Prospect Info: Blues 2024-2025 Prospect Thread

[Snubbed4Vezina]

He also said explicitly for the first time that I've heard, that late in the Petro negotiation he offered him NMC.

And here we go...

 

[Celtic Note]

This was great interview. Beyond the insight on this year's team, he really shed a lot of light on many GMing topics:

• he had Bannister play kids last year after TDL, was first time he had told a coach who to play
• His inner circle at this point is Steen and Miller and Taylor. Said top advisor had been Dave Taylor initially here, then Chiarelli and also Mellanby has big voice.
• Said he reads message boards!
• He also said explicitly for the first time that I've heard, that late in the Petro negotiation he offered him NMC.
• EDIT: He also said the biggest regret he had/mistake he made was not getting Petro deal done.

It’s interesting that Bannister is so different from coaches Army is used to in demeanor.

The NMC is old news. It came out at the time that he offered a NMC for certain years and a NTC the rest of the contract.

I appreciate his candor in the three mistakes he admitted in the interview.

 

[ChicagoBlues]

How do you spell that?

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

This was great interview. Beyond the insight on this year's team, he really shed a lot of light on many GMing topics:

• he had Bannister play kids last year after TDL, was first time he had told a coach who to play
• His inner circle at this point is Steen and Miller and Taylor. Said top advisor had been Dave Taylor initially here, then Chiarelli and also Mellanby has big voice.
• Said he reads message boards!
• He also said explicitly for the first time that I've heard, that late in the Petro negotiation he offered him NMC.
• EDIT: He also said the biggest regret he had/mistake he made was not getting Petro deal done.

I didn’t listen to this, so not sure if he’s specifying a full NMC, but he’s previously said he had offered a partial NMC for some of the years. Also, I don’t care to relitigate this again, but it’s nice to hear him talk more openly about these details. I think nearing retirement he’s letting his hair down a little.

 

[Bye Bye Blueston]

I didn’t listen to this, so not sure if he’s specifying a full NMC, but he’s previously said he had offered a partial NMC for some of the years. Also, I don’t care to relitigate this again, but it’s nice to hear him talk more openly about these details. I think nearing retirement he’s letting his hair down a little.

This felt like him saying that he got to full nmc by end of negotiations, which he hadn't said before to my knowledge. He'd talked about offering partial. Here it read like, I don't like them, not comfortable with them, but begrudgingly agreed to do it bc wanted to keep key guy. He didn't go into too much depth on the negotiations, said something like once he and Petro are retired he would perhaps say more.

 

[Linkens Mastery]

I didn’t listen to this, so not sure if he’s specifying a full NMC, but he’s previously said he had offered a partial NMC for some of the years. Also, I don’t care to relitigate this again, but it’s nice to hear him talk more openly about these details. I think nearing retirement he’s letting his hair down a little.

What hair?

 

[Celtic Note]

This felt like him saying that he got to full nmc by end of negotiations, which he hadn't said before to my knowledge. He'd talked about offering partial. Here it read like, I don't like them, not comfortable with them, but begrudgingly agreed to do it bc wanted to keep key guy. He didn't go into too much depth on the negotiations, said something like once he and Petro are retired he would perhaps say more.

I didn’t take away from his comment that it was a full NMC or partial, just that something of the NMC variety was offered. He didn’t elaborate so all we can do is speculate. Based on what was previously stated, I would guess it was what we already knew. But he could have meant otherwise.

 

[CurrentCS]

Going back to the prospects I see our top guys like this...

Lindstein: many don't realize he was on multiple top 10 mocks prior to his draft season. He's wicked smart and I'd say possible elite IQ. Thats where some saying he gives off Lindstrom vibes, imo. I don't see him getting to that level but the guy I do see a realistic comp is Jonas Brodin. An extremely solid 3/4.

Jiricek: I have a hard time coming up with a legit comp for him but I really like his tools. I was in the camp of liking the player but I would have liked him more in the 20-25 range with the knee injury. He's more boom/bust because of it but I can see where he could be a top pair guy... a lot has to go right though, including adding a minimum of 20lbs to his frame. I feel much more comfortable seeing him as a 3/4 in the pros and likely a great partner for Lindstein. He steps right in for Faulk in 3 years, imo.

