Prospect Info: Blues 2024-2025 Prospect Thread

[simon IC]

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[Robb_K]

This should have been in The Blues' 2024 Draft Thread, which I unfortunately didn't have time yet to reply.
This is a reply to Blues Fan in MN's post:

Quote:
"16. Jiricek - I’ve warmed up to the pick a bit as he absolutely fills a need and has high potential. But he’s a risky pick given the injury and lost development time. I think my disappointment stemmed from two things mainly. For one, the first 15 picks were my top 15. Not in the same order but when it was the Blues turn to pick, none of the players I REALLY wanted were still available. Picks 12-15 were just especially a kick in the nuts. Secondly, Buium seemed within reach and we didn’t get it done. Maybe Jiricek ends up better or at least a better fit being a righty but man, I really liked Buium. I’d like to know what Briere’s ask was but we’ll likely never know. Hopefully Jiricek is ready to go by camp. I’ll be interested to see if he stays in Czechia or goes elsewhere."

He said everything about this draft I was about to write today. I liked what The Blues did, overall, except Army's failing to succeed in his attempt to trade up into the 12-15 positions, especially to the 12th to acquire Buium. That takes on a big low-end risk hanging on Jiricik's knee, vs. the good upside potential of his staying healthy. We'll just need to be lucky, rather than unlucky in that regard. But, I'm confident that, unfortunately, none of those 4 teams were okay with moving down past #15, regardless of what The Blues could agree to give up for their pick. I'm sure that Army tried his best.

 

[execwrite1]

From The Hockey Writers -

This is a solid class for the Blues. There is plenty of upside with picks like Jiříček in the first round, Jecho in the third round, Mrsic in the fourth round, and more. They loaded up on NHL-sized defensemen as mentioned above and that is a great thing for the prospect pool. Blueliners like Ralph, McIsaac, and Fischer are fantastic gambles. The front office and scouting staff did an excellent job of not overthinking their selections and keeping it simple. I am a bit surprised that they didn’t go to Sweden at all for any of their selections after last year’s draft, but there’s always next year.

 

[taylord22]

Dvorsky looks like he's put on some additional size. I don't know that we've appreciated how far ahead of the curve he is there. And I think his frame could support quite a bit more without it impacting him greatly.

One funny note about Dvorsky that I heard from a friend who spent some time near Sudbury recently...Dvorsky had quite the local teen following there. It seems he really won the genetic lottery.

On the topic of Dvorsky 'being ready' — as well as the JR snippet where Pronman/Wheeler suggested he's not ready — I think it's worth us considering a few things as we continue to march toward rookie and team camp:

• No shade at Pronman/Wheeler but they have to evaluate a lot of prospects. Euro players are more challenging for them. D+1 players are less a priority. Basically, their opinion means very little in the context of what JR asked them, IMO
• Wheeler/Pronman have both suggested smaller, more one dimensional forwards 'may be ready' for NHL time in limited capacity (e.g. PP specialist). Some shade warranted here
• Dvorsky was labeled a high floor, possession player with two way upside and lots of 'raw skills' who scored most of his goals around the net. Some scouts also thought he had the best hand-eye in the whole draft.
• His size + agility was probably an underappreciated combo in his draft year. His shot was 1000% underappreciated due to where he was getting his goals. Coaches/Scouts are now saying he has one of the best shots not in the NHL.

Since being drafted top 10 — largely due to his high floor — he has added a lot of 'octane' to his game

• Lengthened his stride. Always has had great feints/lateral movement, but that's all now much quicker
• Put on a good amount of muscle to his already above average frame
• Improved an already elite shot/one timer leveraging his size/hand-eye — which was finally put on display in the OHL with teammates who could get him the puck off the cycle
• Proved — without a shadow of a doubt — that his puck possession/stick handling skills are absolutely elite when playing against his peers. He made the same moves/feints on a smaller ice surface, which is no small feat.

His situation earlier this year in the SHL was a lens —while not irrelevant— should not overshadow the major steps that he has taken. There are prospects you need to 'worry' about throwing in the deep end, and there are prospects you worry about less. I think the Blues feel Dvorsky is in the latter camp due to his high floor and mental makeup.

Not saying I'm putting my chips on the outcome that he starts/stays in the NHL, but he strikes me as a prospect that once he figures out how to translate his possession game against men (and learn when to make an outlet vs. eat a puck) everything else is there and arguably well ahead of the curve.

 

[LGB]

The only good explanation for the Hayes trade I can see right now is clearing out the 3C spot for Dvorsky.

