Prospect pool

[unclesals427]

I’ve been a bit out of it for the last year or two.

Anyone want to do a summary of our prospect pool where it stands or point to an older post that does?

[seattleblue]

I’ve been a bit out of it for the last year or two.

Anyone want to do a summary of our prospect pool where it stands or point to an older post that does?

My quickflash rankings of the top 10:

1. Dalibor Dvorsky, C – a linchpin scoring center that we very much need and who I'm highly confident in

2. Jimmy Snuggerud, RW – showed in 14 NHL games that he is going to be legit

3. Theo Lindstein, LD – he played for Brynas in Sweden, they lost the SHL championship in six and he was getting #6 minutes around 15 min a game. He looks so smooth, poised and on track. Skates fluidly in all points of direction, unflappable style, future top 4 defenseman. 2-4 range. I personally see a #2 defenseman who can handle a ton of minutes, but it's going to be a ramp up like most defensemen. He is really aligned with Fowler's spot. Actually the trio of Fowler, Broberg and Lindstein are the contenders for the top two LD spots in the coming years and we'll see how it plays out. There is also the wild card idea that he could flip over to RHD if the Blues landed someone dominant on LD they have to play there instead of the RHD piece most of us think they need.

4. Justin Carbonneau, RW – he is either 3 or 4 but Lindstein has earned 3 so I am loath to new toy syndrome him above Lindstein, but I do love Carbonneau and was touting him here for awhile. The reason I have compared him to Holloway is purely in the energy with which they hack the offensive zone with interruptive high IQ plays that are almost chaotic and then can finish with skill. It's the thing that makes Holloway special and it's the thing that makes Carbonneau special.

5. Otto Stenberg, LW/swiss army knife – It is painful to see this player as low as 5 on my board. I love Otto Stenberg's future with the Blues. Comp is Alex Steen as a player.

6. Lukas Fischer, LD – would be a first rounder this year if two weeks younger (would be same age as Aitcheson). 6'5" son of an NHL Director of Player Development. Skates very well, very physical, can hammer the puck from the blue line & score, tons of minutes for his junior team, Sarnia. He is already their captain and will be again this year.

7. Adam Jiricek, RD – his skating is phenomenal. 6'2" beanpole with an offensive mindset, He can backward glide at speed. He is a complete mess in his decisionmaking or he is being coached terribly, and he is riddled with knee and concussion issues already. I feel I have to keep him at 7 but he is in limbo and next year is huge for him, he got zero consistency in his play this year.

8. Jakub Stancl, LW – this Czech winger is done with the WHL and on to the AHL. I watched him more closely than any of our prospects, 40+ full games this past season. His performance in the WJC is going to stay with me a long time. The player dominated his peers under pressure. That's good. I am very clear in my assessment he is above Pekarcik who I also saw many full games of this year.

9. Quinton Burns, LD – also an OHL captain now finished with juniors and onto the AHL. This large mean redhead is a lefty Tucker. Excellent defensively, all the toughest assignments. He has the Ryan Suter/Tyler Tucker poker face in the way he is always in it physically. He has enough puck skills to get some points but he's not going to be a point producer. He would build out his game similar to Tucker in the NHL, first the defense then he could start to sneak into the play and get points which he knows how to do. He made a lights out defensive play on Misa this year I happened to catch that dropped my jaw. He just feels like an NHL player to me. A sheriff on the back end.

10. Juraj Pekarcik, LW – others will rank him higher but I'm super confident the nine player above him are better. He is part of the solution offensively but what's going to hold him back is his high center of gravity skating and the ease with which larger NHL players will push him off the play.

HM: Ralph, Kaskimaki & Dean could each have claim to be in the top 10, and Mrsic has one of the best shots of any prospect we have which is saying a lot. Carbonneau is a big linebacker and Mrsic is more slight and needs space to be deadly (which he is)

[Frank Barone]

I’ve been a bit out of it for the last year or two.

Anyone want to do a summary of our prospect pool where it stands or point to an older post that does?

My quickflash rankings of the top 10:

1. Dalibor Dvorsky, C – a linchpin scoring center that we very much need and who I'm highly confident in

2. Jimmy Snuggerud, RW – showed in 14 NHL games that he is going to be legit

3. Theo Lindstein, LD – he played for Brynas in Sweden, they lost the SHL championship in six and he was getting #6 minutes around 15 min a game. He looks so smooth, poised and on track. Skates fluidly in all points of direction, unflappable style, future top 4 defenseman. 2-4 range. I personally see a #2 defenseman who can handle a ton of minutes, but it's going to be a ramp up like most defensemen. He is really aligned with Fowler's spot. Actually the trio of Fowler, Broberg and Lindstein are the contenders for the top two LD spots in the coming years and we'll see how it plays out. There is also the wild card idea that he could flip over to RHD if the Blues landed someone dominant on LD they have to play there instead of the RHD piece most of us think they need.

4. Justin Carbonneau, RW – he is either 3 or 4 but Lindstein has earned 3 so I am loath to new toy syndrome him above Lindstein, but I do love Carbonneau and was touting him here for awhile. The reason I have compared him to Holloway is purely in the energy with which they hack the offensive zone with interruptive high IQ plays that are almost chaotic and then can finish with skill. It's the thing that makes Holloway special and it's the thing that makes Carbonneau special.

5. Otto Stenberg, LW/swiss army knife – It is painful to see this player as low as 5 on my board. I love Otto Stenberg's future with the Blues. Comp is Alex Steen as a player.