Dvorsky: I love the guy. As far as IQ goes I'd probably only have Lindstein higher. For me the only thing keeping him from being a possible top liner is his skating. If he can find another top end step and quick burst acceleration then he can get there. To me he screams ROR with a ++ shot. Kopitar-esque if he improves the skating. With all the additions this off-season I'd prefer him getting more development time this year and getting ridiculous value from him as a 22yr old on the last year of his ELC.

Snuggerud: Brock Boeser/Bobby Ryan without the wrist/hand injuries. I think he'll fit in great with any of Thomas/Kyrou/Buch/Dvorsky in the top 6 moving forward.

Stenberg: do it all, not afraid to do anything lead by example captain material fan favorite type. Can play anywhere in the top 9. I think he's 2 years away....which is great, get Bolduc in this year, dvorsky and snuggy next year and Stenberg and maybe even Pekarcik by that time.

After that my favorites are Pekarcik, Lukas Fischer and nobody can tell me Vadim Zherenko isn't an NHLer moving forward..imo likely 1a/1b upside. I haven't seen enough of Ralph but could see a Derek Forbort type if he hits his low end.

 

[blueper]

Early in the DA interview he sounded intrigued by Bolduc's coming camp performance. He said, or at least implied, that he is top 6 in STL or Springfield. Eliminating the possibility of using Bolduc as a 3rd liner is good in my opinion. I want to see competition in the top 6. It's better if Schenn is pushed down the lineup.

 

[BlueMed]

Before the year started he was projected as a top10 pick. Now outside of the top 2-3 players of every draft their is usually a fair amount of fluidity in those picks. It is so hard for me to judge Jiricek because of the injury. The skill is undeniable but it's now on him to bounce back from the injury and prove it, this year of development is crucial for him.

We had talked about this at one point in the draft thread, I don't think he fell at all. I remember discussing around the time of his injury that worst case scenario draft-slot wise we would get Jiricek at 14, which would be solid but I was hoping for a bigger fish. Then about a week before the draft I was talking to perryturnbull fan about how weird it was that his draft projections hadn't dropped more. He draft stock stayed really stable IMO, which never happens. But pre-injury I believe most mocks had him outside of the top 8-10, which I agreed with. I saw one or two at 10, mostly between the 12-16 range and he ended up at 16.

It’s really hard to say as we don’t know how the rest of his season would’ve gone. He reportedly had a good Hlinka-Gretzky tourney but was then just so-so in the Czech Extraliga and their Jr league. Then he blew out his ACL the first game of the WJC. Would he have really picked it up the 2nd half of the season? Would he have not really progressed and people start questioning him and his stock drops? Who knows. He’s a pretty big unknown IMO.

Hopefully he has a good season this year. Not sure he’s even on the ice yet though. He didn’t play in any of the preseason games for the Czech U20 team.

Great interview with Jiricek's agent, Allan Walsh, on SDPN.

According to Allan, Adam should be cleared to play by training camp (September). When he was asked where he likely would have gone had the ACL injury not occurred, he stated top 8. It is important to note that 90% of athletes with ACL reconstruction regain full strength and laxity (depending on which literature you're looking at). Other notable athletes to have gotten ACL injuries include Morgan Reilly during his draft year and Malkin in 2011, who came back the following season posting 109 points in 75 games with a +18. Nowadays, Orthopedic surgeons routinely fix these types of injuries, and the rehabilitation protocol is well-established. Most people here are familiar with Robby Fabbri, but he was an outlier. The Blues may have picked up a gem, and I'll be following Jiricek's season in Brantford periodically.

Also, around 18:25, Allan mentions Adam Jecho's personality and skillset.

 

[CurrentCS]

Great interview with Jiricek's agent, Allan Walsh, on SDPN.

According to Allan, Adam should be cleared to play by training camp (September). When he was asked where he likely would have gone had the ACL injury not occurred, he stated top 8. It is important to note that 90% of athletes with ACL reconstruction regain full strength and laxity (depending on which literature you're looking at). Other notable athletes to have gotten ACL injuries include Morgan Reilly during his draft year and Malkin in 2011, who came back the following season posting 109 points in 75 games with a +18. Nowadays, Orthopedic surgeons routinely fix these types of injuries, and the rehabilitation protocol is well-established. Most people here are familiar with Robby Fabbri, but he was an outlier. The Blues may have picked up a gem, and I'll be following Jiricek's season in Brantford periodically.