 

[bleedblue1223]

I'd almost say it's more likely than not that he makes the team, or at least close to it, something a bit above 50%.

 

[STL fan in MN]

This should have been in The Blues' 2024 Draft Thread, which I unfortunately didn't have time yet to reply.
This is a reply to Blues Fan in MN's post:

Quote:
"16. Jiricek - I’ve warmed up to the pick a bit as he absolutely fills a need and has high potential. But he’s a risky pick given the injury and lost development time. I think my disappointment stemmed from two things mainly. For one, the first 15 picks were my top 15. Not in the same order but when it was the Blues turn to pick, none of the players I REALLY wanted were still available. Picks 12-15 were just especially a kick in the nuts. Secondly, Buium seemed within reach and we didn’t get it done. Maybe Jiricek ends up better or at least a better fit being a righty but man, I really liked Buium. I’d like to know what Briere’s ask was but we’ll likely never know. Hopefully Jiricek is ready to go by camp. I’ll be interested to see if he stays in Czechia or goes elsewhere."

He said everything about this draft I was about to write today. I liked what The Blues did, overall, except Army's failing to succeed in his attempt to trade up into the 12-15 positions, especially to the 12th to acquire Buium. That takes on a big low-end risk hanging on Jiricik's knee, vs. the good upside potential of his staying healthy. We'll just need to be lucky, rather than unlucky in that regard. But, I'm confident that, unfortunately, none of those 4 teams were okay with moving down past #15, regardless of what The Blues could agree to give up for their pick. I'm sure that Army tried his best.

I generally agree but not sure my sense is that Army “tried his best” to move up. I base that off of these quotes in JR’s story:

“We were excited when we heard (the Detroit Red Wings select forward Michael Brandsegg-Nygård) before us at No. 15,” Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said. “We had our eyes set on the guy we got. He’s got range, skating ability. He makes a good first pass. We think he’s a legitimate top-four defenseman, and they’re hard to find.”

The Blues had a jersey with Jiricek’s nameplate on the back ready to go Friday, but they could have ended up with a different prospect if some trade talk on the draft floor materialized.

When the Philadelphia Flyers were on the board at No. 12, Armstrong had a chat with Philadelphia general manager Daniel Briere. Whatever proposals and counterproposals they were discussing, they didn’t get across the finish line, and instead the Flyers struck a deal with the Minnesota Wild.

The Wild gave up a 2025 third-round pick for the right to move up from No. 13 to No. 12, where the team selected defenseman Zeev Buium.

It’s not known whether the Blues were trying to trade up for Buium or another player. They have two second-round picks (Nos. 48 and 56) and two third-round picks (Nos. 81 and 95).

Minnesota only surrendered a third-round pick to move up, but Philadelphia also only had to drop back one spot, where they selected center Jett Lechanko at No. 13. The Flyers wouldn’t have been guaranteed to get Lechanko if they had swapped picks with the Blues at No. 16, and Briere indicated afterward that was a factor in the decision.

Armstrong was seen looking at Briere’s table and shaking off whatever the final asking price was, ending the back-and-forth.

Afterward, Armstrong downplayed the conversation with Briere.

“Yeah, those are just normal conversations you have,” he said. “It was more we were happy with where we sat.”

They had their eyes on the guy they got and while it appears he inquired to move up to 12, I don’t think I can agree he tried his hardest to do so. It appears Briere suggested a price and Army said no. What we don’t know is what that cost was. My sense is that Army and the Blues scouts had Jiricek much higher on their board than us here. For all we know, the consideration to move up was so they could take Jiricek at 12 to make sure they got their guy.

The general sentiment that evening was that Army wasn’t willing to pay the price or the price was too high and that Army didn’t have the guts to pay the price to move up and get Buium. IMO, the price was probably fair given that sort of move but Army didn’t see it as worth it as they either valued Jiricek about equally to whoever else they may have been targeting at 12 OR they valued Jiricek so much he’s who they would’ve taken at 12 but they determined the cost wasn’t worth that guarantee as they figured there was still a good shot they’d get their guy at 16 (which they did).

We’ll never know the full truth but IMO, Army’s actions/non-actions were because they valued Jiricek much much higher than most of us here did. Hopefully they end up being right. Jiricek is a risk but he does have pretty high upside and absolutely fills a need.

 

[Thallis]

Dvorsky looks like he's put on some additional size. I don't know that we've appreciated how far ahead of the curve he is there. And I think his frame could support quite a bit more without it impacting him greatly.

