I can't tell you who in the group will be part of the Taxi squad, who will find outs to Europe, and who will be sent to Utica.
However, these are the players currently under contract to the St. Louis Blues and are not presently listed on the Blues roster.
The Blues have 40 players in camp. Players who are under contract and played last season are not there. They will be noted with an asterisk before their name.
The following are on ELCs:
*Klim Kostin - 21, 6'3"/212 RW. He was selected by the Blues in the 2017 1st round. He has played 3 seasons with the AHL Rampage. He finished last season with 13/17/30 in 48 GP. He is currently in Russia where he was playing when the Blues announced their roster. He is having visa difficulties as getting visas to enter the country is very difficult under COVID regulations. It's unlikely with quarantine requirements and the visa issues he could even attend camp at all. His season is up in the air. He was supposed to be given a shot at the Blues roster.
* He will be entering his 4th season with the Blues, but CapFriendly lists him on an ELC.
*Nikita Alexandrov - 20, 6'/183 C. 2019 2nd round selection of the Blues. 1st season of his ELC which would make him a rookie. He's not in camp, but is listed as playing on loan in the Liiga.
*Alexei Toropchenko - 21, 6'3"/187 C. 2017 4th round selection of the Blues. This would be his 3rd pro season. Last yr with the Rampage was far from successful. 5/4/9 in 59 GP. He is not in camp.
Jordan Kyrou - 22, 6'/174 RW. 2016 2nd round selection of the Blues. Split last season between San Antonio and St. Louis.
AHL 9/6/15 in 16 GP. NHL 4/5/9 in 29 GP. This will be his 3rd ELC season and many expect him to remain with the Blues.
*Evan Polei - 24, 6'2"/227 LW. He was signed as an undrafted free agent after having spent 2 seasons in the AHL with Bakersfield. His third year was in San Antonio on the 1st of his 2 yr contract with the Blues, 1/3/4 in 21 GP. This would be his 4th pro season. He is not in camp.
Tanner Kaspick - 22, 6'/200 C. 2016 4th round selection of the Blues. In his 2nd season with the Rampage he put up 6/8/14 in 59 GP. This will be the 3rd yr of his ELC.
*Dakota Joshua - 24, 6'2"/199 C. Signed for last season with St. Louis after 4 seasons with NCAA Ohio State. He played at ECHL Tulsa (3/8/11 in 20 GP) and AHL San Antonio (3/4/7 in 30 GP). This will be his 2nd and final ELC season. He is not in camp.
Hugh McGing - 22, 5'8"/167 LW/C. 2018 5th round selection of the Blues. Comes in after 4 years at NCAA Western Michigan. He will be a rookie on the 1st year of his ELC.
Scott Perunovich - 22, 5'9"/172 LD. Rookie. 2018 2nd round selection of the Blues. He spent the previous 3 seasons at NCAA U of Minnesota Duluth. All he did at Minn. Duluth was win the 2020 Hobey Baker Award as the NCAA's top college player of the year where as a D-man he put up 6/34/40 in 34 GP. Yr. one of his ELC. He is one who we could be very fortunate to watch play here this season. St Louis is not as desperate to ice their top prospects as soon as possible like Benning does. Here's to hope.
Tyler Tucker - 20, 6'1"/203 LD. Another rookie. 2018 7th round selection of the Blues. This rookie was thought to be slated to start his pro career in ECHL Tulsa.
*Evan Fitzpatrick - 22, 6'3"/206 G. 2016 2nd round selection of the Blues. 3rd yr of his ELC. Has been in the ECHL both previous seasons and has not posted impressive numbers.
The following are under contract to the Blues, but are slated to be minor league players (AHL).
Sam Anas - 27, 5'8"/157 C. Signed as a free agent with the Minnesota Wild after 3 years at NCAA Quinnipiac. He played 4 seasons with the Iowa Wild with no taste from Minny. Took to open market as a UFA after winning the 2019-20 AHL scoring title posting 20G/50A/70 points in 63 GP. Utica's Reid Boucher finished 2nd with 67 Pts in 53 GP and finished 2nd in goals with 34 to Anas's linemate Gerry Mayhew's 39G and 61 Pts in 49 GP. Mayhew was the premier goal and point man. It would have been interesting to see how he would have finished had he played a normal full season.
Anas has signed a 2 yr, 2-way deal that will pay him $350K in the AHL. Good kind of player to build an offense around. Exactly the kind of UFA teams should look to sign to help their prospects develop. His numbers are superb and with only 259 AHL GP he doesn't count as a veteran exempt (261) let alone a veteran.
Nikko Mikkola - 24, 6'4"/185 LD. 2015 3rd round selection. He is in the 3rd ELC season. Last year with the Rampage he produced 2/12/14 in 48 GP.
Mitch Reinke - 24, 5'11"/181 RD. Signed with St. Louis as free agent in 2018 after 2 seasons with NCAA Michigan Tech. He has signed a 1yr 2-way deal. Last season with the Rampage he posted 5/17/22 in 46 GP.
