Snuggarud

[Harry S Deals]

The Blues want D with an edge the same as we do. Burns, Fisher, Ralph and Jiricek all fit that mold. Unfortunately there’s probably 2 more years before you have a chance to see either. I do think Army is probably looking to make a trade to upgrade one of the right D positions within the next year if he can.

Ralph is a maybe. Jiricek does not play with an edge that I have seen.
Burns and Fischer absolutely play with the edge you are talking about though.
Having Burns Fischer and Tucker in their #3-7 defensemen is solid depth with a physical edge.
Burns and Fischer (and Ralph if he gets nastier) can all skate very very well.
That is Jiricek's #1 thing, his skating is eye popping. The other day he made what seemed like two backward glide strides and he shot down the ice faster than anyone.

Blues fans under estimate Glen Wesley, Chris Thorburn and Matt D'Aggostini's and Stanbrook (skating) contributions with developing prospects. This is an organization strength, these coaches are excellent with the kids. There will be several still to come that outperform our expectations

I want to see what they do with Stancl because if he were to go on a Backes-like skating leap forward then he is a #1 candidate for what you're saying.

Yep they like guys with his toolset is he playing C in Springfield or wing?

[STL fan in MN]

The Blues want D with an edge the same as we do. Burns, Fisher, Ralph and Jiricek all fit that mold. Unfortunately there’s probably 2 more years before you have a chance to see either. I do think Army is probably looking to make a trade to upgrade one of the right D positions within the next year if he can.

Ralph is a maybe. Jiricek does not play with an edge that I have seen.
Burns and Fischer absolutely play with the edge you are talking about though.
Having Burns Fischer and Tucker in their #3-7 defensemen is solid depth with a physical edge.
Burns and Fischer (and Ralph if he gets nastier) can all skate very very well.
That is Jiricek's #1 thing, his skating is eye popping. The other day he made what seemed like two backward glide strides and he shot down the ice faster than anyone.

Blues fans under estimate Glen Wesley, Chris Thorburn and Matt D'Aggostini's and Stanbrook (skating) contributions with developing prospects. This is an organization strength, these coaches are excellent with the kids. There will be several still to come that outperform our expectations

I want to see what they do with Stancl because if he were to go on a Backes-like skating leap forward then he is a #1 candidate for what you're saying.

Yep they like guys with his toolset is he playing C in Springfield or wing?

Stancl has been the 3LW for Springfield anytime I’ve tuned in but I’ve just seen bits me pieces. I see him more on the wing than C though…but it’s possible he could play C. He plays both well but he’s particularly strong on the wing from what I’ve seen.

[seattleblue]

The Blues want D with an edge the same as we do. Burns, Fisher, Ralph and Jiricek all fit that mold. Unfortunately there’s probably 2 more years before you have a chance to see either. I do think Army is probably looking to make a trade to upgrade one of the right D positions within the next year if he can.

Ralph is a maybe. Jiricek does not play with an edge that I have seen.
Burns and Fischer absolutely play with the edge you are talking about though.
Having Burns Fischer and Tucker in their #3-7 defensemen is solid depth with a physical edge.
Burns and Fischer (and Ralph if he gets nastier) can all skate very very well.
That is Jiricek's #1 thing, his skating is eye popping. The other day he made what seemed like two backward glide strides and he shot down the ice faster than anyone.

Blues fans under estimate Glen Wesley, Chris Thorburn and Matt D'Aggostini's and Stanbrook (skating) contributions with developing prospects. This is an organization strength, these coaches are excellent with the kids. There will be several still to come that outperform our expectations

I want to see what they do with Stancl because if he were to go on a Backes-like skating leap forward then he is a #1 candidate for what you're saying.

Yep they like guys with his toolset is he playing C in Springfield or wing?

Stancl has been the 3LW for Springfield anytime I’ve tuned in but I’ve just seen bits me pieces. I see him more on the wing than C though…but it’s possible he could play C. He plays both well but he’s particularly strong on the wing from what I’ve seen.

They played him at wing most of the games I saw with Kelowna too. He is not strong enough in the dot to be a center IMO

[STL fan in MN]

The Blues want D with an edge the same as we do. Burns, Fisher, Ralph and Jiricek all fit that mold. Unfortunately there’s probably 2 more years before you have a chance to see either. I do think Army is probably looking to make a trade to upgrade one of the right D positions within the next year if he can.

Ralph is a maybe. Jiricek does not play with an edge that I have seen.
Burns and Fischer absolutely play with the edge you are talking about though.
Having Burns Fischer and Tucker in their #3-7 defensemen is solid depth with a physical edge.
Burns and Fischer (and Ralph if he gets nastier) can all skate very very well.
That is Jiricek's #1 thing, his skating is eye popping. The other day he made what seemed like two backward glide strides and he shot down the ice faster than anyone.

Id agree with this. There’s almost zero edge to Jirecek’s game. Maybe he adds that element someday if/when he fills out but as of now, he looks like a flagpole out there. More likely to be blown up than to go make a big hit himself. His offensive sense and skating are clearly his standout qualities. Still very very raw.

Ralph is huge and doesn’t back down at all but agree he doesn’t really play with an edge. He’s a gentle giant type, sort of like Parayko.

