Prospect Info: St. Louis Blues Top-20 Prospects: #3

[Bluesnatic27]

The Blues 2020 - 2021 Top-20 Prospect List:
1) Klim Kostin - 61.3%
2) Scott Perunovich - 50%

For the second year in a row, Perunovich has taken the #2 spot in the Blues prospect list. While talented, he has yet to play a professional game and did miss an entire year of play due to injury. So his stagnation in the pool is justified. But his resume is impressive and is what, I'm assuming, most looked at to select him this high in the pool. His bread-and-butter is his puck handling skill and spatial awareness. He has a fantastic ability of reading the offensive forecheck in an effort to find the most optimal path for the puck. From what I've seen, he even intentionally draws the forecheck to him in an effort to create lanes whether in the defensive or offensive zone. His mix of mental game and puck distribution will be, what I think, the two defining traits that could lead him to be a successful NHLer. The rest of his game is well rounded, but not spectacular in any one fashion. However, I know the size concern will hang over his head until he proves that it isn't an issue. If his puck skills and vision can translate to the pros, then I don't see his size being a concern for anyone.

He might make the NHL roster next year, but I think the earliest anyone should reasonably expect him in a Blue note would be by mid-season at the earliest. If he can prove to be an effective top-4 player in the AHL, he should be an early call-up.

A few side notes, thank you to @Beauterham for recognizing that Jeremy Michel is no longer part of the franchise. As such, he will be removed from the voting from here on. This does lead to a tricky situation where the pool of Blues prospects consists of 23 players with 20 spots to fill. Hopefully there won't be anymore prospects removed from "prospect" statuses in the pool, but do let me know if there any other players that need to have their status in the pool looked at again. As a reminder, here are the guidelines we use for this pool voting:

1. Any Blues prospect that has played less than 65 games will be considered a "prospect".
2. Any Blues prospect below the age of 25 will be eligible.
3. The prospect has to be Blues property at this current stage.
4. Voting will take 2 days for the first ~10 spots (+/- 2-3) and then switch to a longer timeline to allow more chances to vote.

Now, onto #3!

Click to read more...

 

[Celtic Note]

Hofer for me here. I think he has the potential to be the biggest contributor of this prospect pool.

With Husso struggling, I don’t think it’s long before he gets a shot at the backup role.

Binnington also needs to show more as a starter if he is going to hold down that spot long-term (yes I know his contract suggests it’s his to lose). The last two years for him don’t look as great as his Cup winning year which is understandable given how unsustainable it was for most goalies. But, he hasn’t been good enough since to suggest he cannot be unseated.

The rest of the guys have big question marks and ones that are just as big as Hofer’s or bigger IMO.

Can Bolduc utilize his teammates more or will he continue to be a bit of a one man show?

Can Robertsson get his release to be quicker or will he struggle to get it off at the NHL level?

Will Neighbours be able to think the game fast enough and build up his skill level to be a productive middle 6 player or will those hamper his ability?

Has Ellis shown enough to tell us he will be better than Hofer?

 

[stl76]

This is where things should start to get interesting!

 

[Beauterham]

I'll keep going Bolduc.

Neigbours > Hofer next.

 

[kimzey59]

Neighbours. IMO similar upside to Bolduc but he’s a smidge closer to being ready.

 

[Robb_K]

I'm going with Robertsson again, whose shot and size give him a good ceiling, and his size and physicality give him a good floor.

 

[ezcreepin]

My list is probably going to change as I think on these rankings a bit harder, but I went with Neighbours this time around. I believe Bolduc will carve out an NHL career, whether it's 3rd line center/winger for his floor, or top line center/winger for his ceiling, but I feel more confident in Neighbours ability to be a top 6 forward. There are a group of 3-4 prospects that feel relatively interchangeable, so my gut is to pick the more developed prospect here. I will note that I'm not super comfortable ranking goalies, so it'll be a crap shoot for me.

 

[Blueston]

I voted Bolduc, but I wouldn’t object to Neighbours or even Hofer here.

 

[Celtic Note]

I feel like I might just like Robertson more than Bolduc.

 

[sfvega]

Bolduc by a solid margin. The top 4 of our pipeline is pretty clear rn. I'm more interested in the Robertsson/Hofer vote at 5. Alexandrov probably gets some in there as well.