Also, around 18:25, Allan mentions Adam Jecho's personality and skillset.

Great find, thank you!

Yeah see it's Jiricek's combo of skating ability, puck handling and physicality where I'm having difficulty coming up with a really good comp for him.

 

[LogosBlue]

Great interview with Jiricek's agent, Allan Walsh, on SDPN.

According to Allan, Adam should be cleared to play by training camp (September). When he was asked where he likely would have gone had the ACL injury not occurred, he stated top 8. It is important to note that 90% of athletes with ACL reconstruction regain full strength and laxity (depending on which literature you're looking at). Other notable athletes to have gotten ACL injuries include Morgan Reilly during his draft year and Malkin in 2011, who came back the following season posting 109 points in 75 games with a +18. Nowadays, Orthopedic surgeons routinely fix these types of injuries, and the rehabilitation protocol is well-established. Most people here are familiar with Robby Fabbri, but he was an outlier. The Blues may have picked up a gem, and I'll be following Jiricek's season in Brantford periodically.

Also, around 18:25, Allan mentions Adam Jecho's personality and skillset.

I think Jecho and Stancl are rated too low on our board rankings.

 

[STLegend]

I was re-watching WJC highlights and I didn't realize that after tearing his ACL in the 2nd period, Jiricek tried to come back and play in the 3rd before going down in pain again and finally sitting out the rest of the game.

Kind of crazy motivation to do that, what a gamer. When I tore mine playing soccer I had some intense pain and swelling almost immediately, I cringe to think about trying to go back in the game to continue playing.

 

[Snubbed4Vezina]

I think Jecho and Stancl are rated too low on our board rankings.

I hope so!

 

[BlueMed]

Great find, thank you!

Yeah see it's Jiricek's combo of skating ability, puck handling and physicality where I'm having difficulty coming up with a really good comp for him.

He reminds me of Pietrangelo. Jiricek is a tall, right-handed defenseman with strong skating ability and poise at both ends of the the ice. Both players demonstrate good leadership qualities, aggressive defense, and can feather the puck accurately to teammates. Like Pietrangelo, Adam's main weakness is shot accuracy. Just to be clear, this is purely a stylistic comparison and not a projection of Jiricek's future accomplishments in the NHL. At this point, I think Jiricek's overall skillset is a bit more raw and will need more development so I think two years in the OHL followed by one year in the AHL could be his timeline.

 

[ChicagoBlues]

I think Jecho and Stancl are rated too low on our board rankings.

Those two are mysterious.

 

[Blanick]

Those two are mysterious.

Jecho is the very definition of boom/bust. Either he becomes a full time NHLer or never gets past the AHL.

 

[PerryTurnbullfan]

He reminds me of Pietrangelo. Jiricek is a tall, right-handed defenseman with strong skating ability and poise at both ends of the the ice. Both players demonstrate good leadership qualities, aggressive defense, and can feather the puck accurately to teammates. Like Pietrangelo, Adam's main weakness is shot accuracy. Just to be clear, this is purely a stylistic comparison and not a projection of Jiricek's future accomplishments in the NHL. At this point, I think Jiricek's overall skillset is a bit more raw and will need more development so I think two years in the OHL followed by one year in the AHL could be his timeline.

I can't say I agree. Jiricek is far more physical than Petro, which is probably the biggest problem I had with him when he was here. He could play an entire game with a carton of eggs wrapped around him and not break one. Hopefully, he does have some of Petro's traits with his stick defensively and offensively. Petro was the most talented Blue I got to see since the 70s, but also the most enigmatic in using it.

 

[Celtic Note]

I can't say I agree. Jiricek is far more physical than Petro, which is probably the biggest problem I had with him when he was here. He could play an entire game with a carton of eggs wrapped around him and not break one. Hopefully, he does have some of Petro's traits with his stick defensively and offensively. Petro was the most talented Blue I got to see since the 70s, but also the most enigmatic in using it.