Fischer plays with the exact right amount of edge IMO. I love how he’s developed this season. Burns has perhaps even more of an edge to his game but he’s more likely to cross the line IMO. Lots of undisciplined penalties over his Jr career. In fact, his Jr career ended last night because he slewfoot Aitcheson, got a game misconduct in the 2nd period and they went on to lose Game 7. Maybe he joins Springfield now? Springfield starts their 3 game playoff series in Providence tonight.

And I’ll agree with Harry that the Blues development staff seems to be doing a good job. That’s an area we as fans don’t really have much vision into but the prospects overall have been developing well and those development coaches play a big role in that. Glad the Blues have been investing in that and expanded the dept the last couple years. Isn’t Brian Elliott helping out on the goalie side too as a development coach?

[STL fan in MN]

The Blues want D with an edge the same as we do. Burns, Fisher, Ralph and Jiricek all fit that mold. Unfortunately there’s probably 2 more years before you have a chance to see either. I do think Army is probably looking to make a trade to upgrade one of the right D positions within the next year if he can.

Ralph is a maybe. Jiricek does not play with an edge that I have seen.
Burns and Fischer absolutely play with the edge you are talking about though.
Having Burns Fischer and Tucker in their #3-7 defensemen is solid depth with a physical edge.
Burns and Fischer (and Ralph if he gets nastier) can all skate very very well.
That is Jiricek's #1 thing, his skating is eye popping. The other day he made what seemed like two backward glide strides and he shot down the ice faster than anyone.

Blues fans under estimate Glen Wesley, Chris Thorburn and Matt D'Aggostini's and Stanbrook (skating) contributions with developing prospects. This is an organization strength, these coaches are excellent with the kids. There will be several still to come that outperform our expectations

I want to see what they do with Stancl because if he were to go on a Backes-like skating leap forward then he is a #1 candidate for what you're saying.

Yep they like guys with his toolset is he playing C in Springfield or wing?

Stancl has been the 3LW for Springfield anytime I’ve tuned in but I’ve just seen bits me pieces. I see him more on the wing than C though…but it’s possible he could play C. He plays both well but he’s particularly strong on the wing from what I’ve seen.

They played him at wing most of the games I saw with Kelowna too. He is not strong enough in the dot to be a center IMO

That’s fair. And yeah, saw he mostly played wing in Kelowna too. Good info on the faceoffs.

[seattleblue]

The Blues want D with an edge the same as we do. Burns, Fisher, Ralph and Jiricek all fit that mold. Unfortunately there’s probably 2 more years before you have a chance to see either. I do think Army is probably looking to make a trade to upgrade one of the right D positions within the next year if he can.

Ralph is a maybe. Jiricek does not play with an edge that I have seen.
Burns and Fischer absolutely play with the edge you are talking about though.
Having Burns Fischer and Tucker in their #3-7 defensemen is solid depth with a physical edge.
Burns and Fischer (and Ralph if he gets nastier) can all skate very very well.
That is Jiricek's #1 thing, his skating is eye popping. The other day he made what seemed like two backward glide strides and he shot down the ice faster than anyone.

Id agree with this. There’s almost zero edge to Jirecek’s game. Maybe he adds that element someday if/when he fills out but as of now, he looks like a flagpole out there. More likely to be blown up than to go make a big hit himself. His offensive sense and skating are clearly his standout qualities. Still very very raw.

Ralph is huge and doesn’t back down at all but agree he doesn’t really play with an edge. He’s a gentle giant type, sort of like Parayko.

Fischer plays with the exact right amount of edge IMO. I love how he’s developed this season. Burns has perhaps even more of an edge to his game but he’s more likely to cross the line IMO. Lots of undisciplined penalties over his Jr career. In fact, his Jr career ended last night because he slewfoot Aitcheson, got a game misconduct in the 2nd period and they went on to lose Game 7. Maybe he joins Springfield now? Springfield starts their 3 game playoff series in Providence tonight.

And I’ll agree with Harry that the Blues development staff seems to be doing a good job. That’s an area we as fans don’t really have much vision into but the prospects overall have been developing well and those development coaches play a big role in that. Glad the Blues have been investing in that and expanded the dept the last couple years. Isn’t Brian Elliott helping out on the goalie side too as a development coach?

Did you see my observation of the Burns "slewfoot"? I want him doing what he did for the Blues in the NHL. In my way of thinking for it to be a slewfoot then some part of Burns feet would have had to touch some part of Aitcheson's feet. That did not happen, it also wasn't that close. It was just too strong a play for kids. Aitcheson is huge and our guy just shouldered his (donkey) down against the boards and the puck was right there I wouldn't have even called interference. Clean hit, awesome hit. But agree he is a line-crosser. I think they threw him out on reputation but it was an embarrassing call.

[STL fan in MN]

The Blues want D with an edge the same as we do. Burns, Fisher, Ralph and Jiricek all fit that mold. Unfortunately there’s probably 2 more years before you have a chance to see either. I do think Army is probably looking to make a trade to upgrade one of the right D positions within the next year if he can.

Ralph is a maybe. Jiricek does not play with an edge that I have seen.
Burns and Fischer absolutely play with the edge you are talking about though.
Having Burns Fischer and Tucker in their #3-7 defensemen is solid depth with a physical edge.
Burns and Fischer (and Ralph if he gets nastier) can all skate very very well.
That is Jiricek's #1 thing, his skating is eye popping. The other day he made what seemed like two backward glide strides and he shot down the ice faster than anyone.