One funny note about Dvorsky that I heard from a friend who spent some time near Sudbury recently...Dvorsky had quite the local teen following there. It seems he really won the genetic lottery.

On the topic of Dvorsky 'being ready' — as well as the JR snippet where Pronman/Wheeler suggested he's not ready — I think it's worth us considering a few things as we continue to march toward rookie and team camp:

• No shade at Pronman/Wheeler but they have to evaluate a lot of prospects. Euro players are more challenging for them. D+1 players are less a priority. Basically, their opinion means very little in the context of what JR asked them, IMO
• Wheeler/Pronman have both suggested smaller, more one dimensional forwards 'may be ready' for NHL time in limited capacity (e.g. PP specialist). Some shade warranted here
• Dvorsky was labeled a high floor, possession player with two way upside and lots of 'raw skills' who scored most of his goals around the net. Some scouts also thought he had the best hand-eye in the whole draft.
• His size + agility was probably an underappreciated combo in his draft year. His shot was 1000% underappreciated due to where he was getting his goals. Coaches/Scouts are now saying he has one of the best shots not in the NHL.

Since being drafted top 10 — largely due to his high floor — he has added a lot of 'octane' to his game

• Lengthened his stride. Always has had great feints/lateral movement, but that's all now much quicker
• Put on a good amount of muscle to his already above average frame
• Improved an already elite shot/one timer leveraging his size/hand-eye — which was finally put on display in the OHL with teammates who could get him the puck off the cycle
• Proved — without a shadow of a doubt — that his puck possession/stick handling skills are absolutely elite when playing against his peers. He made the same moves/feints on a smaller ice surface, which is no small feat.

His situation earlier this year in the SHL was a lens —while not irrelevant— should not overshadow the major steps that he has taken. There are prospects you need to 'worry' about throwing in the deep end, and there are prospects you worry about less. I think the Blues feel Dvorsky is in the latter camp due to his high floor and mental makeup.

Not saying I'm putting my chips on the outcome that he starts/stays in the NHL, but he strikes me as a prospect that once he figures out how to translate his possession game against men (and learn when to make an outlet vs. eat a puck) everything else is there and arguably well ahead of the curve.

My biggest concern with Dvorsky is his tendency to try to go through guys with the puck on his stick. It's what got him killed in the SHL, but in Juniors he was just way bigger and stronger that they couldn't deal with it. He has great hands to go with it, but if the defenders he's against can knock him off the puck, we'll likely see the same result. He either has to get strong enough that he can withstand that or add some deceptiveness to his game,

 

[bleedblue1223]

I generally agree but not sure my sense is that Army “tried his best” to move up. I base that off of these quotes in JR’s story:



They had their eyes on the guy they got and while it appears he inquired to move up to 12, I don’t think I can agree he tried his hardest to do so. It appears Briere suggested a price and Army said no. What we don’t know is what that cost was. My sense is that Army and the Blues scouts had Jiricek much higher on their board than us here. For all we know, the consideration to move up was so they could take Jiricek at 12 to make sure they got their guy.

The general sentiment that evening was that Army wasn’t willing to pay the price or the price was too high and that Army didn’t have the guts to pay the price to move up and get Buium. IMO, the price was probably fair given that sort of move but Army didn’t see it as worth it as they either valued Jiricek about equally to whoever else they may have been targeting at 12 OR they valued Jiricek so much he’s who they would’ve taken at 12 but they determined the cost wasn’t worth that guarantee as they figured there was still a good shot they’d get their guy at 16 (which they did).

We’ll never know the full truth but IMO, Army’s actions/non-actions were because they valued Jiricek much much higher than most of us here did. Hopefully they end up being right. Jiricek is a risk but he does have pretty high upside and absolutely fills a need.

And in pre-draft, some insiders made it feel like Jiricek was definitely our guy. Feels like we didn't really downgrade him after injuries like others started to do, so grabbing him at 16 was great value in our eyes.

 

[taylord22]

My biggest concern with Dvorsky is his tendency to try to go through guys with the puck on his stick. It's what got him killed in the SHL, but in Juniors he was just way bigger and stronger that they couldn't deal with it. He has great hands to go with it, but if the defenders he's against can knock him off the puck, we'll likely see the same result. He either has to get strong enough that he can withstand that or add some deceptiveness to his game,

Agreed here, along with his board play. Both are better than average, but his game relies so heavily upon success up the middle and along the boards that it's going to be a source of friction for him.

I think in both cases, he hasn't been 'challenged' enough to learn. The SHL was a more than adequate challenge, it just wasn't enough volume. I think his feints and lateral movement bodes well (along with his strong stick), but they're going to have to coach him away from taking the center lane ANY time he spots an opening.

