Prospect Info: Blues 2023-2024 Prospect Thread

[542365]

Anyone know anything about Vorobyov’s contract situation? Will he be in the KHL next year? AHL?

 

[Linkens Mastery]

Anyone know anything about Vorobyov’s contract situation? Will he be in the KHL next year? AHL?

He signed a 1-year contract for the KHL on May 1st for the upcoming season

 

[Blanick]

How is his speed?

He has very good edgework but lack top end speed. Also noticed in scrimmages he has little engagement on defensive side of things.

Peterson with a nice hard hard shot

Robertson with a nice shot

Buchinger is elite

I like Buchinger a lot. I have work to do because I keep getting Robertson, Peterson and Dickinson mixed up lol.

 

[Stealth JD]

Imagine finding a Pavelski or Zetterberg in the 7th round; a borderline-HOF talent coming out of nowhere. If Army’s collection of late-round scratch-off tickets could produce an unexpected core-roster player or two, the retool could be a short one.

 

[Blanick]

Just some quick thoughts before I go out and celebrate the 4th. Gonna have a more detailed write up later.

Dean: Not sure if he has high end offensive ability but he excels at the details of the game and doesn't shy away from the tough areas.

Dvorsky: A star in the making. During scrimmages he controlled the play and dictated the pace. Held onto the puck and nobody could take it away from him.

Stenberg: An absolute puck hound who just attacks, attacks, attacks. Going to cause chaos on the forecheck.

Bolduc: His skill was on display all weekend but something that I noticed is that during the scrimmages he doesn't go get puck he waits for it to come to him. Reminds me of Thompson from his prospect camp days, not in style but in the fact that they both play too much on perimeter.

Lindstein: Scored twice during shoot out and has fantastic gap control and proper stick placement. Broke up several high danger chances during scrimmages. Offensively he just always felt a half second behind and seemed to defer instead of driving play in ozone.

Snuggerud: Didn't get to view him a lot this week but during the scrimmage he was flying around out there and let a couple of shots rip. While I won't go as far to say the puck dies on his stick, I will say he will make his money filling the net and not setting other guys up.

 

[BluesReport25]

After the final day of prospect camp I have put together my most impressive players and most disappointing players. Before I start though I will say the talent at this camp was a lot better than last year. Our prospect pool is deep now and I think players know they need to stand out in order to make it which is good to see a few rise to the occasion. If a player isn't on this list he simply met my expectations.

Impressive:
Ivan Vorobyov (86): The most impressive player to me by a mile was Vorobyov. I was excited to see him as I had heard he was doing great in the VHL but wow did he impress. He was the second best player at camp behind Dvorsky and that's saying something because there were a lot of impressive players. Overall he shows amazing hands and could be a high end playmaker at the next level. On top of that his compete was amazing and he was constantly on the backcheck and stealing pucks. Truly an amazing camp. I think he is going back to the KHL for one year and then will likely join the Blues where I could see him push for a roster spot next year.
Updated Projection: Top 6 Play Driver

Dalibor Dvorsky (54): Dvorsky is the most talented 18 year old I have seen at a Blues camp. He showed why he was the 10th pick and teams in front of us are probably going to regret passing on him. It seemed like every one on one with the goalie he would score and his shot was just overall very impressive. On top of that he was just dominate at using his body to protect the puck and fight through traffic. He showed high end offensive and defensive awareness and had great positioning. One of the other things I loved is he took this camp seriously. He wants to make the team year one and is doing everything in his power to do just that. You love to see that from a high end player and pick. I think he could play in the NHL year one and put together a solid season but with how loaded our forward group is I think Dvorsky will go to the SHL this upcoming year and hopefully dominate. I expect him to make the roster as a 19 year old next year and am excited to see him play in the future.
Updated Projection: Number 1 Center