Id agree with this. There’s almost zero edge to Jirecek’s game. Maybe he adds that element someday if/when he fills out but as of now, he looks like a flagpole out there. More likely to be blown up than to go make a big hit himself. His offensive sense and skating are clearly his standout qualities. Still very very raw.

Ralph is huge and doesn’t back down at all but agree he doesn’t really play with an edge. He’s a gentle giant type, sort of like Parayko.

Fischer plays with the exact right amount of edge IMO. I love how he’s developed this season. Burns has perhaps even more of an edge to his game but he’s more likely to cross the line IMO. Lots of undisciplined penalties over his Jr career. In fact, his Jr career ended last night because he slewfoot Aitcheson, got a game misconduct in the 2nd period and they went on to lose Game 7. Maybe he joins Springfield now? Springfield starts their 3 game playoff series in Providence tonight.

And I’ll agree with Harry that the Blues development staff seems to be doing a good job. That’s an area we as fans don’t really have much vision into but the prospects overall have been developing well and those development coaches play a big role in that. Glad the Blues have been investing in that and expanded the dept the last couple years. Isn’t Brian Elliott helping out on the goalie side too as a development coach?

Did you see my observation of the Burns "slewfoot"? I want him doing what he did for the Blues in the NHL. In my way of thinking for it to be a slewfoot then some part of Burns feet would have had to touch some part of Aitcheson's feet. That did not happen, it also wasn't that close. It was just too strong a play for kids. Aitcheson is huge and our guy just shouldered his (donkey) down against the boards and the puck was right there I wouldn't have even called interference. Clean hit, awesome hit. But agree he is a line-crosser. I think they threw him out on reputation but it was an embarrassing call.

No, where is your observation? And do you happen to have video of it? I’ve yet to see it. I’ve seen it be described as both a complete dive and a textbook slewfoot so would like to see it myself.

But overall, diving in hockey is getting ridiculous (I’m all for big fines or maybe even suspensions for super egregious dives to try to get it out of the game) so I could absolutely see it being a dive. And Burns absolutely has that reputation so could also see the refs not giving him the benefit of the doubt. I’d like to see him clean up his game a bit but overall, the edge he brings is much more of a strength than detriment.

[seattleblue]

The Blues want D with an edge the same as we do. Burns, Fisher, Ralph and Jiricek all fit that mold. Unfortunately there’s probably 2 more years before you have a chance to see either. I do think Army is probably looking to make a trade to upgrade one of the right D positions within the next year if he can.

Ralph is a maybe. Jiricek does not play with an edge that I have seen.
Burns and Fischer absolutely play with the edge you are talking about though.
Having Burns Fischer and Tucker in their #3-7 defensemen is solid depth with a physical edge.
Burns and Fischer (and Ralph if he gets nastier) can all skate very very well.
That is Jiricek's #1 thing, his skating is eye popping. The other day he made what seemed like two backward glide strides and he shot down the ice faster than anyone.

Id agree with this. There’s almost zero edge to Jirecek’s game. Maybe he adds that element someday if/when he fills out but as of now, he looks like a flagpole out there. More likely to be blown up than to go make a big hit himself. His offensive sense and skating are clearly his standout qualities. Still very very raw.

Ralph is huge and doesn’t back down at all but agree he doesn’t really play with an edge. He’s a gentle giant type, sort of like Parayko.

Fischer plays with the exact right amount of edge IMO. I love how he’s developed this season. Burns has perhaps even more of an edge to his game but he’s more likely to cross the line IMO. Lots of undisciplined penalties over his Jr career. In fact, his Jr career ended last night because he slewfoot Aitcheson, got a game misconduct in the 2nd period and they went on to lose Game 7. Maybe he joins Springfield now? Springfield starts their 3 game playoff series in Providence tonight.

And I’ll agree with Harry that the Blues development staff seems to be doing a good job. That’s an area we as fans don’t really have much vision into but the prospects overall have been developing well and those development coaches play a big role in that. Glad the Blues have been investing in that and expanded the dept the last couple years. Isn’t Brian Elliott helping out on the goalie side too as a development coach?

Did you see my observation of the Burns "slewfoot"? I want him doing what he did for the Blues in the NHL. In my way of thinking for it to be a slewfoot then some part of Burns feet would have had to touch some part of Aitcheson's feet. That did not happen, it also wasn't that close. It was just too strong a play for kids. Aitcheson is huge and our guy just shouldered his (donkey) down against the boards and the puck was right there I wouldn't have even called interference. Clean hit, awesome hit. But agree he is a line-crosser. I think they threw him out on reputation but it was an embarrassing call.

No, where is your observation? And do you happen to have video of it? I’ve yet to see it. I’ve seen it be described as both a complete dive and a textbook slewfoot so would like to see it myself.

But overall, diving in hockey is getting ridiculous (I’m all for big fines or maybe even suspensions for super egregious dives to try to get it out of the game) so I could absolutely see it being a dive. And Burns absolutely has that reputation so could also see the refs not giving him the benefit of the doubt. I’d like to see him clean up his game a bit but overall, the edge he brings is much more of a strength than detriment.