Jake Walman - 24, 6'1"/201 LD. 2014 3rd round selection with the Blues. This will be his 4th pro season. Last yr. with the Rampage he posted 8/19/27 in 57 GP.
Steve Santini - 25, 6'2"/207 RD. 2013 2nd round selection of the New Jersey Devils. He played 114 games with NJ in his 3 seasons there. He was then traded to Nashville. He was waived by the Nashville Predators after a single season in 2019-20 and signed by St. Louis to a 1yr, 2-way deal worth $300K in the AHL. Last season he posted 2/10/12 in 54 GP with AHL Milwaukee.
Curtis McKenzie - 29, 6'2"/205 LW. 2009 6th round selection of the Dallas Stars. He played 5 seasons in the Dallas organization. As a free agent he signed a 2yr deal with Vegas and spent both seasons with the AHL Chicago Wolves. Last season's numbers were 17/25/42. He has now signed a 1yr, 2-way deal that will pay him $325K in the AHL. He will be Veteran by AHL rules.
Austin Poganski - 24, 6'2"/201 RW. 2014 4th round selection of the Blues. Signed by St Louis in 2018-19 to an ELC after 4 years at U of North Dakota. He spent the bulk of those 2 ELC seasons in San Antonio. He has been signed for the 20-21 season to a 1yr, 2-way. Last season he posted 10/20/30 in 56 GP.
Nolan Stevens - 24, 6'3"/183 LW. 2016 5th round selection by the Blues. He signed a 2 yr ELC after 4 seasons at NCAA Northeastern U. He has signed a 1yr, 2-way contract for this season. Last year with the Rampage he posted 9/22/31 in 50 GP. Bet we see him as he is the coach's son and needs to play every day.
Nathan Walker - 26, 5'9"/189 LW. 2014 3rd round selection of the Washington Caps. After 6 seasons with the Washington organization he left as a free agent and was signed to a 2yr, 2-way by the Blues. He went 19/13/32 in 46 GP with the Rampage last season. He is guaranteed $350K this season. He would be a veteran by AHL rules.
John Gillies - 26, 6'6"/223 G. 2012 3rd round selection by the Calgary Flames. Played 4 season with the Calgary organization logging a total of 12 NHL game. He signed with the Blues as a free agent this season on a 1yr, 2-way contract with $350K at the AHL level. His 5yr AHL numbers are 2.92 GAA and a .906 SV%. Is this the possible Veteran goalie the Comets will have since most believe DiPietro will be the taxi squad goalie, which goes against my philosophy for a 2nd year pro. 24 yr-old Jake Kielly is the other option with a total of 2 AHL appearances and 24 ECHL GP (3.97/.887).
That's 21 players under contract to the Blues. 2 would be considered veterans by AHL rules.
Sam Anas, Nathan Walker, Nolan Stevens, Austin Poganski, Curtis McKenzie, Jake Walman, Mike Reinke have the most notable numbers.
Scott Perunovich is the top star power prospect.
Jordan Kyrou looks to be an excellent AHL player, but may be with the Blues.
Most of the prospects have not impressed in any way statistically.
At any rate that's 21 players with only 2 vets.
The Canucks list 22 non roster players. Tyler Graovac and Justin Bailey are Veterans and Ashton Sautner is a Veteran Exempt by AHL rules.
Right this minute the Canucks have 20 players (14 forwards and 6 D-men) on their roster and 2 goalies. Hamonic would make 7 Dmen. That's 23 players, the number on the normal season roster.
I don't know if they know even now how many they will carry on the active roster and then how many on the taxi squad to make up their total number.
Eriksson and Baertschi are the only Vancouver roster players that keep showing up as the names the Canucks ought to be send down. Personally I see them collecting their bucks in Vancouver on the Taxi squad. I'd almost bet if any off that list are demoted to the AHL it would be Baertschi, another Veteran.
That would mean a possible 5 vets and 1 vet exempt. That's a legal game day number.
Rafferty, Rathbone, Chatfield, and Sautner would be the source of the Taxi squad D-men. Graovac and Bailety make sense to be added as forwards, but exactly who the final Vancouver group will entail is pure speculation until we see it.
As to the Utica Comets, I believe veterans Wacey Hamilton and Carter Bancks are on the 2020-21 AHL roster. With the the Blues additions the roster will have a good chance to have 40 players. They will be carrying their own taxi squad although the Kalamazoo Wings and the Tulsa Oilers will have teams in the ECHL slated to start on January 15.
It's going to be a wild ride watching Cull, who has never liked many extra players around, trying to sift through these numbers and finding a way to please everyone with ice time. Both teams could help him by letting Europeans go home. Benning has never had a problem with that, but the Comets don't have very many that could exercise that option. Contrary to what many believe, I think the AHL will still be very competitve and worthwhile for the prospects.