Tanner Dickinson (78): Again, for a player coming off a broken leg he was incredible. Great speed, high end passing, and a high level of compete. He showed no fear going into the corners even after a major injury. I will say he sometimes takes too long to make a play or shoot the puck but that could just be him adjusting to game speed again. He will go to the AHL for this upcoming year and hopefully stay healthy for an entire season. I could see him starting the season slow but near the end he could start dominating. He has an exciting future ahead of him.
Updated Projection: Top 9 playmaker

Michael Buchinger (62): Buchinger has such a high level of awareness and he just processes the game faster than almost any player on the ice (maybe Stenberg does better but still). He makes hard, accurate passes and isn't afraid to join the rush to make a play. He is the Blues best defensive prospect and the closest to making an impact in the NHL. He could be the perfect modern day dman. The other thing I love is he has a high compete level and actually has really good defensive positioning.
Updated Projection: Top 4 Two-Way Defender

Otto Stenberg (70): I think Stenberg thinks faster than any other prospect the Blues have. He is constantly looking to set his linemates up and if they aren't open he doesn't hesitate to shoot the puck. He could be a real steal at 25 and I am excited to see how he performs in the SHL this upcoming year.
Updated Projection: Top 6 Winger

Theo Lindstein (77): Lindstein has perfect defensive positioning and great stickwork. He is the ideal modern day defensive dman. He also has a heck of a shot and most times if he is one on one with the goalie he will score. He just needs more confidence in himself as a player and hopefully that comes as he matures. I think he could be better offensively but most times he settles for the easy pass or dumping the puck off to his defensive partner. If he improves his offense he could be an amazing 2 way defender but if not I still think he has top 4 upside as a steady defender.
Updated Projection: Top 4 Defensive Dman

Juraj Pekarcik (88): Pekarcik has the most raw talent of all our prospects. He already has great size and just needs to continue to add strength as he gets older. He can pull off highlight real moves with ease. Sometimes he gets a little overwhelmed though or he can rush a play. Again right now he is not mature and that will come with time but a few years down the line I see Pekarcik being the Blues best prospect if all goes right.
Updated Projection: Top 6 Winger

Dylan Peterson (71): The reason Peterson is here is because I had zero expectations for him coming into camp. Now I'm left wanting more from him which isn't a bad thing. He has the perfect build for a hockey player with great height, strength, and speed. He also has a powerful shot. The problem is his stickwork and awareness are overall brutal. If those don't improve slightly he won't even make the NHL. He has to know this though and I would imagine he goes back to Boston for a year and focuses on stick work and passing. I think he could have a career route like Torpo if all goes right.
Updated Projection: Fringe NHLer

Dissapointing:

Zach Bolduc (76): Bolduc has some of the highest skill of any of the Blues prospects. He simply doesn't try most times and doesn't care about backchecking or going into the corners. He got outworked by almost every player defensively which is just rough. Bolduc knows the reason he got sent down so early last year was his poor 2 way game so you would expect him to be trying harder but he just isn't. He is the type of player who would be very good in the top 6 but just can't play a bottom 6 role. Usually those types of players struggle to make it in the NHL. Another thing is for how much floating he does he needs to finish more of his chances. He pulls off the amazing goal once in a while but a lot of times nothing comes from his opportunities. He is still a while away and hopefully time in the AHL will help round out his game or just teach him to try harder.
Updated Projection: Powerplay Specialist

Jimmy Snuggerud (81): I thought Snuggerud would dominate this camp and he just didn't. Really nothing stood out at all. Apparently he was battling soreness so that makes his play make sense. Even if he was sore though I would expect his shot to be better and I'm not sure if he had a goal the entire prospect camp (correct me if I'm wrong maybe I missed it). He does have NHL size and speed and showed some effort on the backcheck so those are all good signs for his future. He will go back to college this year and hopefully dominate with Cooley again before possibly joining the Blues late in the season.
Updated Projection: Top 6 Powerplay Specialist