Last post on page 3 of the Broberg disappointment thread since it was a follow up reference to a page 1 post.

It was absolutely not a dive either. Aitcheson who is huge just got bullied by a mean ginger. (I stopped taking video of plays I was watching a couple months ago because they don't post here. In fact the first 30+ minutes of the game I was rowing and watching and thinking about how if I knew the technical skills to pull video and then put that circle around the player let the video flow and make little observations I would do it, and this would have been an ideal game to do it with Burns because there were so many little things in this game worthy of pointing out about his decisions/game.) And while I was thinking that this play happened. Aitcheson had scored his team's opening goal to equalize it in a whipsaw score affair. It wasn't Burns' fault, Aitcheson aggressively pinched down low and pounced. But the reason he gave this huge hit is the shift prior his own teammate got buried in the corner. What Burns will do, is get even. He won't necessarily do it right in the moment though but he absolutely took a number and is plotting.

They reviewed the call since it was a 5 minute major but it was a home game for Barrie not Kingston and the crowd was furious. If tomorrow we were to watch Luke Schenn just throw Colton Parayko to the ground as Parayko tried to make the play the crowd would be furious and screaming for a call even if it were clean. It was the kind of hit behind the goal where you say "oh my."

They called it a slew foot because Aitcheson is against the boards trying to race by/squeeze through. Burns puts his left shoulder into Aitcheson's right shoulder and seems to leverage/move his left leg forward underneath as if a slewfoot were going to occur. But Burns' foot never touches any part of Aitcheson's lower body which means the contact is 100% shoulder. Aitcheson got violently thrown to the ice, it was so mean of Burns. Then they threw him out so it freed my time up from watching the rest of the game.

[STL fan in MN]

The Blues want D with an edge the same as we do. Burns, Fisher, Ralph and Jiricek all fit that mold. Unfortunately there’s probably 2 more years before you have a chance to see either. I do think Army is probably looking to make a trade to upgrade one of the right D positions within the next year if he can.

Ralph is a maybe. Jiricek does not play with an edge that I have seen.
Burns and Fischer absolutely play with the edge you are talking about though.
Having Burns Fischer and Tucker in their #3-7 defensemen is solid depth with a physical edge.
Burns and Fischer (and Ralph if he gets nastier) can all skate very very well.
That is Jiricek's #1 thing, his skating is eye popping. The other day he made what seemed like two backward glide strides and he shot down the ice faster than anyone.

Id agree with this. There’s almost zero edge to Jirecek’s game. Maybe he adds that element someday if/when he fills out but as of now, he looks like a flagpole out there. More likely to be blown up than to go make a big hit himself. His offensive sense and skating are clearly his standout qualities. Still very very raw.

Ralph is huge and doesn’t back down at all but agree he doesn’t really play with an edge. He’s a gentle giant type, sort of like Parayko.

Fischer plays with the exact right amount of edge IMO. I love how he’s developed this season. Burns has perhaps even more of an edge to his game but he’s more likely to cross the line IMO. Lots of undisciplined penalties over his Jr career. In fact, his Jr career ended last night because he slewfoot Aitcheson, got a game misconduct in the 2nd period and they went on to lose Game 7. Maybe he joins Springfield now? Springfield starts their 3 game playoff series in Providence tonight.

And I’ll agree with Harry that the Blues development staff seems to be doing a good job. That’s an area we as fans don’t really have much vision into but the prospects overall have been developing well and those development coaches play a big role in that. Glad the Blues have been investing in that and expanded the dept the last couple years. Isn’t Brian Elliott helping out on the goalie side too as a development coach?

Did you see my observation of the Burns "slewfoot"? I want him doing what he did for the Blues in the NHL. In my way of thinking for it to be a slewfoot then some part of Burns feet would have had to touch some part of Aitcheson's feet. That did not happen, it also wasn't that close. It was just too strong a play for kids. Aitcheson is huge and our guy just shouldered his (donkey) down against the boards and the puck was right there I wouldn't have even called interference. Clean hit, awesome hit. But agree he is a line-crosser. I think they threw him out on reputation but it was an embarrassing call.

No, where is your observation? And do you happen to have video of it? I’ve yet to see it. I’ve seen it be described as both a complete dive and a textbook slewfoot so would like to see it myself.

But overall, diving in hockey is getting ridiculous (I’m all for big fines or maybe even suspensions for super egregious dives to try to get it out of the game) so I could absolutely see it being a dive. And Burns absolutely has that reputation so could also see the refs not giving him the benefit of the doubt. I’d like to see him clean up his game a bit but overall, the edge he brings is much more of a strength than detriment.

Last post on page 3 of the Broberg disappointment thread since it was a follow up reference to a page 1 post.

It was absolutely not a dive either. Aitcheson who is huge just got bullied by a mean ginger. (I stopped taking video of plays I was watching a couple months ago because they don't post here. In fact the first 30+ minutes of the game I was rowing and watching and thinking about how if I knew the technical skills to pull video and then put that circle around the player let the video flow and make little observations I would do it, and this would have been an ideal game to do it with Burns because there were so many little things in this game worthy of pointing out about his decisions/game.) And while I was thinking that this play happened. Aitcheson had scored his team's opening goal to equalize it in a whipsaw score affair. It wasn't Burns' fault, Aitcheson aggressively pinched down low and pounced. But the reason he gave this huge hit is the shift prior his own teammate got buried in the corner. What Burns will do, is get even. He won't necessarily do it right in the moment though but he absolutely took a number and is plotting.

