Prospect Info: St. Louis Blues Top-20 Prospects: #14

[Bluesnatic27]

The Blues 2020 - 2021 Top-20 Prospect List:
1) Klim Kostin - 61.3%
2) Scott Perunovich - 50%
3) Zachary Bolduc - 45.9%
4) Jake Neighbours - 63.8%
5) Simon Robertsson - 35.8%
6) Nikita Alexandrov - 62.1%
7) Joel Hofer - 72.1%
8) Colten Ellis - 33.3%
9) Matt Kessel - 48.8%
10) Alexei Toropchenko - 27.3%
11) Tyler Tucker - 43.6%
12) Leo Loof - 32.4%
13) Tanner Dickinson - 35.7%

Tanner Dickinson is the #13 rated prospect. Dickinson is probably the most enigmatic prospect the Blues have. He's not an Anton Andersson because I know at least 6 people have confirmed Dickinson's existence. But Dickinson is a mystery because I, and I assume others as well, have no clue how effective Dickinson is. He was drafted after his rookie season in the OHL, where he did play well, but has only played 3 official games since then (or if his EliteProspect Page is to be trusted). He has speed, agility, and is offensively creative when given the puck. From what I've seen, he has that Kyrou like quality where he utilizes his lateral movement in order to give off the illusion of excellent puck-handling. That doesn't mean he has stone hands, but he will not be known for his puck skills rather his ability to disperse the puck at high speeds. He isn't big, although he isn't small with his 6' frame. He's on of those guys that will put on weight, as he has already if I'm not mistaken, so no one should be worried about his size. I don't think his shot is anything special, but again, he can make up the lack of a shot with his agility to find the soft areas of the ice. All-in-all, Dickinson doesn't have a physical trait that I worry about and has at least two areas I can see developing into dangerous weapons as he progresses. The real, and at this point only, problem is seeing him in-game. He's already taken an odd route jumping from the USHL to the OHL during his draft year, so any data from that time is already mired in questions regarding experience. But now only playing 3 official games in the AHL in his draft +1 year is going to impact his development and our perceptions of him. Saying that, I did vote for Dickinson because he has talent that is far more exciting than any other prospect that's left. He could just as easily flame out as he could be the next Johnny Gaudreau. But the fact he has the ability that could push him into the top-6 of an NHL team is exciting as a Blues fan. He will be the prospect I look forward to the most in this upcoming season, especially now that he signed his ELC.

Let's vote for #14!

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[Blueston]

Zherenko?

 

[Beauterham]

Zherenko?

Yup.

 

[Daley Tarasenkshow]

Voted Peterson. Hasn't quite had the production worthy of a third round pick, but could be due for a breakout season as a sophomore. If I recall there are players on BU that could be moving on to the pro ranks, opening the door for Peterson. Plus it's hard to read too much into last season.

 

[Stealth JD]

I have Peterson top-10. Unless Zherenko has expressed a desire to play in the NHL, I'll just assume he's another Konstantin Barulin and will never actually be seen in North America.

 

[ezcreepin]

Zherenko might be one of the better prospects we have, but we may never see him in the NHL. He has consistently played well in his time in the KHL leagues, but I just couldn't justify giving him a higher spot because I doubt he will come over. If you could prove to me he would come challenge for a spot in the AHL, then I'd have him much higher, but I went with Washkurak because I think his style translates pretty well into the AHL and NHL.

 

[kimzey59]

Zherenko might be one of the better prospects we have, but we may never see him in the NHL. He has consistently played well in his time in the KHL leagues, but I just couldn't justify giving him a higher spot because I doubt he will come over. If you could prove to me he would come challenge for a spot in the AHL, then I'd have him much higher, but I went with Washkurak because I think his style translates pretty well into the AHL and NHL.

There’s no spots available in the AHL. We are going to have to send one of Hofer/Ellis to the ECHL or loan them out as it is.

The best place for Zherenko right now is in the KHL.

 

[Blueston]

There’s no spots available in the AHL. We are going to have to send one of Hofer/Ellis to the ECHL or loan them out as it is.

The best place for Zherenko right now is in the KHL.

He is playing in top Finnish league this season (on same team with Loof, actually). Seems like a good step up from 2nd tier and junior Russian leagues. Seems to indicate that he is more focused on advancing his career than just playing in Russia.

 

[Memento]

Voted Peterson. He has the most potential out of the rest (as I doubt Zherenko comes over, and besides that, I don't rank goalies highly).

 

[simon IC]

Washkurak again. I love his Tazmanian devil style!

 

[stl76]

Why are people so doubtful that Zherenko comes to NA, has there been reporting on this subject that I missed?

 

[ezcreepin]

There’s no spots available in the AHL. We are going to have to send one of Hofer/Ellis to the ECHL or loan them out as it is.

The best place for Zherenko right now is in the KHL.

Why would the Blues sign Lindgren if they knew they'd have to loan someone out? The fact is, if he were good enough AND wanted to come over, the Blues would never say no. That's not to say the Blues would force the issue, but if Zherenko were serious about playing in NA, Blues would welcome him.

Why are people so doubtful that Zherenko comes to NA, has there been reporting on this subject that I missed?

I think the lack of reporting on him is the reason why people are iffy on it. He has never publicly stated he wants to play in NA (that I know of) and the Blues have a lot of goalies signed right now, so he may or may not come over until that is resolved, who knows. Really though, it's all just speculation on our part.