Zach Dean

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kimzey59
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Posts: 469
Joined: 23 May 2024 13:01 pm

Re: Zach Dean

Post by kimzey59 »

STL fan in MN wrote: 23 Mar 2025 14:13 pm
SpacemanSpiff wrote: 23 Mar 2025 11:50 am
zamadoo wrote: 23 Mar 2025 08:52 am
STL fan in MN wrote: 22 Mar 2025 22:15 pm
noted wrote: 22 Mar 2025 10:52 am
STL fan in MN wrote: 22 Mar 2025 10:17 am Yep.

He’s been listed as “day to day” for a few weeks now. 🤷‍♂️

https://springfieldthunderbirds.com/roster
Thanks. I went there before post. Don’t see where it says he’s dtd, but just saw he’s been at 9 games for quite a bit now. Is it the same lower body injury as before or something else?
Click on “injury report” up at the top.

No idea if the new injury is also the old injury. Injury updates on the T-birds are hard to come by.

Not quite ready to cut bait on him but it’s been a lost season unfortunately.
No idea what's going on with him injury-wise, but he was pushing for a roster spot last year/over the summer.

The only player I thought that looked more mature and ready than him last summer was Bolduc.

Considering we traded Barbs for him, I think it's fair to compare:

Barbs age 22 was splitting time between NHL and AHL (under Chief) and had 12 points in 53 NHL games. People were wondering the same thing about him.

Barbs age 23 was 2018-2019 season - his first full season in the NHL, garnering 11min of ice time per game with 26 total points. We all know his role that season, and I'm not suggesting Dean can play the same role. However, I do think Dean has always projected closer to Barbs' age 26-29 seasons and would rather not just give up on him at this point.
The few games he got in last season, I remember him being a little overwhelmed physically, but he seemed to be in the right spots and seemed to think the game pretty well for a rookie center. His faceoffs (again, going off memory) were better than anticipated as well.

He's not ever going to be a big time scorer in the NHL, but if he can come in and provide solid 3/4 line play, maybe kill penalties as he builds that trust with the coaching staff, I'm certain he'll have a decent career.
Agree with you both. Dean has essentially missed this entire season due to injury. That’s not the same thing as playing and playing so poorly as to show you likely don’t have an NHL future. Him missing this season (most of it anyway, maybe he’ll still return here) certainly isn’t good for his development but we simply don’t have any data from this season to go on. Agree that as recently as this summer, he appears to be the 2nd most NHL ready prospect after Bolduc. He still has plenty of time to recover and develop into an NHLer.
Dean WAS the 2nd most NHL ready prospect coming into the year.
I'm not convinced that he still is.

Dvorsky I think has jumped him(otherwise he wouldn't have gotten the callup, not with how Alexandrov's played).
I might even put Robertson and Kaskimaki above him(except that they're both currently injured).
Snuggles may be a bit behind him, but I seriously doubt he see's the AHL given his contract situation.
skilles
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Posts: 1173
Joined: 23 May 2024 13:28 pm

Re: Zach Dean

Post by skilles »

netboy65 wrote: 23 Mar 2025 14:06 pm
skilles wrote: 23 Mar 2025 13:57 pm
netboy65 wrote: 23 Mar 2025 12:57 pm
skilles wrote: 23 Mar 2025 12:45 pm
netboy65 wrote: 23 Mar 2025 11:58 am
Wattage wrote: 23 Mar 2025 11:42 am
netboy65 wrote: 22 Mar 2025 12:43 pm
noted wrote: 22 Mar 2025 10:52 am
STL fan in MN wrote: 22 Mar 2025 10:17 am Yep.

He’s been listed as “day to day” for a few weeks now. 🤷‍♂️

https://springfieldthunderbirds.com/roster
Thanks. I went there before post. Don’t see where it says he’s dtd, but just saw he’s been at 9 games for quite a bit now. Is it the same lower body injury as before or something else?
I’m not sure how old he is but I think we’re getting close to “cut bait” time with him
Hes only 22
I didn’t say were there yet, but it is getting close
Not really.
Sure it is. Especially if he can’t stay on the ice
Why? Can you explain how not having him helps us?
Having him sure hasn’t yet. Fine, keep him in Springfield but I don’t think you should bank on him helping the Blues anytime soon. It’s been a couple years since we got him and he’s no closer now than he was then
Nobody said anything about "banking on him"
netboy65
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Posts: 1437
Joined: 23 May 2024 12:54 pm

Re: Zach Dean

Post by netboy65 »

skilles wrote: 23 Mar 2025 14:45 pm
netboy65 wrote: 23 Mar 2025 14:06 pm
skilles wrote: 23 Mar 2025 13:57 pm
netboy65 wrote: 23 Mar 2025 12:57 pm
skilles wrote: 23 Mar 2025 12:45 pm
netboy65 wrote: 23 Mar 2025 11:58 am
Wattage wrote: 23 Mar 2025 11:42 am
netboy65 wrote: 22 Mar 2025 12:43 pm
noted wrote: 22 Mar 2025 10:52 am
STL fan in MN wrote: 22 Mar 2025 10:17 am Yep.