They reviewed the call since it was a 5 minute major but it was a home game for Barrie not Kingston and the crowd was furious. If tomorrow we were to watch Luke Schenn just throw Colton Parayko to the ground as Parayko tried to make the play the crowd would be furious and screaming for a call even if it were clean. It was the kind of hit behind the goal where you say "oh my."

They called it a slew foot because Aitcheson is against the boards trying to race by/squeeze through. Burns puts his left shoulder into Aitcheson's right shoulder and seems to leverage/move his left leg forward underneath as if a slewfoot were going to occur. But Burns' foot never touches any part of Aitcheson's lower body which means the contact is 100% shoulder. Aitcheson got violently thrown to the ice, it was so mean of Burns. Then they threw him out so it freed my time up from watching the rest of the game.

I noped out of the Broberg thread after it got silly (as most threads here eventually do) so didn’t see it. But that sounds like a fair description. Burns is just nasty. And yeah, there are plenty of calls in the CHL that would go uncalled or maybe be a minor in the NHL.

[Bluesfan1978]

The Blues want D with an edge the same as we do. Burns, Fisher, Ralph and Jiricek all fit that mold. Unfortunately there’s probably 2 more years before you have a chance to see either. I do think Army is probably looking to make a trade to upgrade one of the right D positions within the next year if he can.

Ralph is a maybe. Jiricek does not play with an edge that I have seen.
Burns and Fischer absolutely play with the edge you are talking about though.
Having Burns Fischer and Tucker in their #3-7 defensemen is solid depth with a physical edge.
Burns and Fischer (and Ralph if he gets nastier) can all skate very very well.
That is Jiricek's #1 thing, his skating is eye popping. The other day he made what seemed like two backward glide strides and he shot down the ice faster than anyone.

The Jiricek comments I made were based on how the Blues described him when he was drafted. I have not seen that edge since he was drafted but I also thought with him missing a full year due to injury and really still battling injuries he’s probably been a bit careful. I also think with how slim his build is he probably is limited how much of an edge he can play with. It will be interesting if that part of his game develops further as he adds size and strength.

[Bluesfan1978]

The Blues want D with an edge the same as we do. Burns, Fisher, Ralph and Jiricek all fit that mold. Unfortunately there’s probably 2 more years before you have a chance to see either. I do think Army is probably looking to make a trade to upgrade one of the right D positions within the next year if he can.

Ralph is a maybe. Jiricek does not play with an edge that I have seen.
Burns and Fischer absolutely play with the edge you are talking about though.
Having Burns Fischer and Tucker in their #3-7 defensemen is solid depth with a physical edge.
Burns and Fischer (and Ralph if he gets nastier) can all skate very very well.
That is Jiricek's #1 thing, his skating is eye popping. The other day he made what seemed like two backward glide strides and he shot down the ice faster than anyone.

Blues fans under estimate Glen Wesley, Chris Thorburn and Matt D'Aggostini's and Stanbrook (skating) contributions with developing prospects. This is an organization strength, these coaches are excellent with the kids. There will be several still to come that outperform our expectations

I want to see what they do with Stancl because if he were to go on a Backes-like skating leap forward then he is a #1 candidate for what you're saying.

They should send Stancl to whoever Jimmy Snuggerud’s skating coach was last offseason.

[dhsux]

Snuggy has exceeded my expectations. He’s adapted quicker and better than I expected. I saw a likely 2RW with a wicked shot in time but if he can develop into more than that then that’d be awesome.

That said i couldn't help but wonder how strong a team really is when you have a rookie still getting acclimated playing such a big role in the playoffs.

Oh for sure. Snuggy is doing fantastically given his age and experience level but he’s a pretty huge downgrade from this season’s version of Holloway. And it absolutely highlights a lack of depth that he was getting 2nd line minutes to start the playoffs and then thrust onto the top line last night. I really like Snuggerud’s future but it’s simply true that a Cup caliber team should have better options for that important of a role than a kid that was playing college hockey a couple weeks ago.

Who ever claimed THIS is a Cup caliber team? They might still prove to be but they are a long shot at best.

Snuggerud IS depth. That said, he would be playing now even if Holloway were healthy.

Nobody backfills a Holloway without losing performance.

That’s my point. This year’s Blues team isn’t a Cup caliber team. Not without a ton of luck and almost every player playing well above their current caliber.

Perhaps Snuggerud would still be playing on a deeper team but perhaps not. Maybe more the role Thomas had in ‘19 but it’s hard to say. But it’s telling to me that he’s easily passed Texier and Joseph already in the eyes of Monty.

Only saw Dalibor for that one game and he appeared to be everything fans said he would be: a good shot but needs to improve his skating, and that's just to be an NHL regular perhaps. Not sure he's got the toolset to be a high-caliber player.

Snuggy, on the other hand ... WOW. Faster than advertised, deceptive/elusive skating ability, great passing, and a Tarasenko-level shot. Kid is the total package.