Simon Robertsson (80): I will say I didn't have the highest expectations for Robertsson so I almost didn't put him on this list but I just wanted to say a few things about him. He is years away still which is completely fine. He needs to add more strength and improve his decision making but he does have NHL size and speed and is a hard worker. He skates with his head down a lot which limits his ability to be a threat offensively because by the time he looks up he is out of position. I would bring him over to the AHL so he can get consistent playing time because right now overseas he keeps getting bounced around and I think that has hurt his development.
Updated Projection: Fringe NHLer/Overseas Player

Best Tryout:

Colton Huard (67): Get this man a contract. Every day he showed up with a lot of skill and I was overall impressed with his play. At the start I thought he was a forward because of how often he was in the rush but turns out he is a dman. He was fast and has great size (6'3 - 200). The Blues desperately need defensive prospects and Huard could give us a promising one. He will likely go back to New Hampshire for this upcoming year but I think after that the Blues should attempt to sign him. Very impressive for a tryout.


If you made it through the entire list hopefully you enjoyed the read. If anyone else wants to add to the list feel free!

 

[Bye Bye Blueston]

After the final day of prospect camp I have put together my most impressive players and most disappointing players. Before I start though I will say the talent at this camp was a lot better than last year. Our prospect pool is deep now and I think players know they need to stand out in order to make it which is good to see a few rise to the occasion. If a player isn't on this list he simply met my expectations.

Impressive:
Ivan Vorobyov (86): The most impressive player to me by a mile was Vorobyov. I was excited to see him as I had heard he was doing great in the VHL but wow did he impress. He was the second best player at camp behind Dvorsky and that's saying something because there were a lot of impressive players. Overall he shows amazing hands and could be a high end playmaker at the next level. On top of that his compete was amazing and he was constantly on the backcheck and stealing pucks. Truly an amazing camp. I think he is going back to the KHL for one year and then will likely join the Blues where I could see him push for a roster spot next year.
Updated Projection: Top 6 Play Driver

Dalibor Dvorsky (54): Dvorsky is the most talented 18 year old I have seen at a Blues camp. He showed why he was the 10th pick and teams in front of us are probably going to regret passing on him. It seemed like every one on one with the goalie he would score and his shot was just overall very impressive. On top of that he was just dominate at using his body to protect the puck and fight through traffic. He showed high end offensive and defensive awareness and had great positioning. One of the other things I loved is he took this camp seriously. He wants to make the team year one and is doing everything in his power to do just that. You love to see that from a high end player and pick. I think he could play in the NHL year one and put together a solid season but with how loaded our forward group is I think Dvorsky will go to the SHL this upcoming year and hopefully dominate. I expect him to make the roster as a 19 year old next year and am excited to see him play in the future.
Updated Projection: Number 1 Center

Tanner Dickinson (78): Again, for a player coming off a broken leg he was incredible. Great speed, high end passing, and a high level of compete. He showed no fear going into the corners even after a major injury. I will say he sometimes takes too long to make a play or shoot the puck but that could just be him adjusting to game speed again. He will go to the AHL for this upcoming year and hopefully stay healthy for an entire season. I could see him starting the season slow but near the end he could start dominating. He has an exciting future ahead of him.
Updated Projection: Top 9 playmaker

Michael Buchinger (62): Buchinger has such a high level of awareness and he just processes the game faster than almost any player on the ice (maybe Stenberg does better but still). He makes hard, accurate passes and isn't afraid to join the rush to make a play. He is the Blues best defensive prospect and the closest to making an impact in the NHL. He could be the perfect modern day dman. The other thing I love is he has a high compete level and actually has really good defensive positioning.
Updated Projection: Top 4 Two-Way Defender

Otto Stenberg (70): I think Stenberg thinks faster than any other prospect the Blues have. He is constantly looking to set his linemates up and if they aren't open he doesn't hesitate to shoot the puck. He could be a real steal at 25 and I am excited to see how he performs in the SHL this upcoming year.
Updated Projection: Top 6 Winger