He’s been listed as “day to day” for a few weeks now. 🤷‍♂️

https://springfieldthunderbirds.com/roster
Thanks. I went there before post. Don’t see where it says he’s dtd, but just saw he’s been at 9 games for quite a bit now. Is it the same lower body injury as before or something else?
I’m not sure how old he is but I think we’re getting close to “cut bait” time with him
Hes only 22
I didn’t say were there yet, but it is getting close
Not really.
Sure it is. Especially if he can’t stay on the ice
Why? Can you explain how not having him helps us?
Having him sure hasn’t yet. Fine, keep him in Springfield but I don’t think you should bank on him helping the Blues anytime soon. It’s been a couple years since we got him and he’s no closer now than he was then
Nobody said anything about "banking on him"
Isn’t that the point? Otherwise why do we have him in the first place? Wouldn’t it be nice (not to mention cost controlled) to slide him in next year for Faksa or Sunny?
I hope he does pan out, it would be a waste of an asset if he doesn’t, but as someone else mentioned he’s quickly sliding down the prospect list
STL fan in MN
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Posts: 1811
Joined: 23 May 2024 13:57 pm

Re: Zach Dean

Post by STL fan in MN »

kimzey59 wrote: 23 Mar 2025 14:19 pm
STL fan in MN wrote: 23 Mar 2025 14:13 pm
SpacemanSpiff wrote: 23 Mar 2025 11:50 am
zamadoo wrote: 23 Mar 2025 08:52 am
STL fan in MN wrote: 22 Mar 2025 22:15 pm
noted wrote: 22 Mar 2025 10:52 am
STL fan in MN wrote: 22 Mar 2025 10:17 am Yep.

He’s been listed as “day to day” for a few weeks now. 🤷‍♂️

https://springfieldthunderbirds.com/roster
Thanks. I went there before post. Don’t see where it says he’s dtd, but just saw he’s been at 9 games for quite a bit now. Is it the same lower body injury as before or something else?
Click on “injury report” up at the top.

No idea if the new injury is also the old injury. Injury updates on the T-birds are hard to come by.

Not quite ready to cut bait on him but it’s been a lost season unfortunately.
No idea what's going on with him injury-wise, but he was pushing for a roster spot last year/over the summer.

The only player I thought that looked more mature and ready than him last summer was Bolduc.

Considering we traded Barbs for him, I think it's fair to compare:

Barbs age 22 was splitting time between NHL and AHL (under Chief) and had 12 points in 53 NHL games. People were wondering the same thing about him.

Barbs age 23 was 2018-2019 season - his first full season in the NHL, garnering 11min of ice time per game with 26 total points. We all know his role that season, and I'm not suggesting Dean can play the same role. However, I do think Dean has always projected closer to Barbs' age 26-29 seasons and would rather not just give up on him at this point.
The few games he got in last season, I remember him being a little overwhelmed physically, but he seemed to be in the right spots and seemed to think the game pretty well for a rookie center. His faceoffs (again, going off memory) were better than anticipated as well.

He's not ever going to be a big time scorer in the NHL, but if he can come in and provide solid 3/4 line play, maybe kill penalties as he builds that trust with the coaching staff, I'm certain he'll have a decent career.
Agree with you both. Dean has essentially missed this entire season due to injury. That’s not the same thing as playing and playing so poorly as to show you likely don’t have an NHL future. Him missing this season (most of it anyway, maybe he’ll still return here) certainly isn’t good for his development but we simply don’t have any data from this season to go on. Agree that as recently as this summer, he appears to be the 2nd most NHL ready prospect after Bolduc. He still has plenty of time to recover and develop into an NHLer.
Dean WAS the 2nd most NHL ready prospect coming into the year.
I'm not convinced that he still is.