Hopefully Army makes a few "smart" moves in the offseason (don't need a Predators 2.0 type offseason) and this team will be ready to compete for the Conference Finals next season barrring too many horrendous injuries.

Going to have to disagree with you about Dvorsky. He’s still only 19 and plays the harder position. He’s going to need some time to develop but I’d still rank Dvorsky ahead of Snuggy longterm in terms of their overall impact. But it’s close. And Snuggy’s quick NHL adaption perhaps closes the gap.

Living here in MN, I watched quite a few Gophers games on tv with a handful in person. Snuggy is good but so far he’s way outperforming what I would’ve expected based on what I saw his 3 years in college. Maybe he just got bored or needs to play with higher caliber players to truly shine but he had quite a few flaws in his game in college that haven’t really shown in the NHL much yet. Not sure if he’s made a quick adjustment or he’s just running on adrenaline and he’ll peter out in a bit but either way, I’m cautiously optimistic with him. He’s still a very young player and is bound to make a ton of rookie mistakes over the next year or so.

It appears his decision to stay another years was a good one

How does the league look upon the NCAA versus their own system for development of players ?

Yeah, I was one that never really had an issue with him returning for his Jr year. I would’ve had a big issue had he wanted to stay all 4 years but a year ago, he clearly still had parts of his game that needed work and I had no issue with him doing that work in college instead of Springfield. You only get to go to college once. Might as well enjoy it.

As for how the league as a whole or Blues view the NCAA as a development path, I could only guess but I’d guess it’s quite favorable. I get the impression the Blues might have a slight preference for the CHL but if they hated the NCAA model then we wouldn’t continually have so many prospects there. The NCAA is a good development path. Much better the last 10-20 years than it was in the 90s or earlier. Lots of talent in college hockey these days. Not as many games as the CHL but it allows the players to develop at a bit slower pace while spending more time in the gym.

And now that CHL players can play in the NCAA, that opens things up even more for the talent to increase in college hockey. At first it was just the overagers and fringe players that were leaving the CHL for NCAA but then Michigan State landed last year’s 4th overall pick Cayden Lindstrom, who’s leaving Medicine Hat to join the Spartans. I’ve even heard rumblings that Gavin McKenna (led the WHL in scoring as a 17 year old, pretty much guaranteed to be the 1st overall pick of the 2026 NHL draft) is considering leaving for the NCAA for big NIL money. That’d be a seismic event and the CHL would want to find a way to prevent that. Could be a war brewing IMO…

I did not know of the status of the NCAA in hockey's rank of learning and growing. If NIL comes along as you suggest it will only enhance that.

I assume the US northern university's are going to have to compete with the major sports to get their dollars.

[STL fan in MN]

The Blues want D with an edge the same as we do. Burns, Fisher, Ralph and Jiricek all fit that mold. Unfortunately there’s probably 2 more years before you have a chance to see either. I do think Army is probably looking to make a trade to upgrade one of the right D positions within the next year if he can.

Ralph is a maybe. Jiricek does not play with an edge that I have seen.
Burns and Fischer absolutely play with the edge you are talking about though.
Having Burns Fischer and Tucker in their #3-7 defensemen is solid depth with a physical edge.
Burns and Fischer (and Ralph if he gets nastier) can all skate very very well.
That is Jiricek's #1 thing, his skating is eye popping. The other day he made what seemed like two backward glide strides and he shot down the ice faster than anyone.

Blues fans under estimate Glen Wesley, Chris Thorburn and Matt D'Aggostini's and Stanbrook (skating) contributions with developing prospects. This is an organization strength, these coaches are excellent with the kids. There will be several still to come that outperform our expectations

I want to see what they do with Stancl because if he were to go on a Backes-like skating leap forward then he is a #1 candidate for what you're saying.

They should send Stancl to whoever Jimmy Snuggerud’s skating coach was last offseason.

That would be Jack Blatherwick - Herb Brooks’ trainer for the 1980 Olympic team. He’s pretty well known here in Minnesota. Snuggerud trained with Jack at least the last 2 offseasons. I recall seeing an article once that detailed Jack’s unconventional approach that included Jimmy and others wearing weighted vests while doing the skating drills.

[dhsux]

The Blues want D with an edge the same as we do. Burns, Fisher, Ralph and Jiricek all fit that mold. Unfortunately there’s probably 2 more years before you have a chance to see either. I do think Army is probably looking to make a trade to upgrade one of the right D positions within the next year if he can.

Ralph is a maybe. Jiricek does not play with an edge that I have seen.
Burns and Fischer absolutely play with the edge you are talking about though.
Having Burns Fischer and Tucker in their #3-7 defensemen is solid depth with a physical edge.
Burns and Fischer (and Ralph if he gets nastier) can all skate very very well.
That is Jiricek's #1 thing, his skating is eye popping. The other day he made what seemed like two backward glide strides and he shot down the ice faster than anyone.

Blues fans under estimate Glen Wesley, Chris Thorburn and Matt D'Aggostini's and Stanbrook (skating) contributions with developing prospects. This is an organization strength, these coaches are excellent with the kids. There will be several still to come that outperform our expectations

Great shout out for the coaches....I've had the pleasure of chatting with Stanbrook a number of times super impressive guy.