6. Lukas Fischer, LD – would be a first rounder this year if two weeks younger (would be same age as Aitcheson). 6'5" son of an NHL Director of Player Development. Skates very well, very physical, can hammer the puck from the blue line & score, tons of minutes for his junior team, Sarnia. He is already their captain and will be again this year.

7. Adam Jiricek, RD – his skating is phenomenal. 6'2" beanpole with an offensive mindset, He can backward glide at speed. He is a complete mess in his decisionmaking or he is being coached terribly, and he is riddled with knee and concussion issues already. I feel I have to keep him at 7 but he is in limbo and next year is huge for him, he got zero consistency in his play this year.

8. Jakub Stancl, LW – this Czech winger is done with the WHL and on to the AHL. I watched him more closely than any of our prospects, 40+ full games this past season. His performance in the WJC is going to stay with me a long time. The player dominated his peers under pressure. That's good. I am very clear in my assessment he is above Pekarcik who I also saw many full games of this year.

9. Quinton Burns, LD – also an OHL captain now finished with juniors and onto the AHL. This large mean redhead is a lefty Tucker. Excellent defensively, all the toughest assignments. He has the Ryan Suter/Tyler Tucker poker face in the way he is always in it physically. He has enough puck skills to get some points but he's not going to be a point producer. He would build out his game similar to Tucker in the NHL, first the defense then he could start to sneak into the play and get points which he knows how to do. He made a lights out defensive play on Misa this year I happened to catch that dropped my jaw. He just feels like an NHL player to me. A sheriff on the back end.

10. Juraj Pekarcik, LW – others will rank him higher but I'm super confident the nine player above him are better. He is part of the solution offensively but what's going to hold him back is his high center of gravity skating and the ease with which larger NHL players will push him off the play.

HM: Ralph, Kaskimaki & Dean could each have claim to be in the top 10, and Mrsic has one of the best shots of any prospect we have which is saying a lot. Carbonneau is a big linebacker and Mrsic is more slight and needs space to be deadly (which he is)

Thanks very much for putting this analysis together.

Tony Feltrin and his scouts deserve a lot of credit for the quality and depth of this pool.

[John Cocktoastin]

I’ve been a bit out of it for the last year or two.

Anyone want to do a summary of our prospect pool where it stands or point to an older post that does?

My quickflash rankings of the top 10:

1. Dalibor Dvorsky, C – a linchpin scoring center that we very much need and who I'm highly confident in

2. Jimmy Snuggerud, RW – showed in 14 NHL games that he is going to be legit

3. Theo Lindstein, LD – he played for Brynas in Sweden, they lost the SHL championship in six and he was getting #6 minutes around 15 min a game. He looks so smooth, poised and on track. Skates fluidly in all points of direction, unflappable style, future top 4 defenseman. 2-4 range. I personally see a #2 defenseman who can handle a ton of minutes, but it's going to be a ramp up like most defensemen. He is really aligned with Fowler's spot. Actually the trio of Fowler, Broberg and Lindstein are the contenders for the top two LD spots in the coming years and we'll see how it plays out. There is also the wild card idea that he could flip over to RHD if the Blues landed someone dominant on LD they have to play there instead of the RHD piece most of us think they need.

4. Justin Carbonneau, RW – he is either 3 or 4 but Lindstein has earned 3 so I am loath to new toy syndrome him above Lindstein, but I do love Carbonneau and was touting him here for awhile. The reason I have compared him to Holloway is purely in the energy with which they hack the offensive zone with interruptive high IQ plays that are almost chaotic and then can finish with skill. It's the thing that makes Holloway special and it's the thing that makes Carbonneau special.

5. Otto Stenberg, LW/swiss army knife – It is painful to see this player as low as 5 on my board. I love Otto Stenberg's future with the Blues. Comp is Alex Steen as a player.

6. Lukas Fischer, LD – would be a first rounder this year if two weeks younger (would be same age as Aitcheson). 6'5" son of an NHL Director of Player Development. Skates very well, very physical, can hammer the puck from the blue line & score, tons of minutes for his junior team, Sarnia. He is already their captain and will be again this year.

7. Adam Jiricek, RD – his skating is phenomenal. 6'2" beanpole with an offensive mindset, He can backward glide at speed. He is a complete mess in his decisionmaking or he is being coached terribly, and he is riddled with knee and concussion issues already. I feel I have to keep him at 7 but he is in limbo and next year is huge for him, he got zero consistency in his play this year.

8. Jakub Stancl, LW – this Czech winger is done with the WHL and on to the AHL. I watched him more closely than any of our prospects, 40+ full games this past season. His performance in the WJC is going to stay with me a long time. The player dominated his peers under pressure. That's good. I am very clear in my assessment he is above Pekarcik who I also saw many full games of this year.

9. Quinton Burns, LD – also an OHL captain now finished with juniors and onto the AHL. This large mean redhead is a lefty Tucker. Excellent defensively, all the toughest assignments. He has the Ryan Suter/Tyler Tucker poker face in the way he is always in it physically. He has enough puck skills to get some points but he's not going to be a point producer. He would build out his game similar to Tucker in the NHL, first the defense then he could start to sneak into the play and get points which he knows how to do. He made a lights out defensive play on Misa this year I happened to catch that dropped my jaw. He just feels like an NHL player to me. A sheriff on the back end.

10. Juraj Pekarcik, LW – others will rank him higher but I'm super confident the nine player above him are better. He is part of the solution offensively but what's going to hold him back is his high center of gravity skating and the ease with which larger NHL players will push him off the play.

HM: Ralph, Kaskimaki & Dean could each have claim to be in the top 10, and Mrsic has one of the best shots of any prospect we have which is saying a lot. Carbonneau is a big linebacker and Mrsic is more slight and needs space to be deadly (which he is)

Thanks very much for putting this analysis together.

