Prospect Info: Blues 2023-2024 Prospect Thread

[stl76]

Posted this in the #20 prospect voting thread, but figured it could fit here as well:

I like Paul Fischer as a long term project. Good size at 6'1 200 lbs. Showed extremely well during the physical tests at the combine. Solid pedigree with the USNTDP. Going to a good NCAA program where he will have time to develop. Haven't seen him play much, but hoping he can develop into a stay at home bottom pairing guy...maybe more if he can improve his poise with the puck and passing skills.

Good read:

Paul Fischer: 2023 NHL Draft Prospect Profile; A potential mid-draft defensive gem from the USA NTDP

Paul Fischer lacks some of the offensive flash of the higher ranked defensive prospects, but is strong on the backend and could be a mid-late round steal in the draft.

www.allaboutthejersey.com

Always nice reading this in a pre-draft scouting report:

One of the more intriguing factors in Fischer’s play is his skating technique, which may be his biggest asset. The former Chicago Mission stalwart can skate with power while maintaining great edges. He has been well coached in skating technique, something that also adds to his draft value and could make him one of the better bargains in this year’s draft.

Paul Fischer - 2023 NHL Draft Prospect Profile - The Hockey Writers NHL Entry Draft Latest News, Analysis & More

An intriguing prospect, defenseman Paul Fischer could be one of the better values found in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.

thehockeywriters.com

 

[Thallis]

Pronman has us at 18th in pipeline ratings. Notable is that he has Bolduc on at 7th, soured due to lack of compete and lack of interior offense play.

 

[Bluesfan54]

I know the Blues aren’t involved in the Traverse City tournament this year, but are they going to a different one? Why did they opt out of Traverse City this year? Thanks in advance.

 

[STL fan in MN]

I know the Blues aren’t involved in the Traverse City tournament this year, but are they going to a different one? Why did they opt out of Traverse City this year? Thanks in advance.

This article was posted on the last page:
EV Zug's Attilio Biasca invited to the St. Louis Blues' rookie camp

It says this guy was invited to Rookie/Development camp, running from Sept 13-19.

I don’t know why they left the TC tourney but I think they’re doing something else with a few other teams. Don’t recall the specifics.

Side note: the dates above give a hint that main camp likely starts Sept 20.

 

[bleedblue1223]

Pronman has us at 18th in pipeline ratings. Notable is that he has Bolduc on at 7th, soured due to lack of compete and lack of interior offense play.

We were 29th in his ranking last year, so while 18th isn't great, it's a massive jump in his rankings.

 

[Bye Bye Blueston]

We were 29th in his ranking last year, so while 18th isn't great, it's a massive jump in his rankings.

And it’s worth noting that his rankings include everyone below age cutoff (22?) so isn’t just prospects. Stars list includes Wyatt Johnson, for example. I suspect if it were just prospects we would be much higher.

 

[Bluesnatic27]

And it’s worth noting that his rankings include everyone below age cutoff (22?) so isn’t just prospects. Stars list includes Wyatt Johnson, for example. I suspect if it were just prospects we would be much higher.

I noticed that too.

I was hoping for some "career games played" restriction because that meant stars like Stutzle and Jack Hughes (not sure on this one but the idea remains the same) are eligible. The Blues have done wonders to their prospect pool but they are not competing against that.

 

[Brian39]

I noticed that too.

I was hoping for some "career games played" restriction because that meant stars like Stutzle and Jack Hughes (not sure on this one but the idea remains the same) are eligible. The Blues have done wonders to their prospect pool but they are not competing against that.

The Athletic has two prospect writers who do annual rankings of prospect/pipeline pools. This one is done by Pronman and he elects to include all players below 23 in order to not punish teams that 'graduate' prospects to the NHL but still have young studs with years of team control. Wheeler ranks team prospect pools mid-season and graduates guys who are NHL regulars.

Wheeler is the one who put out his top 50 drafted prospects list a few weeks ago and I am more excited for his mid-season ranking than I was for this one simply because I am much more confident in my own assessment of young NHL players than I am guys who are playing in leagues I don't watch.

With all that said, I'm not mad about being 18th. We were 29th a year ago and basically none of our 'pipeline' is made up of actual NHL players. We have a decent stable of talent aged 23-25 (Thomas, Kyrou, Hofer, Tucker, Torpo, Perunovich, and Kessel), which is still young enough to contribute throughout a 5+ year timeline.

 

[Johnny97]

 

[Renard]

Posted this in the #20 prospect voting thread, but figured it could fit here as well:

I like Paul Fischer as a long term project. Good size at 6'1 200 lbs. Showed extremely well during the physical tests at the combine. Solid pedigree with the USNTDP. Going to a good NCAA program where he will have time to develop. Haven't seen him play much, but hoping he can develop into a stay at home bottom pairing guy...maybe more if he can improve his poise with the puck and passing skills.

Good read:

Paul Fischer: 2023 NHL Draft Prospect Profile; A potential mid-draft defensive gem from the USA NTDP

Paul Fischer lacks some of the offensive flash of the higher ranked defensive prospects, but is strong on the backend and could be a mid-late round steal in the draft.

www.allaboutthejersey.com

Always nice reading this in a pre-draft scouting report:

Paul Fischer - 2023 NHL Draft Prospect Profile - The Hockey Writers NHL Entry Draft Latest News, Analysis & More

An intriguing prospect, defenseman Paul Fischer could be one of the better values found in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.

thehockeywriters.com

Thanks for postiing this. I knew nothing about him prior to this, all the hype being heaped on our first four draft picks.

