to having so many good prospects. Its a nice change of things. You left out Tage Thompson. Was that for a reason?

 

[Debrincat93]

odds of him sticking?
kid played 20 mins against dallas? holy hell.

 

[Linkens Mastery]

odds of him sticking?
kid played 20 mins against dallas? holy hell.

I'm 95% sure he's going back to juniors, also to the point he doesn't have a contract. He's basically ready, just needs to work on a few areas. He's basically a lock next season if he plays even better next year.

 

[PiggySmalls]

I’m sure the Knights are happy to have Thomas back. Definitely going to be following the club a lot closer to monitor his progress. So much potential.

 

[Splatter]

I’m sure the Knights are happy to have Thomas back. Definitely going to be following the club a lot closer to monitor his progress. So much potential.

Same here. I'll be watching OHL a lot closer this year with him, Kyrou, and Toropchenko there.

 

[Stealth JD]

I'll chip in $500 for some HGH for Thomas, if anyone else will.

 

[UsernameWasTaken]

I'm a Knights fan, so was happy to see him sent back team-wise (although I wish he got more time w/ the big club). So what did you think of him? how did he look? He's probably my favourite Knights player at this point - I was really happy to see him go in the first round and think he'll be a fantastic player for you.

I haven't followed your training camp at all...but were you happy with how he played, was coaching/management pleased with what they saw?

 

[Bluesnatic27]

I'm a Knights fan, so was happy to see him sent back team-wise (although I wish he got more time w/ the big club). So what did you think of him? how did he look? He's probably my favourite Knights player at this point - I was really happy to see him go in the first round and think he'll be a fantastic player for you.

I haven't followed your training camp at all...but were you happy with how he played, was coaching/management pleased with what they saw?

Can't speak for the coaches, but hot damn was Thomas good.

He might have been the biggest surprise in camp for me. There wasn't a negative quality about him that I think would hold him back on becoming a good player for us. In fact, some here are expecting him to have a Fabbri like rise for the Blues. He already looked as NHL ready as some of the more seasoned prospects the Blues have. His intelligence and skating are something special

 

[Jordeau]

I'm a Knights fan, so was happy to see him sent back team-wise (although I wish he got more time w/ the big club). So what did you think of him? how did he look? He's probably my favourite Knights player at this point - I was really happy to see him go in the first round and think he'll be a fantastic player for you.

I haven't followed your training camp at all...but were you happy with how he played, was coaching/management pleased with what they saw?

I think he was better than anyone expected. He's really well-rounded for an 18 year old. Good at pretty much everything.

If you have the time, I'm sure a lot of us would love to hear updates on him throughout the season. Most aren't able to watch CHL games.

 

[Captain Creampuff]

I'm a Knights fan, so was happy to see him sent back team-wise (although I wish he got more time w/ the big club). So what did you think of him? how did he look? He's probably my favourite Knights player at this point - I was really happy to see him go in the first round and think he'll be a fantastic player for you.

I haven't followed your training camp at all...but were you happy with how he played, was coaching/management pleased with what they saw?

I'd go as far to saying that he's the best player to not stick with the Blues this year. Like others have said, he's pretty much good at everything.