Tony Feltrin and his scouts deserve a lot of credit for the quality and depth of this pool.

Awesome list..thank you!

I have Snuggerud as graduated (my opinion), and see him breaking with the club.

Also, great point about our scouting department.
The consistency with them - whoever has been at the helm (B. Armstrrong, Feltrin) over the last several years+ has been second to none. Heck, throw Vince Dunn in there as a un-freakin' believable pick. Unreal, actually.

[moose-and-squirrel]

I’ve been a bit out of it for the last year or two.

Anyone want to do a summary of our prospect pool where it stands or point to an older post that does?

My quickflash rankings of the top 10:

1. Dalibor Dvorsky, C – a linchpin scoring center that we very much need and who I'm highly confident in

2. Jimmy Snuggerud, RW – showed in 14 NHL games that he is going to be legit

3. Theo Lindstein, LD – he played for Brynas in Sweden, they lost the SHL championship in six and he was getting #6 minutes around 15 min a game. He looks so smooth, poised and on track. Skates fluidly in all points of direction, unflappable style, future top 4 defenseman. 2-4 range. I personally see a #2 defenseman who can handle a ton of minutes, but it's going to be a ramp up like most defensemen. He is really aligned with Fowler's spot. Actually the trio of Fowler, Broberg and Lindstein are the contenders for the top two LD spots in the coming years and we'll see how it plays out. There is also the wild card idea that he could flip over to RHD if the Blues landed someone dominant on LD they have to play there instead of the RHD piece most of us think they need.

4. Justin Carbonneau, RW – he is either 3 or 4 but Lindstein has earned 3 so I am loath to new toy syndrome him above Lindstein, but I do love Carbonneau and was touting him here for awhile. The reason I have compared him to Holloway is purely in the energy with which they hack the offensive zone with interruptive high IQ plays that are almost chaotic and then can finish with skill. It's the thing that makes Holloway special and it's the thing that makes Carbonneau special.

5. Otto Stenberg, LW/swiss army knife – It is painful to see this player as low as 5 on my board. I love Otto Stenberg's future with the Blues. Comp is Alex Steen as a player.

6. Lukas Fischer, LD – would be a first rounder this year if two weeks younger (would be same age as Aitcheson). 6'5" son of an NHL Director of Player Development. Skates very well, very physical, can hammer the puck from the blue line & score, tons of minutes for his junior team, Sarnia. He is already their captain and will be again this year.

7. Adam Jiricek, RD – his skating is phenomenal. 6'2" beanpole with an offensive mindset, He can backward glide at speed. He is a complete mess in his decisionmaking or he is being coached terribly, and he is riddled with knee and concussion issues already. I feel I have to keep him at 7 but he is in limbo and next year is huge for him, he got zero consistency in his play this year.

8. Jakub Stancl, LW – this Czech winger is done with the WHL and on to the AHL. I watched him more closely than any of our prospects, 40+ full games this past season. His performance in the WJC is going to stay with me a long time. The player dominated his peers under pressure. That's good. I am very clear in my assessment he is above Pekarcik who I also saw many full games of this year.

9. Quinton Burns, LD – also an OHL captain now finished with juniors and onto the AHL. This large mean redhead is a lefty Tucker. Excellent defensively, all the toughest assignments. He has the Ryan Suter/Tyler Tucker poker face in the way he is always in it physically. He has enough puck skills to get some points but he's not going to be a point producer. He would build out his game similar to Tucker in the NHL, first the defense then he could start to sneak into the play and get points which he knows how to do. He made a lights out defensive play on Misa this year I happened to catch that dropped my jaw. He just feels like an NHL player to me. A sheriff on the back end.

10. Juraj Pekarcik, LW – others will rank him higher but I'm super confident the nine player above him are better. He is part of the solution offensively but what's going to hold him back is his high center of gravity skating and the ease with which larger NHL players will push him off the play.

HM: Ralph, Kaskimaki & Dean could each have claim to be in the top 10, and Mrsic has one of the best shots of any prospect we have which is saying a lot. Carbonneau is a big linebacker and Mrsic is more slight and needs space to be deadly (which he is)

Thanks very much for putting this analysis together.

Tony Feltrin and his scouts deserve a lot of credit for the quality and depth of this pool.

Awesome list..thank you!

I have Snuggerud as graduated (my opinion), and see him breaking with the club.

Also, great point about our scouting department.
The consistency with them - whoever has been at the helm (B. Armstrrong, Feltrin) over the last several years+ has been second to none. Heck, throw Vince Dunn in there as a un-freakin' believable pick. Unreal, actually.

no no no... STL doesn't do well in the draft.. everyone's talking about it

[b-a-a-a-rclay]

I’ve been a bit out of it for the last year or two.

Anyone want to do a summary of our prospect pool where it stands or point to an older post that does?

My quickflash rankings of the top 10:

1. Dalibor Dvorsky, C – a linchpin scoring center that we very much need and who I'm highly confident in

2. Jimmy Snuggerud, RW – showed in 14 NHL games that he is going to be legit

3. Theo Lindstein, LD – he played for Brynas in Sweden, they lost the SHL championship in six and he was getting #6 minutes around 15 min a game. He looks so smooth, poised and on track. Skates fluidly in all points of direction, unflappable style, future top 4 defenseman. 2-4 range. I personally see a #2 defenseman who can handle a ton of minutes, but it's going to be a ramp up like most defensemen. He is really aligned with Fowler's spot. Actually the trio of Fowler, Broberg and Lindstein are the contenders for the top two LD spots in the coming years and we'll see how it plays out. There is also the wild card idea that he could flip over to RHD if the Blues landed someone dominant on LD they have to play there instead of the RHD piece most of us think they need.