I would much rather have a defenseman who pulls the puck off the oppositions stick with exceptional frequency and can exit the zone with elite proficiency than one trying to hit his way to glory. This coming from one of the bigger Scott Steven’s fans out there.

 

[STL fan in MN]

I would much rather have a defenseman who pulls the puck off the oppositions stick with exceptional frequency and can exit the zone with elite proficiency than one trying to hit his way to glory. This coming from one of the bigger Scott Steven’s fans out there.

I’d agree.

I like a physical d-man but some take themselves out of the play too much to deliver a hit. Petro wasn’t very physical but I never saw him as this cream puff some did. He’d deliver a hit here and there and certainly absorb them. Players avoiding getting hit annoy me much more than players that don’t hit much themselves. And Petro didn’t avoid hits.

I can kinda see the stylistic comparison between Jiricek and Petro but I’ll need to see a lot more of Jiricek to evaluate that. As of now, I don’t see the elite hockey sense in Jiricek that made Petro special. That hockey sense allowed Petro to be elite in what I’ll call escapability. There’s no measurement for that but maybe zone exits would somewhat measure that? But his ability to gather the puck, make a quick play, win a board battle and transition the puck up the ice was fantastic. I think we just got used to him doing that that many forgot just how good he was at it and how much that helps the team. It was just automatic.

 

[Bluesnatic27]

I think Jecho and Stancl are rated too low on our board rankings.

Why?

Jecho has plenty of issues with how he plays the game and is a player more lauded for his tools than play. Stancl is a defensive player with worse abilities than Kos.

I think both as rated quite fairly by our board.

 

[LogosBlue]

He reminds me of Pietrangelo. Jiricek is a tall, right-handed defenseman with strong skating ability and poise at both ends of the the ice. Both players demonstrate good leadership qualities, aggressive defense, and can feather the puck accurately to teammates. Like Pietrangelo, Adam's main weakness is shot accuracy. Just to be clear, this is purely a stylistic comparison and not a projection of Jiricek's future accomplishments in the NHL. At this point, I think Jiricek's overall skillset is a bit more raw and will need more development so I think two years in the OHL followed by one year in the AHL could be his timeline.

I don't really see the Petro comp. As I've said before, his great skating and mobility with the puck reminds me of Makar. I don't think his ceiling is as high as Makar but stylistically, I see Makar much more so than Petro.

 

[Bye Bye Blueston]

I don't really see the Petro comp. As I've said before, his great skating and mobility with the puck reminds me of Makar. I don't think his ceiling is as high as Makar but stylistically, I see Makar much more so than Petro.

I see some McAvoy in him.

 

[Bluesnatic27]

I see some McAvoy in him.

This was the name that kept popping up in my head as well.

A game predicated on aggression but it’s his ability to act in real time that allows for it to work. Still, would like Jiricek to learn how to utilize time and space better. It’s nice that he can act with little runway. But that should be a situational strength, not one that is needed as often as Jiricek makes it seem like he needs to.

 

[LogosBlue]

Why?

Jecho has plenty of issues with how he plays the game and is a player more lauded for his tools than play. Stancl is a defensive player with worse abilities than Kos.

I think both as rated quite fairly by our board.

For starters, I think we stole Jecho where we picked him. You can't teach size. The dude is a massive 6'-5" at 18. He could still grow an inch or two before he is done. 205 lbs. before he fleshes out in his 20's. The dude is going to be a monster and almost impossible to move off the puck. His rookie season with the Oil Kings he's almost a point per game guy. He's a good distributor of the puck and a pretty well-rounded player. The only knock on him really is his skating and willingness to be physical. I know skating is even more important in today's game but given time to mature (and have his skating catch up with his body) I think he turns into a really good middle six player at minimum. This year for Czechia (U20) he had 6 points in 4 games. This guy is a diamond in the rough.

With Stancl, i don't think he has the upside of Jecho but I do see him being a really good bottom 6 shut down forward and a PK specialist that every team needs and underappreciates. He has good size and strength. His motor / forecheck and ability to retrieve / dig out pucks in the defensive zone is top notch.

When we review our rankings in a couple years, (especially with Jecho) we'll laugh that we ranked him so low.