A couple of other notes from today(my first post was typed with a toddler asleep on me
Sergeev must be nursing an injury. He skated in drills, but wasn't skating during the scrimmage. He looked like a pretty good skater. Not much to go on, but he seemed like he belonged.
MacEachern-REALLY liked what I saw from him. Only got to watch him during the scrimmage, but he's big and fast!! Showed some good puck skills and was very hard to knock off the puck. He was probably the best forward on "team Barbashev". Definitely looks like a legit NHL prospect, really looking forward to keeping an eye on his development. Anyone have any insight into where he's playing next year? Is he still going the NCAA route? I seem to get him and Kurker mixed up.
I can see why Bill Armstrong drafted Dunn. He's a long term project, which fits the Blues timeline nicely right now, but he has some serious high end potential. I don't know where I would project him, some scouts on this board compared him to Keith, I can definitely see why they would use him as a comparison. Do I think he'll become an Conn Smyth, Norris trophy winner, no, but who knows? He has offensive instincts you can't teach, speed you can't teach, and hands to match his wheels. Now he's a defenseman after all, so he will need to REALLY improve this area of his game. He was skating with Vanelli at first and it was ugly. I think that was mostly because of Dunn, because once Vanelli skated with Schmaltz it was a complete 180. But if his D can catch up to his offensive skill, he might be the one to eventually replace Shattenkirk, not Schmaltz or Vanelli but Dunn!
Does anyone know who was the goalie wearing the brown pads? He was a smaller guy, but he was very scrappy, love seeing that in goalies. Husso was VERY polished. He was quick, square and quite. Which are some of the most important qualities in a goalie, at least to me. Appleby did really well, but I don't know if the Blues will sign him, we already have too many guys and not enough nets. I guess he could displace Lundstrom in the ECHL, but I don't know where else we could put him. He was the 2nd best goalie in the group.
Milkkola-I liked what I saw, he's got good size and was a fluid skater. He does have a miserable shot, but of skills needed, that one can be learned. He was one of the few that actually threw his weight around, skated with his head up and made mostly clean exit passes. Looks like a Blues type D prospect.
Tschantz-he was a big boy, would be a nice player as a 4th line energy player with a little skill to boot.
I don't really know much about Selman, but I really liked what I saw. He looked older than most of the guys, so I'm assuming he was an invite, but he showed real hustle and a good amount of skill. Made some real nice passes, I think he's a center(?), he played like a center. I don't know much about him, and he looks like he may already be at or near his ceiling, but the kid could play. I hope the Blues give him a chance, they need all the center prospects they can get. He was on the smaller size, but he showed a lot more than Barbashev did today. Granted Barbs is an under the radar type player, I've likened him to Stastny recently because he isn't flashy but makes the right play and is defensively responsible. But hey, for free Selman would be a great addition to the pool.
Got over to camp yesterday and I agree with Meatwagon
Fabbri and Parayko and look like the real deal. They were definitely a level above the rest.
MacEachern played a mature game in the scrimmage, he had a lot of energy, cycled the puck well, battled along the boards and in the corners. If he keeps developing, he could become a great energy guy on the 3rd line. Some of the prospects tried to get a little to fancy with the extra ice of 4-on-4 and 3-on-3 but Mac played a more simple game that's effective.
Dunn is raw but has those unteachable tools to make him a good player. He has good hockey sense, sick hands, and a speedy skater. His D positioning was a bit poor but I think he's got the hockey sense and skills to refine his D-zone skills.
I disagree with Meat on Milkkola, he's got good size and a decent skater but his play with the puck is poor. He didn't puckhandle well and his passing was a bit off. He's a long way from NHL ready but easily something he can work on. If he did make the NHL, he's likely a defensive D-man possibly like Polak.
I was underwhelmed by Barbashev, he has good hockey sense and can finish well but at times he disappeared. Also physically he looked like a boy compared to a number of our other prospects. To be an NHL-ready prospect he's going to have to hit the gym. Smaller guys can be successful in the NHL today but those "little guys" are often the most physically fit on their teams.
I also liked Descheneau's game. He's another undersized speedy F with good hockey sense. He played bigger than his size and contributed offensively.
Schmaltz played a strong game on D, he wasn't flashy but made solid plays. Probably the second best D prospect after Parayko.
After that the other prospects are long-range prospects and/or future minor leaguers.