4. Justin Carbonneau, RW – he is either 3 or 4 but Lindstein has earned 3 so I am loath to new toy syndrome him above Lindstein, but I do love Carbonneau and was touting him here for awhile. The reason I have compared him to Holloway is purely in the energy with which they hack the offensive zone with interruptive high IQ plays that are almost chaotic and then can finish with skill. It's the thing that makes Holloway special and it's the thing that makes Carbonneau special.

5. Otto Stenberg, LW/swiss army knife – It is painful to see this player as low as 5 on my board. I love Otto Stenberg's future with the Blues. Comp is Alex Steen as a player.

6. Lukas Fischer, LD – would be a first rounder this year if two weeks younger (would be same age as Aitcheson). 6'5" son of an NHL Director of Player Development. Skates very well, very physical, can hammer the puck from the blue line & score, tons of minutes for his junior team, Sarnia. He is already their captain and will be again this year.

7. Adam Jiricek, RD – his skating is phenomenal. 6'2" beanpole with an offensive mindset, He can backward glide at speed. He is a complete mess in his decisionmaking or he is being coached terribly, and he is riddled with knee and concussion issues already. I feel I have to keep him at 7 but he is in limbo and next year is huge for him, he got zero consistency in his play this year.

8. Jakub Stancl, LW – this Czech winger is done with the WHL and on to the AHL. I watched him more closely than any of our prospects, 40+ full games this past season. His performance in the WJC is going to stay with me a long time. The player dominated his peers under pressure. That's good. I am very clear in my assessment he is above Pekarcik who I also saw many full games of this year.

9. Quinton Burns, LD – also an OHL captain now finished with juniors and onto the AHL. This large mean redhead is a lefty Tucker. Excellent defensively, all the toughest assignments. He has the Ryan Suter/Tyler Tucker poker face in the way he is always in it physically. He has enough puck skills to get some points but he's not going to be a point producer. He would build out his game similar to Tucker in the NHL, first the defense then he could start to sneak into the play and get points which he knows how to do. He made a lights out defensive play on Misa this year I happened to catch that dropped my jaw. He just feels like an NHL player to me. A sheriff on the back end.

10. Juraj Pekarcik, LW – others will rank him higher but I'm super confident the nine player above him are better. He is part of the solution offensively but what's going to hold him back is his high center of gravity skating and the ease with which larger NHL players will push him off the play.

HM: Ralph, Kaskimaki & Dean could each have claim to be in the top 10, and Mrsic has one of the best shots of any prospect we have which is saying a lot. Carbonneau is a big linebacker and Mrsic is more slight and needs space to be deadly (which he is)

Is it nearly 100% that Stenberg stays a winger? At one time I think people had him playing center. I know that he played wing last season. Is it possible that his time at wing was to get him acclimated to NA hockey? Or do you think his centerman days are over?

[seattleblue]

I’ve been a bit out of it for the last year or two.

Anyone want to do a summary of our prospect pool where it stands or point to an older post that does?

My quickflash rankings of the top 10:

1. Dalibor Dvorsky, C – a linchpin scoring center that we very much need and who I'm highly confident in

2. Jimmy Snuggerud, RW – showed in 14 NHL games that he is going to be legit

3. Theo Lindstein, LD – he played for Brynas in Sweden, they lost the SHL championship in six and he was getting #6 minutes around 15 min a game. He looks so smooth, poised and on track. Skates fluidly in all points of direction, unflappable style, future top 4 defenseman. 2-4 range. I personally see a #2 defenseman who can handle a ton of minutes, but it's going to be a ramp up like most defensemen. He is really aligned with Fowler's spot. Actually the trio of Fowler, Broberg and Lindstein are the contenders for the top two LD spots in the coming years and we'll see how it plays out. There is also the wild card idea that he could flip over to RHD if the Blues landed someone dominant on LD they have to play there instead of the RHD piece most of us think they need.

4. Justin Carbonneau, RW – he is either 3 or 4 but Lindstein has earned 3 so I am loath to new toy syndrome him above Lindstein, but I do love Carbonneau and was touting him here for awhile. The reason I have compared him to Holloway is purely in the energy with which they hack the offensive zone with interruptive high IQ plays that are almost chaotic and then can finish with skill. It's the thing that makes Holloway special and it's the thing that makes Carbonneau special.

5. Otto Stenberg, LW/swiss army knife – It is painful to see this player as low as 5 on my board. I love Otto Stenberg's future with the Blues. Comp is Alex Steen as a player.

6. Lukas Fischer, LD – would be a first rounder this year if two weeks younger (would be same age as Aitcheson). 6'5" son of an NHL Director of Player Development. Skates very well, very physical, can hammer the puck from the blue line & score, tons of minutes for his junior team, Sarnia. He is already their captain and will be again this year.

7. Adam Jiricek, RD – his skating is phenomenal. 6'2" beanpole with an offensive mindset, He can backward glide at speed. He is a complete mess in his decisionmaking or he is being coached terribly, and he is riddled with knee and concussion issues already. I feel I have to keep him at 7 but he is in limbo and next year is huge for him, he got zero consistency in his play this year.

8. Jakub Stancl, LW – this Czech winger is done with the WHL and on to the AHL. I watched him more closely than any of our prospects, 40+ full games this past season. His performance in the WJC is going to stay with me a long time. The player dominated his peers under pressure. That's good. I am very clear in my assessment he is above Pekarcik who I also saw many full games of this year.