Dvorsky I think has jumped him(otherwise he wouldn't have gotten the callup, not with how Alexandrov's played).
I might even put Robertson and Kaskimaki above him(except that they're both currently injured).
Snuggles may be a bit behind him, but I seriously doubt he see's the AHL given his contract situation.
Oh I wouldn’t argue with that. He’s clearly been passed by others. But he’s been passed because he hasn’t played at all, not because of poor performance. That’s the distinction I’m making. For all we know, he could be a viable NHL prospect again once he starts playing again regularly.
STL fan in MN
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Posts: 1811
Joined: 23 May 2024 13:57 pm

Re: Zach Dean

Post by STL fan in MN »

netboy65 wrote: 23 Mar 2025 14:50 pm
skilles wrote: 23 Mar 2025 14:45 pm
netboy65 wrote: 23 Mar 2025 14:06 pm
skilles wrote: 23 Mar 2025 13:57 pm
netboy65 wrote: 23 Mar 2025 12:57 pm
skilles wrote: 23 Mar 2025 12:45 pm
netboy65 wrote: 23 Mar 2025 11:58 am
Wattage wrote: 23 Mar 2025 11:42 am
netboy65 wrote: 22 Mar 2025 12:43 pm
noted wrote: 22 Mar 2025 10:52 am
STL fan in MN wrote: 22 Mar 2025 10:17 am Yep.

He’s been listed as “day to day” for a few weeks now. 🤷‍♂️

https://springfieldthunderbirds.com/roster
Thanks. I went there before post. Don’t see where it says he’s dtd, but just saw he’s been at 9 games for quite a bit now. Is it the same lower body injury as before or something else?
I’m not sure how old he is but I think we’re getting close to “cut bait” time with him
Hes only 22
I didn’t say were there yet, but it is getting close
Not really.
Sure it is. Especially if he can’t stay on the ice
Why? Can you explain how not having him helps us?
Having him sure hasn’t yet. Fine, keep him in Springfield but I don’t think you should bank on him helping the Blues anytime soon. It’s been a couple years since we got him and he’s no closer now than he was then
Nobody said anything about "banking on him"
Isn’t that the point? Otherwise why do we have him in the first place? Wouldn’t it be nice (not to mention cost controlled) to slide him in next year for Faksa or Sunny?
I hope he does pan out, it would be a waste of an asset if he doesn’t, but as someone else mentioned he’s quickly sliding down the prospect list
Why do we have him? As a prospect. A potential future player. Not a guaranteed one and not on a prescribed timeline.

It sure would be nice if he was somehow able to replace Faksa or Sunny next season but if not? That’s fine too. Prospects develop at their own pace. And sometimes injuries delay that process. He’s under contract for another season. I see no issue in just seeing what we have in him next season and going from there.
netboy65
Forum User
Posts: 1437
Joined: 23 May 2024 12:54 pm

Re: Zach Dean

Post by netboy65 »

STL fan in MN wrote: 23 Mar 2025 16:14 pm
netboy65 wrote: 23 Mar 2025 14:50 pm
skilles wrote: 23 Mar 2025 14:45 pm
netboy65 wrote: 23 Mar 2025 14:06 pm
skilles wrote: 23 Mar 2025 13:57 pm
netboy65 wrote: 23 Mar 2025 12:57 pm
skilles wrote: 23 Mar 2025 12:45 pm
netboy65 wrote: 23 Mar 2025 11:58 am
Wattage wrote: 23 Mar 2025 11:42 am
netboy65 wrote: 22 Mar 2025 12:43 pm
noted wrote: 22 Mar 2025 10:52 am
STL fan in MN wrote: 22 Mar 2025 10:17 am Yep.

He’s been listed as “day to day” for a few weeks now. 🤷‍♂️

https://springfieldthunderbirds.com/roster
Thanks. I went there before post. Don’t see where it says he’s dtd, but just saw he’s been at 9 games for quite a bit now. Is it the same lower body injury as before or something else?
I’m not sure how old he is but I think we’re getting close to “cut bait” time with him
Hes only 22
I didn’t say were there yet, but it is getting close
Not really.
Sure it is. Especially if he can’t stay on the ice
Why? Can you explain how not having him helps us?
Having him sure hasn’t yet. Fine, keep him in Springfield but I don’t think you should bank on him helping the Blues anytime soon. It’s been a couple years since we got him and he’s no closer now than he was then
Nobody said anything about "banking on him"
Isn’t that the point? Otherwise why do we have him in the first place? Wouldn’t it be nice (not to mention cost controlled) to slide him in next year for Faksa or Sunny?
I hope he does pan out, it would be a waste of an asset if he doesn’t, but as someone else mentioned he’s quickly sliding down the prospect list
Why do we have him? As a prospect. A potential future player. Not a guaranteed one and not on a prescribed timeline.