 

[STL fan in MN]

And in pre-draft, some insiders made it feel like Jiricek was definitely our guy. Feels like we didn't really downgrade him after injuries like others started to do, so grabbing him at 16 was great value in our eyes.

Yep. It was Seravalli that had a guest on his show that connected another prospect to the Blues and Frank interrupted him and was like, no, Blues are picking Jiricek. I mostly ignored it as there’s hardly ever any leaks out of the Blues (and probably also because I didn’t want to believe it) but both he and Pronman very consistently connected the Blues to Jiricek. So logic would suggest it wasn’t a secret we were high on him.

 

[ExtraExtra888]

Looks like Lindstein has been moved to the group with Dvorsky. I was starting to worry he got hurt or something.

 

[STL fan in MN]

Looks like Lindstein has been moved to the group with Dvorsky. I was starting to worry he got hurt or something.

Probably to try to even out the teams. Team Tkachuk just had way more weapons. Surprised they make the teams that lopsided to begin with.

Anyone go to prospects camp today?

 

[ExtraExtra888]

I went to the practice this afternoon. Getting ready to go to the scrimmage. Ralph looked more comfortable today. It's scary how good Dvorsky is at those small are cone drills in comparison to everyone else. Peterson kept falling during all the drills for some reason. I really like Kos and Jecho. Jake Gudelj looks interesting. Oh and Robertsson looks great in the drills it's hard to believe he has trouble getting minutes on his Swedish team.

 

[542365]

I was planning on going, but now that the Blues are streaming it I’ll just watch from the comfort of my home and save the couple of hours I would’ve spent driving. It’s not the same, but it’s good enough. Excited to see it. Strange that we can stream a prospect scrimmage but not preseason NHL games…

 

[Stealth JD]

Blues signed Jiricek

Jiricek signs 3-year entry level contract | St. Louis Blues

ST. LOUIS – St. Louis Blues President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Doug Armstrong announced today the Blues have signed Adam Jiricek - their 2024 first-round pick (No. 16 overall) - to a three-year entry-level contract. Jiricek, 18, has spent the past three seasons with the HC Plzen...

www.nhl.com

 

[SirPaste]

Interesting, wonder where they envision him playing next season

 

[STL fan in MN]

Blues signed Jiricek

Jiricek signs 3-year entry level contract | St. Louis Blues

ST. LOUIS – St. Louis Blues President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Doug Armstrong announced today the Blues have signed Adam Jiricek - their 2024 first-round pick (No. 16 overall) - to a three-year entry-level contract. Jiricek, 18, has spent the past three seasons with the HC Plzen...

www.nhl.com

Interesting. I think that makes him the first 2024 draftee signed.

 

[542365]

They're trying to interview Jiricek right now but they're talking way too fast for him. He speaks quite well for a non-native speaker, but it's clearly difficult for him to figure out the questions.

 

[Mike Liut]

Dvorsky just had a nice game. He’s legit

 

[DatDude44]

Two words


Nikita Susuyev


Kids LEGIT


Obviously Dvorsky, Snuggy, lindstein and Stenberg looked good. Buchinger, Gaudet and both fischers did some good things. I like Mrsic as well. But this Susuyev kid is legit. Extremely excited to follow him moving forward. Very smart skilled and twitchy.

 

[LetsGoBooze]

15 mins into watching the pre recorded scrimage and damn Snuggy has some hands and vision on him. Haven't seen his massive shot yet, but he looks like a lot more than just a shooter. Getting more and more excited for these kids.

 

[Memento]

Two words


Nikita Susuyev


Kids LEGIT


Obviously Dvorsky, Snuggy, lindstein and Stenberg looked good. Buchinger, Gaudet and both fischers did some good things. I like Mrsic as well. But this Susuyev kid is legit. Extremely excited to follow him moving forward. Very smart skilled and twitchy.

I f***ing called it. Brilliant offensively and played in the KHL. I hope he comes over; I think his contract ends in 26/27, but he could be our Kaprizov, our Panarin.

 

[STLegend]

Pretty entertaining scrimmage.

Dvorsky, Stenberg, Lindstein, Snuggy & Pekarcik all looked good as expected. I was surprised by Susuyev, Buchinger & Peterson.

Wahlin, Mrsic, P.Fischer, Gaudet & Kaskimaki had their moments.

Cranley had some nice saves

 

[Mike Liut]

Ralph looked huge out there. He’s a physical presence for sure.