9. Quinton Burns, LD – also an OHL captain now finished with juniors and onto the AHL. This large mean redhead is a lefty Tucker. Excellent defensively, all the toughest assignments. He has the Ryan Suter/Tyler Tucker poker face in the way he is always in it physically. He has enough puck skills to get some points but he's not going to be a point producer. He would build out his game similar to Tucker in the NHL, first the defense then he could start to sneak into the play and get points which he knows how to do. He made a lights out defensive play on Misa this year I happened to catch that dropped my jaw. He just feels like an NHL player to me. A sheriff on the back end.

10. Juraj Pekarcik, LW – others will rank him higher but I'm super confident the nine player above him are better. He is part of the solution offensively but what's going to hold him back is his high center of gravity skating and the ease with which larger NHL players will push him off the play.

HM: Ralph, Kaskimaki & Dean could each have claim to be in the top 10, and Mrsic has one of the best shots of any prospect we have which is saying a lot. Carbonneau is a big linebacker and Mrsic is more slight and needs space to be deadly (which he is)

Is it nearly 100% that Stenberg stays a winger? At one time I think people had him playing center. I know that he played wing last season. Is it possible that his time at wing was to get him acclimated to NA hockey? Or do you think his centerman days are over?

He's versatile and smart enough to play anywhere but he has mostly been playing LW for awhile now

[kimzey59]

I’ve been a bit out of it for the last year or two.

Anyone want to do a summary of our prospect pool where it stands or point to an older post that does?

My quickflash rankings of the top 10:

1. Dalibor Dvorsky, C – a linchpin scoring center that we very much need and who I'm highly confident in

2. Jimmy Snuggerud, RW – showed in 14 NHL games that he is going to be legit

3. Theo Lindstein, LD – he played for Brynas in Sweden, they lost the SHL championship in six and he was getting #6 minutes around 15 min a game. He looks so smooth, poised and on track. Skates fluidly in all points of direction, unflappable style, future top 4 defenseman. 2-4 range. I personally see a #2 defenseman who can handle a ton of minutes, but it's going to be a ramp up like most defensemen. He is really aligned with Fowler's spot. Actually the trio of Fowler, Broberg and Lindstein are the contenders for the top two LD spots in the coming years and we'll see how it plays out. There is also the wild card idea that he could flip over to RHD if the Blues landed someone dominant on LD they have to play there instead of the RHD piece most of us think they need.

4. Justin Carbonneau, RW – he is either 3 or 4 but Lindstein has earned 3 so I am loath to new toy syndrome him above Lindstein, but I do love Carbonneau and was touting him here for awhile. The reason I have compared him to Holloway is purely in the energy with which they hack the offensive zone with interruptive high IQ plays that are almost chaotic and then can finish with skill. It's the thing that makes Holloway special and it's the thing that makes Carbonneau special.

5. Otto Stenberg, LW/swiss army knife – It is painful to see this player as low as 5 on my board. I love Otto Stenberg's future with the Blues. Comp is Alex Steen as a player.

6. Lukas Fischer, LD – would be a first rounder this year if two weeks younger (would be same age as Aitcheson). 6'5" son of an NHL Director of Player Development. Skates very well, very physical, can hammer the puck from the blue line & score, tons of minutes for his junior team, Sarnia. He is already their captain and will be again this year.

7. Adam Jiricek, RD – his skating is phenomenal. 6'2" beanpole with an offensive mindset, He can backward glide at speed. He is a complete mess in his decisionmaking or he is being coached terribly, and he is riddled with knee and concussion issues already. I feel I have to keep him at 7 but he is in limbo and next year is huge for him, he got zero consistency in his play this year.

8. Jakub Stancl, LW – this Czech winger is done with the WHL and on to the AHL. I watched him more closely than any of our prospects, 40+ full games this past season. His performance in the WJC is going to stay with me a long time. The player dominated his peers under pressure. That's good. I am very clear in my assessment he is above Pekarcik who I also saw many full games of this year.

9. Quinton Burns, LD – also an OHL captain now finished with juniors and onto the AHL. This large mean redhead is a lefty Tucker. Excellent defensively, all the toughest assignments. He has the Ryan Suter/Tyler Tucker poker face in the way he is always in it physically. He has enough puck skills to get some points but he's not going to be a point producer. He would build out his game similar to Tucker in the NHL, first the defense then he could start to sneak into the play and get points which he knows how to do. He made a lights out defensive play on Misa this year I happened to catch that dropped my jaw. He just feels like an NHL player to me. A sheriff on the back end.

10. Juraj Pekarcik, LW – others will rank him higher but I'm super confident the nine player above him are better. He is part of the solution offensively but what's going to hold him back is his high center of gravity skating and the ease with which larger NHL players will push him off the play.

HM: Ralph, Kaskimaki & Dean could each have claim to be in the top 10, and Mrsic has one of the best shots of any prospect we have which is saying a lot. Carbonneau is a big linebacker and Mrsic is more slight and needs space to be deadly (which he is)

Is it nearly 100% that Stenberg stays a winger? At one time I think people had him playing center. I know that he played wing last season. Is it possible that his time at wing was to get him acclimated to NA hockey? Or do you think his centerman days are over?

He was a LW in Sweden for the last 2 years, also.

I can see scenario's where we might try to shift him back to the pivot, I just don't know if the Blues would really try to do that. I would think Stancl is more a candidate for that than Stenberg is.

[b-a-a-a-rclay]

Thanks guys. I can't wait to see Lindstein and Stenberg at prospect camp assuming they both make it there (I haven't heard for sure on Stenberg). Could either/both push for an NHL spot in a year? I know it depends on what they show this season, but what are your thoughts?
And kimzey, I'd love to see Stancl push for a 4th line role soon and eventually be a 4th line center.