 

[PJJJP]

So Pronman had his best under 23 NHL players/prospect list come out. He has Dvorsky at 39th overall and Snuggerud at 78th. There are some very interesting choices he has above Snuggerud imo.

 

[Bye Bye Blueston]

So Pronman had his best under 23 NHL players/prospect list come out. He has Dvorsky at 39th overall and Snuggerud at 78th. There are some very interesting choices he has above Snuggerud imo.

that list is a joke.

 

[Blanick]

Pronman has rapidly lost credibility with me over the years, he has puts way too much stock on players draft number when creating rankings. It's almost like he stops scouting after their draft, only elevating talent that reaches the NHL and makes an impact. Some of the names above Snuggerud are an absolute joke.

 

[Brian39]

I don't put a ton of stock into the numerical ranking of these types of lists that are comparing guys within a massive developmental range. There is just no truly objective way to compare a 17 year old junior player to a 19 year old NCAA player to a 20 year old Euro pro to a 20+ old NHL player. No one in the world can make a 150+ player list without massive dispute.

With that said, I think Pronman recognizes this, which is why he puts players into tiers. Dvorsky is in tier 6 (top of the lineup player) which contains the guys he ranks 25-44 while Snuggy is tier 7 (bubble top and middle of the lineup player) which contains the guys he ranks 45-84. In the little blurb, he says "skating is the only real issue in his game, but everything else says top six wing which is what I think he projects as." I think that's a pretty fair assessment. I'd have him a bit higher because I think he projects as a 2nd liner even if he doesn't make big improvements to his skating, but that is fairly well in line with the descriptor 'bubble top and middle of the lineup player.'

I do want to mention that he has Stenberg at #110, Neighbours #135, and Dean #152 in tier 8 (middle of the lineup player). Bolduc and Lindstein aren't listed.

 

[rumrokh]

Pronman has rapidly lost credibility with me over the years, he has puts way too much stock on players draft number when creating rankings. It's almost like he stops scouting after their draft, only elevating talent that reaches the NHL and makes an impact. Some of the names above Snuggerud are an absolute joke.

He never had credibility. But, if anything, I think his opinions about hockey have improved over the years. Doesn't make his lists hugely better, but years ago, his lists were basically just a ranking of Sick Skillz Brah and favored guys who were extreme long shots, while overlooking solid players just because they didn't have one standout skill. Getting worked up over players who can't play hockey just because they can dangle kids or because they don't get exposed on international ice is the epitome of an armchair analyst. Perception of ceiling relative to some of the least important aspects of the game does not intersect with credibility. People around here come up with similar lists all the time.

 

[Ranksu]

When we are going to start polls to our prospects? I think other forums has started started those already.

 

[HighNote]

When we are going to start polls to our prospects? I think other forums has started started those already.

If you mean polls to rank our prospects, @Stupendous Yappi has been doing them. We're on poll #23 right now.

 

[Bobby Orrtuzzo]

If you mean polls to rank our prospects, @Stupendous Yappi has been doing them. We're on poll #23 right now.

I wonder if one of them has the other blocked lol

 

[jura]

Prospect Info: - Blues' prospects ranking - poll results - 2023

I'll be updating this post as the prospect polls go along. Blues Prospects by Forum Ranking 1) Dalibor Dvorsky - 82% 2) Jimmy Snuggerud - 93% 3) Joel Hofer - 39% 4) Zachary Bolduc - 59% 5) Otto Stenberg - 42% 6) Jake Neighbors - 45.5% 7) Zach Dean - 64% 8) Theo Lindstein - 82% 9) Nikita...

forums.hfboards.com

Blues Prospects by Forum Ranking
1) Dalibor Dvorsky - 82%
2) Jimmy Snuggerud - 93%
3) Joel Hofer - 39%
4) Zachary Bolduc - 59%
5) Otto Stenberg - 42%
6) Jake Neighbors - 45.5%
7) Zach Dean - 64%
8) Theo Lindstein - 82%
9) Nikita Alexandrov - 39%
10) Michael Buchinger - 60%
11) Juraj Pekarcik - 37%
12) Tyler Tucker - 30%
13) Vadim Zherenko - 46%
14) Leo Loof - 25%
15) Quinton Burns - 36%
16) Matthew Kessel - 39%
17) Simon Robertsson - 41%
18) Aleksanteri Kaskimäki - 34%
19) Arseni Koromyslov - 51%
20) Tanner Dickinson - 32%
21) Marc-Andre Gaudet - 62%
22) Ivan Vorobyov - 60%
23) tie Jakub Stancl - 23%
23) tie Paul Fischer - 23%

That's a wrap.

 

[Ranksu]

I wonder if one of them has the other blocked lol

I think admins has blocked both of us from each other, dont remember.

Shame I didn't know those polls things. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Bobby Orrtuzzo]

I think admins has blocked both of us from each other, dont remember.

Shame I didn't know those polls things. Thanks for sharing.

I’m genuinely curious, what would your list would look like? How much different from the list @jura posted is it?

 

[STL fan in MN]

For those that didn’t see it, I created a post where folks can post their individual prospect rankings like we’ve done in years past.

Top 20 Prospects Lists - Averaged

 

[Mike Liut]

Is Loof a better prospect than Mikkola was?

 

[STL fan in MN]

Is Loof a better prospect than Mikkola was?

I’d say they’re pretty comparable in terms of caliber of likely impact.

Loof has better hands but isn’t as big as Mikkola. Both bring some nastiness.

 

[tfriede2]

He got a bunch of points at the U20 tourney last week too.. could be a late riser which is not uncommon for us slow growing Czech people.lol

I think he might be very key at the U20's! If Kulich comes he could be a great 2nd line option!