 

[Ranksu]

Neighbours.

This just shows how slim our prospect pool. Pretty much 'meh' after 2 clear prospects.

 

[Mike Liut]

Toss up between Neighbors, Bolduc and Robertsson. All three look like legit middle 6 nhlers.

 

[542365]

Neighbours for me. Crash and bang middle sixer who isn’t too terribly far away. Just don’t know enough about Bolduc, but didn’t come away terribly impressed with his scouting reports or highlight videos.

 

[Beauterham]

Neighbours.

This just shows how slim our prospect pool. Pretty much 'meh' after 2 clear prospects.

Not that our farm is the same level as the Kings, but 'meh' after Kostin and Perunovich is a bit too dramatic. Neighbours wouldn't have been my pick (and I still would've prefered another prospect), however he did really, really well last season and he could be a good top 6 winger in a few years. Hofer played a part of last season in Utica and was on par with Mikey DiPietro, which says a lot.

I'd say it drops of a bit after Kostin, Perunovich, Bolduc, Neighbours, Hofer and possibly Ellis and Robertsson. But for a team that hardly had any high picks the last couple of years, that is not too bad actually.

 

[Bluesguru]

I'm going with Robertsson again, whose shot and size give him a good ceiling, and his size and physicality give him a good floor.

Who is this Robertson kid? Haven’t heard of him. Is he for real NHL talent?

 

[Bluesguru]

Prospect pool is thin.

Blues really need Thomas, Kyrou and Kostin to turn into above average players. Good to great so to speak.

 

[Stealth JD]

I literally have no idea who our best, second best or fifth best prospect is. I could see a case for any of the following guys ultimately being the most impactful player of the group:

Hofer, Ellis, Kostin, Perunovich, Robertsson, Bolduc, Neighbors or Alexandrov.

The next 8 guys would be Peterson, Tucker, Zherenko, Washkurak, McGing, Kessel, Laferriere & Stevens.

I'd probably do a random drawing of each group of 8. I'm completely uninspired by any of them, and I've got huge concerns about the direction of our amateur scouting. Very little to show since Vince Dunn was drafted in 2015...and very little hope for finding impactful, top of the lineup players. That's why i have the goalies rated so highly...because the skaters look like a huge collection of shit.

 

[MortiestOfMortys]

It’s easier to tier the prospects, but I know that’s now what these polls are for. Either way, here ya go:


Tier 1 (likelihood of making it, contributing):

• Perunovich
• Neighbours
• Alexandrov
• Bolduc

Tier 2 (boom or bust):

• Robertsson
• Kostin
• Kessel
• Hofer
• Ellis
• Zherenko
• Dickinson

Tier 3 (very risky, or contributor w/ low impacts):

• Vorobyev
• Tucker
• Loof
• Peterson
• Cranley

Tier 4 (AHL squad or cut candidate):

• Kaspick
• Toropchenko
• Laferriere
• McGing
• Beck
• Galloway

 

[Memento]

I voted for Neighbours again. Think he should've been number two over Perunovich, but I can see why people voted for Perunovich. Bolduc being voted highly here (while I think he's a solid fourth on the list), I think, is more of recency bias. Neighbours played incredibly well in the WHL, and this is coming from someone who wasn't a fan of the pick at first.

 

[Robb_K]

It’s easier to tier the prospects, but I know that’s now what these polls are for. Either way, here ya go:


Tier 1 (likelihood of making it, contributing):

• Perunovich
• Neighbours
• Alexandrov
• Bolduc

Tier 2 (boom or bust):

• Robertsson
• Kostin
• Kessel
• Hofer
• Ellis
• Zherenko
• Dickinson

Tier 3 (very risky, or contributor w/ low impacts):

• Vorobyev
• Tucker
• Loof
• Peterson
• Cranley

Tier 4 (AHL squad or cut candidate):

• Kaspick
• Toropchenko
• Laferriere
• McGing
• Beck
• Galloway

I think that Robertsson (with his size, physical game, hard, quickly released and accurate shot, and good skating ability, has a significantly higher floor than Alexandrov, and just as high a ceiling. And I think Kostin has just as much chance of making the NHL as a regular middle-six forward as Alexandrov, has. And I have my doubts that Perunovich will ever be more than a power play specialist, and a need-to-be-sheltered 3rd pairing defenceman at even strength. He could easily be only a very poor-man's Kevin Shattenkirk, at best.