[STL fan in MN]

Snuggy has exceeded my expectations. He’s adapted quicker and better than I expected. I saw a likely 2RW with a wicked shot in time but if he can develop into more than that then that’d be awesome.

That said i couldn't help but wonder how strong a team really is when you have a rookie still getting acclimated playing such a big role in the playoffs.

Oh for sure. Snuggy is doing fantastically given his age and experience level but he’s a pretty huge downgrade from this season’s version of Holloway. And it absolutely highlights a lack of depth that he was getting 2nd line minutes to start the playoffs and then thrust onto the top line last night. I really like Snuggerud’s future but it’s simply true that a Cup caliber team should have better options for that important of a role than a kid that was playing college hockey a couple weeks ago.

Who ever claimed THIS is a Cup caliber team? They might still prove to be but they are a long shot at best.

Snuggerud IS depth. That said, he would be playing now even if Holloway were healthy.

Nobody backfills a Holloway without losing performance.

That’s my point. This year’s Blues team isn’t a Cup caliber team. Not without a ton of luck and almost every player playing well above their current caliber.

Perhaps Snuggerud would still be playing on a deeper team but perhaps not. Maybe more the role Thomas had in ‘19 but it’s hard to say. But it’s telling to me that he’s easily passed Texier and Joseph already in the eyes of Monty.

Only saw Dalibor for that one game and he appeared to be everything fans said he would be: a good shot but needs to improve his skating, and that's just to be an NHL regular perhaps. Not sure he's got the toolset to be a high-caliber player.

Snuggy, on the other hand ... WOW. Faster than advertised, deceptive/elusive skating ability, great passing, and a Tarasenko-level shot. Kid is the total package.

Hopefully Army makes a few "smart" moves in the offseason (don't need a Predators 2.0 type offseason) and this team will be ready to compete for the Conference Finals next season barrring too many horrendous injuries.

Going to have to disagree with you about Dvorsky. He’s still only 19 and plays the harder position. He’s going to need some time to develop but I’d still rank Dvorsky ahead of Snuggy longterm in terms of their overall impact. But it’s close. And Snuggy’s quick NHL adaption perhaps closes the gap.

Living here in MN, I watched quite a few Gophers games on tv with a handful in person. Snuggy is good but so far he’s way outperforming what I would’ve expected based on what I saw his 3 years in college. Maybe he just got bored or needs to play with higher caliber players to truly shine but he had quite a few flaws in his game in college that haven’t really shown in the NHL much yet. Not sure if he’s made a quick adjustment or he’s just running on adrenaline and he’ll peter out in a bit but either way, I’m cautiously optimistic with him. He’s still a very young player and is bound to make a ton of rookie mistakes over the next year or so.

It appears his decision to stay another years was a good one

How does the league look upon the NCAA versus their own system for development of players ?

Yeah, I was one that never really had an issue with him returning for his Jr year. I would’ve had a big issue had he wanted to stay all 4 years but a year ago, he clearly still had parts of his game that needed work and I had no issue with him doing that work in college instead of Springfield. You only get to go to college once. Might as well enjoy it.

As for how the league as a whole or Blues view the NCAA as a development path, I could only guess but I’d guess it’s quite favorable. I get the impression the Blues might have a slight preference for the CHL but if they hated the NCAA model then we wouldn’t continually have so many prospects there. The NCAA is a good development path. Much better the last 10-20 years than it was in the 90s or earlier. Lots of talent in college hockey these days. Not as many games as the CHL but it allows the players to develop at a bit slower pace while spending more time in the gym.

And now that CHL players can play in the NCAA, that opens things up even more for the talent to increase in college hockey. At first it was just the overagers and fringe players that were leaving the CHL for NCAA but then Michigan State landed last year’s 4th overall pick Cayden Lindstrom, who’s leaving Medicine Hat to join the Spartans. I’ve even heard rumblings that Gavin McKenna (led the WHL in scoring as a 17 year old, pretty much guaranteed to be the 1st overall pick of the 2026 NHL draft) is considering leaving for the NCAA for big NIL money. That’d be a seismic event and the CHL would want to find a way to prevent that. Could be a war brewing IMO…

I did not know of the status of the NCAA in hockey's rank of learning and growing. If NIL comes along as you suggest it will only enhance that.

I assume the US northern university's are going to have to compete with the major sports to get their dollars.

Yeah, the NCAA is pretty much the primary way US kids get to the NHL. And obviously some Canadian kids go that route too - Celebrini, Fantilli, Makar, Schwartz etc.

Word is the Big 10 and Big East teams will have the most NIL money to throw around, particularly the Big 10. I’ve yet to see anything with definitely proof but I’d bet Snuggerud made solid NIL money this season with the Gophers. Enough that it’d at least be comparable to a AHL salary (but probably not AHL salary plus NHL signing bonus of $95k). TB 1st rounder Isaac Howard is returning to Michigan State for his Sr season. Part of that is because TB didn’t have enough Cap room to sign him for yet this season but I’d bet at least part of it is that Howard knows he’ll get good NIL money at Michigan State.

[dhsux]

Snuggy has exceeded my expectations. He’s adapted quicker and better than I expected. I saw a likely 2RW with a wicked shot in time but if he can develop into more than that then that’d be awesome.

That said i couldn't help but wonder how strong a team really is when you have a rookie still getting acclimated playing such a big role in the playoffs.