[DawgDad]

The next 1-3 to make the Blues might not be in that list. Kaskimaki, Peterson, perhaps Dean if DD stays down.

Edit: Excuse me, forgot you had Snuggerud in there.

[STL fan in MN]

Very good list from Seattle.

Thank god for the search feature. Below is what I put together back in May so just going to paste it. I’d put Carbonneau in the 2nd tier in-between Lindstein and Stenberg for now. No real idea on where to place the other 2 guys as of now. Will have to find some tape of them.

Oh, and Mayich is listed in the last tier but the Blues lost his rights on June 1st as they declined to sign him by that deadline.

Tier 1:
1. Dalibor Dvorsky - projects as a top-6 C. Our highest drafted prospect since Petro. Tore up the OHL at 18 and then was the 2nd highest scoring player his age in the AHL this season. Most 19 yr olds are still playing Jrs. He did well in the 2nd best pro league in the world. He’s right on track IMO. I expect him to get some games in with the Blues this season and then truly arrive the following season.

2. Jimmy Snuggerud - I debated putting him at #1 but kept Dvorsky there because Dvorsky plays the more valuable position. But Snuggy’s transition to the NHL was much smoother than I anticipated. Elite shot, hard worker. I expect him to continue to progress this next season.

Tier 2:
3. Theo Lindstein - played regular minutes for SHL regular season champs and playoff runners up Brynas. He’s calm, cool, has very high hockey sense, very good outlets, gaps etc. Has the hockey sense to contribute more offensively I think (which we’ve seen in spurts) but for the most part elects to make the safe play. I see him as a likely #2-4 d-man during the bulk of his career. Jonas Brodin and Gustav Forsling would be the type of player I see him developing into if he reaches the level I think he will. Very valuable guys to have. He’ll be in Springfield next season. The SHL is about on par with the AHL in terms of caliber of play but it’s a different style he’ll have to adjust to. With the bigger ice over in Sweden, he has more room to cover defensively there but it’s also more of an east-west game. The N.A game is more north-south with more net front traffic, scrums, tips and deflections. He’s 6’0” and hasn’t really gained his man strength yet so for me, the main thing I expect he’ll need to adjust to and work on is the strength needed for leverage in scrums in front of his own net and in the corners. Working on how to leverage his strength to move guys, block shots w/o screening his goalie etc. That’ll be the main adjustment from Sweden IMO.

4. Otto Stenberg - a Swiss Army knife of a LW. Good at everything, not really elite at anything. Reminds me of Steen in that he brings a very solid combo of skill, tenacity, smarts, effort, good board work and he’s very good at tips/deflections. He’s also an absolute pest that loves to get under his opponent’s skin. Always yapping out there. Could be a guy that can complement just about any line.

Tier 3
5. Adam Jiricek - has the raw tools to be an impact top-4 RD but he’s still incredibly raw and has missed a lot of the last 2 seasons to injury. His skating is clearly above average (even after the blown out knee, which is a good thing to see) and his offensive sense and puck skills are good but agree with Seattle in that his positioning, reads and defensive play all need a lot of work. He’s also a string bean physically. I’m usually the first guy to not be concerned when a teenager is skinny as they all tend to fill out and gain the needed man strength by age 21-22 but he’s so skinny it seems to be impacting his game and I think also making him more injury prone. He’s gotten rocked in Jrs a few times and the competition just gets bigger and stronger as you move up levels. So what I really want to see is that he visually looks bigger and stronger by the time next season starts. He has pretty high potential but also a pretty high chance he’s busts or at least doesn’t live up to the draft position if I’m being honest. We’re very short on RD in the pipeline so we need this guy to hit. This offseason and next season, which abound be his last in Jrs, will be critical for his development IMO.

6. Lukas Fischer - son of Jiri Fischer. He had a very strong season as Sarina’s captain. Very young for his draft. If he was born a week later he wouldn’t have been draft eligible until a month from now and if he was in this draft I bet he’d be slotted to go in the late 1st. Solid two-way game but more of a defensive d-man in my book. Don’t see him on an NHL PP or anything. Has another year of Jrs before he turns pro. Think he’s got a pretty good shot of making the US’s WJC team this winter.

7. Zach Dean - he didn’t have a great season. Not because he played poorly but because he missed most of it to injury. But I still see a guy with bottom-6 C potential. Above average skater with solid skills and lots of intangibles that make for a good bottom-6 forward. Next year will be big for him. Needs to stay healthy.

8. Juraj Pekarcik - has had a good Jr career. Best attribute is probably his playmaking ability. Good complementary player. Works hard. I see a guy with the potential to be a good 3LW in time. But could also be a guy that gets lost in the shuffle or it takes him a while to make it. Still quite raw. He has 1-2 games left in his Jr career and then he’ll be in Springfield next season.

9. Jakub Stancl - was good for a bad Kelowna team this season and then led the entire WJC in goals with 7 in 7 games. Another LW, I see his potential similarly to Pekarcik but they bring different strengths/weaknesses. Juraj is a more skilled and a better playmaker but Stancl is bigger, stronger, meaner, better along the boards and has the stronger shot. He brings a lot to the game that tends to make for a quality bottom-6 winger. The question will be if enough of his offense will translate to make it as an NHLer. I like his chances. Hard worker that fits the Blues lunchpail mentality perfectly.