Theo Lindstein (77): Lindstein has perfect defensive positioning and great stickwork. He is the ideal modern day defensive dman. He also has a heck of a shot and most times if he is one on one with the goalie he will score. He just needs more confidence in himself as a player and hopefully that comes as he matures. I think he could be better offensively but most times he settles for the easy pass or dumping the puck off to his defensive partner. If he improves his offense he could be an amazing 2 way defender but if not I still think he has top 4 upside as a steady defender.
Updated Projection: Top 4 Defensive Dman

Juraj Pekarcik (88): Pekarcik has the most raw talent of all our prospects. He already has great size and just needs to continue to add strength as he gets older. He can pull off highlight real moves with ease. Sometimes he gets a little overwhelmed though or he can rush a play. Again right now he is not mature and that will come with time but a few years down the line I see Pekarcik being the Blues best prospect if all goes right.
Updated Projection: Top 6 Winger

Dylan Peterson (71): The reason Peterson is here is because I had zero expectations for him coming into camp. Now I'm left wanting more from him which isn't a bad thing. He has the perfect build for a hockey player with great height, strength, and speed. He also has a powerful shot. The problem is his stickwork and awareness are overall brutal. If those don't improve slightly he won't even make the NHL. He has to know this though and I would imagine he goes back to Boston for a year and focuses on stick work and passing. I think he could have a career route like Torpo if all goes right.
Updated Projection: Fringe NHLer

Dissapointing:

Zach Bolduc (76): Bolduc has some of the highest skill of any of the Blues prospects. He simply doesn't try most times and doesn't care about backchecking or going into the corners. He got outworked by almost every player defensively which is just rough. Bolduc knows the reason he got sent down so early last year was his poor 2 way game so you would expect him to be trying harder but he just isn't. He is the type of player who would be very good in the top 6 but just can't play a bottom 6 role. Usually those types of players struggle to make it in the NHL. Another thing is for how much floating he does he needs to finish more of his chances. He pulls off the amazing goal once in a while but a lot of times nothing comes from his opportunities. He is still a while away and hopefully time in the AHL will help round out his game or just teach him to try harder.
Updated Projection: Powerplay Specialist

Jimmy Snuggerud (81): I thought Snuggerud would dominate this camp and he just didn't. Really nothing stood out at all. Apparently he was battling soreness so that makes his play make sense. Even if he was sore though I would expect his shot to be better and I'm not sure if he had a goal the entire prospect camp (correct me if I'm wrong maybe I missed it). He does have NHL size and speed and showed some effort on the backcheck so those are all good signs for his future. He will go back to college this year and hopefully dominate with Cooley again before possibly joining the Blues late in the season.
Updated Projection: Top 6 Powerplay Specialist

Simon Robertsson (80): I will say I didn't have the highest expectations for Robertsson so I almost didn't put him on this list but I just wanted to say a few things about him. He is years away still which is completely fine. He needs to add more strength and improve his decision making but he does have NHL size and speed and is a hard worker. He skates with his head down a lot which limits his ability to be a threat offensively because by the time he looks up he is out of position. I would bring him over to the AHL so he can get consistent playing time because right now overseas he keeps getting bounced around and I think that has hurt his development.
Updated Projection: Fringe NHLer/Overseas Player

Best Tryout:

Colton Huard (67): Get this man a contract. Every day he showed up with a lot of skill and I was overall impressed with his play. At the start I thought he was a forward because of how often he was in the rush but turns out he is a dman. He was fast and has great size (6'3 - 200). The Blues desperately need defensive prospects and Huard could give us a promising one. He will likely go back to New Hampshire for this upcoming year but I think after that the Blues should attempt to sign him. Very impressive for a tryout.


If you made it through the entire list hopefully you enjoyed the read. If anyone else wants to add to the list feel free!

Nice write up. Thanks. But I think we need to remember that camp like this means much more to guy like vorobov than Bolduc or snuggly. The high end guys who have been to one of these never have same urgency as guy trying to put himself on radar.

 

[ToastedRavioli]

Tim Taylor said when addressing the media after the camp that he thinks the Blues will have 8-10 players at the WJC in December. We are usually lucky to have 1-3. Last year we had Robertsson, Kaskimaki, and Snuggerud.