 

[Frenzy31]

Bolduc by a solid margin. The top 4 of our pipeline is pretty clear rn. I'm more interested in the Robertsson/Hofer vote at 5. Alexandrov probably gets some in there as well.

Neighbors should also fit in there along with Ellis.

 

[DatDude44]

Neighbours for me, seems like a future “identity” type and fan favorite that can also produce and has surprisingly high end playmaking/setup ability for a PWF type player. More important to his team than outsiders trade value type.

even if Bolduc has a little bit higher skill/offensive upside.

 

[PerryTurnbullfan]

It’s easier to tier the prospects, but I know that’s now what these polls are for. Either way, here ya go:


Tier 1 (likelihood of making it, contributing):

• Perunovich
• Neighbours
• Alexandrov
• Bolduc

Tier 2 (boom or bust):

• Robertsson
• Kostin
• Kessel
• Hofer
• Ellis
• Zherenko
• Dickinson

Tier 3 (very risky, or contributor w/ low impacts):

• Vorobyev
• Tucker
• Loof
• Peterson
• Cranley

Tier 4 (AHL squad or cut candidate):

• Kaspick
• Toropchenko
• Laferriere
• McGing
• Beck
• Galloway

You are really setting yourself up for disappointment putting Perunovich in Tier 1. Let's see if he even holds up to the AHL. I compare Perunovich to when the Rams drafted the Heisman option quarterback. This is the pros. Bigger and much faster.... He is a Tier 2 guy without a doubt, especially if Kostin and Robertsson are Tier 2. They at least look the part. You realize that he wasn't THE guy on his college team when it came to shutting down the other team? He was a specialist most of his college career. It is a special gift on the powerplay, but he is going to have to be the second coming of Cliff Ronning to make it here.

 

[Ranksu]

You are really setting yourself up for disappointment putting Perunovich in Tier 1. Let's see if he even holds up to the AHL. I compare Perunovich to when the Rams drafted the Heisman option quarterback. This is the pros. Bigger and much faster.... He is a Tier 2 guy without a doubt, especially if Kostin and Robertsson are Tier 2. They at least look the part. You realize that he wasn't THE guy on his college team when it came to shutting down the other team? He was a specialist most of his college career. It is a special gift on the powerplay, but he is going to have to be the second coming of Cliff Ronning to make it here.

There lies red flag on Perunovich. I'm broken record on this manner. His skating is worrisome. If it's fixed then it's possible he can be top4 dmens. PP specialist. Krug 2.0 and even better, but if he is same level on skating compare last year he won't be NHL regular.

Btw didn't he have down year, 'cus was injured full season? Another red flag.

 

[MissouriMook]

You are really setting yourself up for disappointment putting Perunovich in Tier 1. Let's see if he even holds up to the AHL. I compare Perunovich to when the Rams drafted the Heisman option quarterback. This is the pros. Bigger and much faster....

This idea that Perunovich is going to struggle in the NHL is just as unfounded as any optimism that he is going to be our Blue Line Savior, and frankly there is 10x more negativity around him than there is talk that could be considered pumping his tires.

Perunovich is listed at 5'9 and 172 pounds. Quinn Hughes is listed at 5' 10" and 170 pounds.

Perunovich had 105 points in 115 games (0.91 PPG) in his 3 years in college hockey at Minnesota-Duluth and won 2 national championships and the Hobey Baker. Hughes had 62 points in 69 games (0.90 PPG) at Michigan and won no championships and no Hobey Baker.

Their size and college performances were eerily similar, and if anything Perunovich had the edge. And yet no one was concerned about Quinn Hughes' game translating to the NHL, and I assure you that you would be hard pressed to find a Blues fan that wouldn't want him on this team. So whether you think he's the next Bobby Orr, bound to bust, or anything in between, can we please just watch Perunovich play at the NHL or even the AHL level for a little while before we reach a conclusion as to who and what he is as a player?