10. Colten Ellis - he really shot up the charts for me. A year and a half ago he was toiling in the ECHL and I wouldn’t have had him on the top-20 of our prospects. He didn’t adapt to the pro game well at all. But something clicked midway through last season and he earned a call-up to the AHL and then stole the starting job this season. Was voted team MVP and it was well deserved. Was among the top few goalies in the main stats and simply gave a young T-Birds team a chance every night. He has legit NHL potential. Will be interesting to see where things go as he should be getting some NHL time soon but with Binner and Hofer in front of him, it’ll be tough. But he’s legit.

11. Aleksanteri Kaskimaki - yet another LW that projects around the 3rd line. Very fast. Like Kyrou/Holloway fast. Good defensively, works hard and drives to the net. He did better his first season in N.A. than I expected. Even Army gave him props in his end of season presser. Brings just enough offense to be a solid secondary option while being a good two-way player that supports his teammates. He was an offense first guy when he was drafted (led the Finnish jr league in scoring the year the Blues drafted him) but he wisely realized he wasn’t quite skilled enough to be a top-6 forward in the NHL and has adapted his game beautifully to be more of a bottom-6 option.

12. Quinton Burns - a mean and nasty defensive d-man. Another lefty. He has good outlets but his main asset is his snarl. It can sometimes get him into trouble as he led Kingston in PIMs the last 3 years but that hard nosed type can be valuable too. He’ll be in Springfield next season.

13. Colin Ralph - another lefty defensive d-man. Huge at 6’5”. He’s simply a solid, go about your business type. Won’t bring much of any offense but is solid defensively. The type you really only notice if he makes a mistake. Otherwise, you have to really pay attention to appreciate his game. It’s subtle. Was good for St. Cloud State this season but is now transferring to Michigan St where he should play a big role in one of the bigger programs in college hockey. Sort of like a younger, likely lesser version of Parayko.

14. Dylan Peterson - big 4th line RW type. Sort of like a Toropchenko. He may take another year or two but I think he’ll make it as a 4th liner eventually.

These are the 14 guys I see as the most likely to make the NHL in some way or another. This is getting long so I probably won’t do blurbs for the rest…or at least keep them short.

Tier 4
15. Matvei Korotky - just lost Game 7 of the Russian Jr league final a couple days ago. But he led the league in playoff scoring. And earlier in the season earned a promotion to the KHL. He’s one to watch.

16. Tomas Mrsic - talked about him earlier.

17. Adam Jecho - big, good shot, decent skater, poor hockey sense.

18. Will McIsaac - solid righty defensive d-man. Has another year of Jrs left.

19. Arseni Koromyslov - solid Russian defensive LD. Until he comes over to N.A., I can’t really say he has potential to be an NHLer. He recently signed an extension that takes him through next season over there.

20. Simon Robertsson - was solid for Springfield this season but was in and out of the lineup with various injuries. I don’t see a great path for him to make it but he’s not a bad two-way winger. Next season will be big for his future IMO.

21. Michael Buchinger - struggled in his AHL rookie season. I don’t think he’ll make it but we’ll see.

22. Vadim Zherenko - got passed by Ellis but was still a solid AHL goalie this season. But he’s a RFA and I read a report the other day that Moscow Dynamo, who owns his KHL rights, are going to try to get him to return. And considering he has 3 solid goalies in front of him here, I wouldn’t blame him if he comes to the conclusion it’d be better for him to go to the KHL than try to keep his N.A. dream alive with another season in the AHL.

Tier 5:
23-29: Kos, Loof, Johannesson, Susuyev, Skinner, Dickinson, Vorobyov

Tier 6:
30-36: Dorian, Cranley, Malmstrom, Mayich, Gaudet, Andronovski, Abramov

[clemonsonroots]

I’ve been a bit out of it for the last year or two.

Anyone want to do a summary of our prospect pool where it stands or point to an older post that does?

My quickflash rankings of the top 10:

1. Dalibor Dvorsky, C – a linchpin scoring center that we very much need and who I'm highly confident in

2. Jimmy Snuggerud, RW – showed in 14 NHL games that he is going to be legit

3. Theo Lindstein, LD – he played for Brynas in Sweden, they lost the SHL championship in six and he was getting #6 minutes around 15 min a game. He looks so smooth, poised and on track. Skates fluidly in all points of direction, unflappable style, future top 4 defenseman. 2-4 range. I personally see a #2 defenseman who can handle a ton of minutes, but it's going to be a ramp up like most defensemen. He is really aligned with Fowler's spot. Actually the trio of Fowler, Broberg and Lindstein are the contenders for the top two LD spots in the coming years and we'll see how it plays out. There is also the wild card idea that he could flip over to RHD if the Blues landed someone dominant on LD they have to play there instead of the RHD piece most of us think they need.

4. Justin Carbonneau, RW – he is either 3 or 4 but Lindstein has earned 3 so I am loath to new toy syndrome him above Lindstein, but I do love Carbonneau and was touting him here for awhile. The reason I have compared him to Holloway is purely in the energy with which they hack the offensive zone with interruptive high IQ plays that are almost chaotic and then can finish with skill. It's the thing that makes Holloway special and it's the thing that makes Carbonneau special.

5. Otto Stenberg, LW/swiss army knife – It is painful to see this player as low as 5 on my board. I love Otto Stenberg's future with the Blues. Comp is Alex Steen as a player.

6. Lukas Fischer, LD – would be a first rounder this year if two weeks younger (would be same age as Aitcheson). 6'5" son of an NHL Director of Player Development. Skates very well, very physical, can hammer the puck from the blue line & score, tons of minutes for his junior team, Sarnia. He is already their captain and will be again this year.