Here are the 10 I think he is talking about ranked from most likely to least likely
Snuggerud - USA
Dvorsky - Slovakia
Pekarcik - Slovakia
Stancl - Czechia
Stenberg - Sweden
Lindstein - Sweden
Kaskimaki - Finland
Buchinger - Canada
Fischer - USA
Burns - Canada

The first seven seem like near locks so I can't see us having less than that. Buchinger is a pretty good prospect but Canada is obviously stacked. I can't see Fischer or Burns making the stacked US or Canadian teams respectively. It obviously helps drafting players from smaller European nations. Bolduc couldn't even make Canada as a 19 year old last year because of how deep they are, whereas Pekarcik and Stancl seem like locks for their respective nations as 18 year old 3rd and 4th rounders.

Edit: In the same interview later on Taylor specifically mentioned Buchinger and stated he fully expects him to make Team Canada.

 

[BluesReport25]

Nice write up. Thanks. But I think we need to remember that camp like this means much more to guy like vorobov than Bolduc or snuggly. The high end guys who have been to one of these never have same urgency as guy trying to put himself on radar.

Very very true. But you still love to see high talent players compete hard (Dvorsky, Stenberg, Buchinger, etc). Shows they want to make the roster and make a difference. After this camp it is clear Bolduc won't make the team and if he had come in and dominated he could have pushed for a spot (there aren't many if any spots but still). It will be great to see how Bolduc does this year in the AHL I'm hoping he shows up to play and maybe gets a few call ups throughout the season.

 

[Linkens Mastery]

I think 95% of the Snuggy issue was he was hurt. I would would not look to much into him this prospect camp. Sadly we won't be able to watch him in preseason.

 

[rumrokh]

I've only watched the first half of the scrimmage, but Dvorsky is great and Buchinger has legit ability. Powerful strides. I have also liked Dickinson and Mayich.

 

[bleedblue1223]

I wonder if it just happened that way, but it feels Dvorsky, Stenberg, Lindstein, Dean, and maybe some others from this past draft were very purposeful decisions to get our old style back. While we were good and believed the vets would keep that style going, we seemed to be more open to other types/styles, so I'd be curious to know if it just happened to play out that way, or if it was a purposeful decision.

 

[bleedblue1223]

I've seen some quotes online about the Lindstein pick, either bashing taking safe players in the 1st round or cherry picking a quote from a team that didn't have him in their 1st 4 rounds. A couple things with that bother me. I'm sure there are a ton of teams that regret picking other defensemen ahead of someone like Carlo or other defensemen taken in the late 1st or later that project to be defensive defensemen for the 2nd pair. And if you are going to cherry pick a quote from some random NHL team about a prospect, it doesn't really mean anything, they could be the worst drafting/scouting team in the league and their opinion means very little compared to a team with a better track record.

 

[jjniner]

If Dvorsky and Dean can both make the big club:

Buch-Thomas-Kyrou
Schenn-Dvorsky-Vrana
Saad-Hayes-Kasper
Blais-Dean-Torp

Neighbors, Alex,

Gives Snuggy, Bolduc another year to develop

We need Vrana and Kasper to have a big years for our own sake as well as increasing trade value to a first round and second round return.

 

[Mike Liut]

If Dvorsky and Dean can both make the big club:

Buch-Thomas-Kyrou
Schenn-Dvorsky-Vrana
Saad-Hayes-Kasper
Blais-Dean-Torp

Neighbors, Alex,

Gives Snuggy, Bolduc another year to develop

We need Vrana and Kasper to have a big years for our own sake as well as increasing trade value to a first round and second round return.

Is Dvorsky making the team even an option this year? The Hawks have Bedard already locked in

 

[bleedblue1223]

I'd give him a 1% chance of making it, just because anything can happen, but Hayes was acquired to not rush someone like him.

 

[LetsGoBooze]

No reason at all to rush Dvorsky up this season. Lets not turn into the NYR.