It sure would be nice if he was somehow able to replace Faksa or Sunny next season but if not? That’s fine too. Prospects develop at their own pace. And sometimes injuries delay that process. He’s under contract for another season. I see no issue in just seeing what we have in him next season and going from there.
Once again, I never said dump him immediately I just said we’re getting close to a tipping point.
Bluesfan1978
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Re: Zach Dean

Post by Bluesfan1978 »

Dean with 1g, 1a in his first game back last night. If Dean can have a strong offseason I don’t see any reason he can’t compete for the 4c with the Blues. He played games last year and didn’t look too bad other than needing to get stronger. If he can stay healthy and continue to develop I think 3C is where he eventually ends up.
TBone
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Posts: 763
Joined: 28 May 2024 09:00 am

Re: Zach Dean

Post by TBone »

Bluesfan1978 wrote: 19 Apr 2025 06:29 am Dean with 1g, 1a in his first game back last night. If Dean can have a strong offseason I don’t see any reason he can’t compete for the 4c with the Blues. He played games last year and didn’t look too bad other than needing to get stronger. If he can stay healthy and continue to develop I think 3C is where he eventually ends up.
Thanks for the update.
TBone
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Posts: 763
Joined: 28 May 2024 09:00 am

Re: Zach Dean

Post by TBone »

Here's the goal by Dean with a helluva set up by Otto Stenberg.

https://x.com/ThunderbirdsAHL/status/19 ... 4463122810


And a Dvorsky goal for good measure.

His snap shot reminds me of another I've seen a lot of lately. 8)

https://x.com/ThunderbirdsAHL/status/19 ... 6700681516
roadkillIL
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Posts: 65
Joined: 26 May 2024 10:06 am

Re: Zach Dean

Post by roadkillIL »

And after Dean scores, he knocks the Checkers defenceman coming into the play back to the endboards behind the goal. Suk it, #11....
noted
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Posts: 409
Joined: 29 Jul 2021 16:13 pm

Re: Zach Dean

Post by noted »

Bluesfan1978 wrote: 19 Apr 2025 06:29 am Dean with 1g, 1a in his first game back last night. If Dean can have a strong offseason I don’t see any reason he can’t compete for the 4c with the Blues. He played games last year and didn’t look too bad other than needing to get stronger. If he can stay healthy and continue to develop I think 3C is where he eventually ends up.
Yes thank you for the update
Old_Goat
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Posts: 318
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Re: Zach Dean

Post by Old_Goat »

The further mental development to work hard and successfully get back from injuries will be valuable. If he can become an above average face-off winning Centerman with fair amount of skill, good hockey sense and degree of grit and toughness, then he is valuable as a 4th-line checking Centerman. Nothing wrong with that at all...Bob Bassen, Kyle Brodizak, Sunqvist, Faksa, Acciari are all good examples to have on a team and usually at a fair salary.
Without a doubt the durability is a concern. But if he's not quitting, then we should not just yet either.
Harry York 37
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Posts: 1944
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Re: Zach Dean

Post by Harry York 37 »

roadkillIL wrote: 19 Apr 2025 07:37 am And after Dean scores, he knocks the Checkers defenceman coming into the play back to the endboards behind the goal. Suk it, #11....
That was sweet. He looked like yoda as he didn't seem to exert the slightest effort in doing so. He isn't a hulk, but he must be solid as a rock.
The move by Stenberg to get him the puck was brilliant.

He was at the goalmouth for the Dvorsky Goal. Nice first game back.
Bluesfan1978
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Posts: 679
Joined: 17 Jan 2021 16:44 pm

Re: Zach Dean

Post by Bluesfan1978 »

If he can stay healthy I'll be disappointed if 4C is all he develops into. I think he has the potential to be one of the top 3C's in the league if he can stay healthy and continue to develop. I think he'll be a player that can fill in on any line and play against any of the other team's top lines due to his speed and physicality. He also has some small area skill to make smart passes and plays that the Blues could use. I think he ends up being a 30-40 point mostly 3rd liner. Again if he can't stay healthy then that projection changes. In his limited NHL time I thought his biggest weakness was he needed to get stronger so he can play to his strengths. That should be easy to improve at in time if healthy.
b-a-a-a-rclay
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Re: Zach Dean

Post by b-a-a-a-rclay »

Keeping my eye on Stenberg. 8O
a smell of green grass
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Re: Zach Dean

Post by a smell of green grass »

netboy65 wrote: 23 Mar 2025 12:57 pm
skilles wrote: 23 Mar 2025 12:45 pm
netboy65 wrote: 23 Mar 2025 11:58 am
Wattage wrote: 23 Mar 2025 11:42 am
netboy65 wrote: 22 Mar 2025 12:43 pm
noted wrote: 22 Mar 2025 10:52 am
STL fan in MN wrote: 22 Mar 2025 10:17 am Yep.

He’s been listed as “day to day” for a few weeks now. 🤷‍♂️

https://springfieldthunderbirds.com/roster
Thanks. I went there before post. Don’t see where it says he’s dtd, but just saw he’s been at 9 games for quite a bit now. Is it the same lower body injury as before or something else?
I’m not sure how old he is but I think we’re getting close to “cut bait” time with him
Hes only 22
I didn’t say were there yet, but it is getting close
Not really.
Sure it is. Especially if he can’t stay on the ice
In which direction do I blow kisses to Army this time?
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