Oh for sure. Snuggy is doing fantastically given his age and experience level but he’s a pretty huge downgrade from this season’s version of Holloway. And it absolutely highlights a lack of depth that he was getting 2nd line minutes to start the playoffs and then thrust onto the top line last night. I really like Snuggerud’s future but it’s simply true that a Cup caliber team should have better options for that important of a role than a kid that was playing college hockey a couple weeks ago.

Who ever claimed THIS is a Cup caliber team? They might still prove to be but they are a long shot at best.

Snuggerud IS depth. That said, he would be playing now even if Holloway were healthy.

Nobody backfills a Holloway without losing performance.

That’s my point. This year’s Blues team isn’t a Cup caliber team. Not without a ton of luck and almost every player playing well above their current caliber.

Perhaps Snuggerud would still be playing on a deeper team but perhaps not. Maybe more the role Thomas had in ‘19 but it’s hard to say. But it’s telling to me that he’s easily passed Texier and Joseph already in the eyes of Monty.

Only saw Dalibor for that one game and he appeared to be everything fans said he would be: a good shot but needs to improve his skating, and that's just to be an NHL regular perhaps. Not sure he's got the toolset to be a high-caliber player.

Snuggy, on the other hand ... WOW. Faster than advertised, deceptive/elusive skating ability, great passing, and a Tarasenko-level shot. Kid is the total package.

Hopefully Army makes a few "smart" moves in the offseason (don't need a Predators 2.0 type offseason) and this team will be ready to compete for the Conference Finals next season barrring too many horrendous injuries.

Going to have to disagree with you about Dvorsky. He’s still only 19 and plays the harder position. He’s going to need some time to develop but I’d still rank Dvorsky ahead of Snuggy longterm in terms of their overall impact. But it’s close. And Snuggy’s quick NHL adaption perhaps closes the gap.

Living here in MN, I watched quite a few Gophers games on tv with a handful in person. Snuggy is good but so far he’s way outperforming what I would’ve expected based on what I saw his 3 years in college. Maybe he just got bored or needs to play with higher caliber players to truly shine but he had quite a few flaws in his game in college that haven’t really shown in the NHL much yet. Not sure if he’s made a quick adjustment or he’s just running on adrenaline and he’ll peter out in a bit but either way, I’m cautiously optimistic with him. He’s still a very young player and is bound to make a ton of rookie mistakes over the next year or so.

It appears his decision to stay another years was a good one

How does the league look upon the NCAA versus their own system for development of players ?

Yeah, I was one that never really had an issue with him returning for his Jr year. I would’ve had a big issue had he wanted to stay all 4 years but a year ago, he clearly still had parts of his game that needed work and I had no issue with him doing that work in college instead of Springfield. You only get to go to college once. Might as well enjoy it.

As for how the league as a whole or Blues view the NCAA as a development path, I could only guess but I’d guess it’s quite favorable. I get the impression the Blues might have a slight preference for the CHL but if they hated the NCAA model then we wouldn’t continually have so many prospects there. The NCAA is a good development path. Much better the last 10-20 years than it was in the 90s or earlier. Lots of talent in college hockey these days. Not as many games as the CHL but it allows the players to develop at a bit slower pace while spending more time in the gym.

And now that CHL players can play in the NCAA, that opens things up even more for the talent to increase in college hockey. At first it was just the overagers and fringe players that were leaving the CHL for NCAA but then Michigan State landed last year’s 4th overall pick Cayden Lindstrom, who’s leaving Medicine Hat to join the Spartans. I’ve even heard rumblings that Gavin McKenna (led the WHL in scoring as a 17 year old, pretty much guaranteed to be the 1st overall pick of the 2026 NHL draft) is considering leaving for the NCAA for big NIL money. That’d be a seismic event and the CHL would want to find a way to prevent that. Could be a war brewing IMO…

I did not know of the status of the NCAA in hockey's rank of learning and growing. If NIL comes along as you suggest it will only enhance that.

I assume the US northern university's are going to have to compete with the major sports to get their dollars.

Yeah, the NCAA is pretty much the primary way US kids get to the NHL. And obviously some Canadian kids go that route too - Celebrini, Fantilli, Makar, Schwartz etc.

Word is the Big 10 and Big East teams will have the most NIL money to throw around, particularly the Big 10. I’ve yet to see anything with definitely proof but I’d bet Snuggerud made solid NIL money this season with the Gophers. Enough that it’d at least be comparable to a AHL salary (but probably not AHL salary plus NHL signing bonus of $95k). TB 1st rounder Isaac Howard is returning to Michigan State for his Sr season. Part of that is because TB didn’t have enough Cap room to sign him for yet this season but I’d bet at least part of it is that Howard knows he’ll get good NIL money at Michigan State.

I'm not opposed to the concept of NIL but I hate the current practice of its wild wild west operation. There's a lot that has to be done to get some kind of structure for all parties to know where they stand and establish some expectations. There's likely going to have to be corporate structure set up to run it.

For now I am curious where a Snuggs or McKenna would fall on the dollar scale. You're thinking Snuggs got 100k maybe or a 2 way contract kind of salary value??

I'm guessing McKenna would draw serious interest and money. Private doners could swing that deal any way they want.