 

[Mike Liut]

I'd give him a 1% chance of making it, just because anything can happen, but Hayes was acquired to not rush someone like him.

I’m thinking he’s 2 full years away

 

[STL fan in MN]

Not even sure Dvorsky will be at training camp. The Swedish season starts sooner. Usually, the kids destined to play in Europe just stay with their European team as to not mess up chemistry/continuity. Dvorsky is switching teams too so likely best for him to not miss the first part of the SHL season to do Blues training camp.

 

[Bye Bye Blueston]

Not even sure Dvorsky will be at training camp. The Swedish season starts sooner. Usually, the kids destined to play in Europe just stay with their European team as to not mess up chemistry/continuity. Dvorsky is switching teams too so likely best for him to not miss the first part of the SHL season to do Blues training camp.

Good. Playing in SHL is best thing for him this season. We can evaluate his readiness after, but zero reason to force it.

 

[ezcreepin]

Whatever the Blues feel is good for his development is what I'll defer to. Idk it sounded like he might be at training camp to try and make the roster(?) but then Tim Taylor seemed confident he was going to be in Sweden so who really knows. If Berube and the staff think he's ready for the NHL then sweet, lets get going, but we have a lot of time to let these guys progress in whatever league they'll be in. I suspect at least 2 of Bolduc, Snuggerud, and Dvorsky will be here next season, and MAYBE guys like Lindstein and Buchinger will impress, but I would put those odds pretty low. Dvorsky and Stenberg though seem like they'll be able to contribute much faster than Snuggerud or Bolduc will.

 

[AyeBah]

Whatever the Blues feel is good for his development is what I'll defer to. Idk it sounded like he might be at training camp to try and make the roster(?) but then Tim Taylor seemed confident he was going to be in Sweden so who really knows. If Berube and the staff think he's ready for the NHL then sweet, lets get going, but we have a lot of time to let these guys progress in whatever league they'll be in. I suspect at least 2 of Bolduc, Snuggerud, and Dvorsky will be here next season, and MAYBE guys like Lindstein and Buchinger will impress, but I would put those odds pretty low. Dvorsky and Stenberg though seem like they'll be able to contribute much faster than Snuggerud or Bolduc will.

I wouldn't put that much stock in a prospect camp in early July. Bolduc just had a long season and Snuggerud isn't 100% and probably not even giving 100%. Stenberg and Dvorsky will likely have growing pains in the SHL this season given how hard of a league it can be for young players, so I feel like expectations should be lowered a bit for this upcoming year, even if this week was promising.

 

[rumrokh]

Whatever the Blues feel is good for his development is what I'll defer to. Idk it sounded like he might be at training camp to try and make the roster(?) but then Tim Taylor seemed confident he was going to be in Sweden so who really knows. If Berube and the staff think he's ready for the NHL then sweet, lets get going, but we have a lot of time to let these guys progress in whatever league they'll be in. I suspect at least 2 of Bolduc, Snuggerud, and Dvorsky will be here next season, and MAYBE guys like Lindstein and Buchinger will impress, but I would put those odds pretty low. Dvorsky and Stenberg though seem like they'll be able to contribute much faster than Snuggerud or Bolduc will.

If you suspect Snuggerud has a good chance of being on the team next year, that's two years after he was drafted. Do you expect Stenberg to make the team one year from now?

 

[LGB]

There is no chance Dvorsky is in the NHL this year. He wasn't even good in Allsvenskan last season. Would be interesting for him to play on our prospect heavy AHL team this year, but seems like he will be in the SHL 100%.

 

[Linkens Mastery]

There is no chance Dvorsky is in the NHL this year. He wasn't even good in Allsvenskan last season. Would be interesting for him to play on our prospect heavy AHL team this year, but seems like he will be in the SHL 100%.

I disagree that he wasn't good in Allsvenskan. He put up similar numbers to players like Forsberg, Pettersson, and Bratt did while playing at the age of 17. Playing against men as a 17 year old is not a walk in the park.