7. Adam Jiricek, RD – his skating is phenomenal. 6'2" beanpole with an offensive mindset, He can backward glide at speed. He is a complete mess in his decisionmaking or he is being coached terribly, and he is riddled with knee and concussion issues already. I feel I have to keep him at 7 but he is in limbo and next year is huge for him, he got zero consistency in his play this year.

8. Jakub Stancl, LW – this Czech winger is done with the WHL and on to the AHL. I watched him more closely than any of our prospects, 40+ full games this past season. His performance in the WJC is going to stay with me a long time. The player dominated his peers under pressure. That's good. I am very clear in my assessment he is above Pekarcik who I also saw many full games of this year.

9. Quinton Burns, LD – also an OHL captain now finished with juniors and onto the AHL. This large mean redhead is a lefty Tucker. Excellent defensively, all the toughest assignments. He has the Ryan Suter/Tyler Tucker poker face in the way he is always in it physically. He has enough puck skills to get some points but he's not going to be a point producer. He would build out his game similar to Tucker in the NHL, first the defense then he could start to sneak into the play and get points which he knows how to do. He made a lights out defensive play on Misa this year I happened to catch that dropped my jaw. He just feels like an NHL player to me. A sheriff on the back end.

10. Juraj Pekarcik, LW – others will rank him higher but I'm super confident the nine player above him are better. He is part of the solution offensively but what's going to hold him back is his high center of gravity skating and the ease with which larger NHL players will push him off the play.

HM: Ralph, Kaskimaki & Dean could each have claim to be in the top 10, and Mrsic has one of the best shots of any prospect we have which is saying a lot. Carbonneau is a big linebacker and Mrsic is more slight and needs space to be deadly (which he is)

Pretty (bleep) good...I would swap Snuggy and Dvorsky at this point as well as Carbenneau and Lindstein and also burns and pekarcik with pekarcik and stancl being interchangeable. Jiricek still has the talent to be higher, but he has to be healthy and show consistency so dropping him a bit is fair. There are some other hm imo- Ellis, namely but also Mrsic, Korotky, and Jecho...maybe mcissac...I would drop Dean off the list..he doesn't look like he will make it to the league imo. I looked up online some comparisons of the top 10 you have listed based on scouting reports...again these comparisons are more ceiling comparisons but interesting:
Dvorsky- Patrice Bergeron
Snuggerud- Blake Wheeler
Lindstien- Mattias Eckholm
Carbenneau- Brock Boesser
Stenberg- Alex Steen
jiricek- David Jiricek (his brother)
Lukas Fischer- Brady Skjei
Jakub Stancl- Jake Neighbors
Pekarcik- Ladislav Nagy
Burns- Tyler Tucker

Just thought the names I saw were interesting projections...I have also seen carbenneau compared to perron a lot

[BluesDom]

The above player comparisons are a bit ambitious. Let’s see Let’s wait and actually see what they become. They have to dominate AHL in order to make the Blues.


I’m watching Kaskimaki. He fizzled out late in season. He was good for a long stretch in Ahl. I hope he has a big year. He’s a nice player.

I’m excited to see Dvorsky and what he can do.

Stenberg year 2

Lindstein’s debut.

Pekarcik. Is he coming to AHL? Love this player.

Stancl. What will he become? Quiet start to his Ahl career. First full year in AHL.

Colten Ellis. Hope he crushes it in AHL. He will be a nice trade piece next year or can replace Binnington after next year. Backup Hofer.

[seattleblue]

Ellis is a strong goaltending prospect but historically I leave goalies off my list because it's just a meaningless projected feel until they actually play in the NHL playoffs.

I would not compare Neighbours to Stancl. Very different players. Stancl is not out there looking for physicality. If there is a post whistle scrum he is not diving in to be part of it, he isn't generating his impact from physicality. I have seen him immediately stick up for a teammate who took a bad hit, but I think he is there to play the game itself if he had his druthers. He is 6'3" and skates with a sturdy base so he wins a lot of board battles when he has them. Stancl's shot is really, really good. We have multiple prospects who haven't quite arrived who can shoot the puck with terror and they include Dvorsky Snuggy Carbonneau and Stancl. I wondered if he would look slow when he got to the AHL because the one knock on him has been his skating. He is very aware of that knock and has a shy smile like "yeah I have been determinedly working on this behind the scenes" when it gets raised with him in interview. He looked he fit the pace perfectly fine in the AHL so I'm really enthused to see him Pekarcik and Burns there next year.

[moose-and-squirrel]

Ellis is a strong goaltending prospect but historically I leave goalies off my list because it's just a meaningless projected feel until they actually play in the NHL playoffs.

I would not compare Neighbours to Stancl. Very different players. Stancl is not out there looking for physicality. If there is a post whistle scrum he is not diving in to be part of it, he isn't generating his impact from physicality. I have seen him immediately stick up for a teammate who took a bad hit, but I think he is there to play the game itself if he had his druthers. He is 6'3" and skates with a sturdy base so he wins a lot of board battles when he has them. Stancl's shot is really, really good. We have multiple prospects who haven't quite arrived who can shoot the puck with terror and they include Dvorsky Snuggy Carbonneau and Stancl. I wondered if he would look slow when he got to the AHL because the one knock on him has been his skating. He is very aware of that knock and has a shy smile like "yeah I have been determinedly working on this behind the scenes" when it gets raised with him in interview. He looked he fit the pace perfectly fine in the AHL so I'm really enthused to see him Pekarcik and Burns there next year.

sounds like Springfield is going to have a good amount of roster turnover

[Francis Park Thug]

Thanks to Seattle, stlfan in Mn, TBone and Kimzey,
for all the information you provided for fans like me who only see highlights.
You took alot of your time to educate us.