Prospect Info: Blues 2024-2025 Prospect Thread

[Blanick]

I'm not ready to give up on Snuggerud yet. I actually really like the fact that he has a shoot first mentality as our current crop of players have a tendency to over pass. That being said if someone came along and offered a top RHD prospect I might be convinced to move him as we have several guys with upper end offensive potential (Dvorsky, Snuggy, Pekarcik, Stenberg, Bolduc) and not enough with upper end defense potential.

 

[execwrite1]

Snuggerud - 6 GP 1 G 6 A 7 Pts. 29 shots, 10 more than next closest

Not terrible.

 

[Snubbed4Vezina]

For a team that struggles scoring, trading a guy with the scoring ability of Snuggerud would be a mistake we would come to regret pretty quickly, I think.

1. Don't count on guys to break out before they're 23, especially college guys. If they do, great. But I wouldn't make too many drastic evaluations before they reach that D+5 season.
2. I haven't watched any Minny games, but we don't know what Snuggerud is working on / through right now. Is he focusing on a 200-foot game? Does his team need him to be defense first? Is he nursing an injury? All sorts of things could be going on that don't show up on the scoresheet.
3. He is over PPG in college hockey. That's not a guy you give up on. The goals will come. It's a weaker team than they had last year or the year before, so more attention is on him than before. That's a good thing. It's better he work out how to succeed in that scenario in college hockey than struggle at it in the NHL.

Snuggerud is very much in our long term plans, and there is no reason to change those plans based on 6 games.

I'm also curious if Minnesota has been rolling 4 lines more than they will later in the season because it gives their lesser players more ice time against these weaker opponents.

I don't share the opinion that he's regressed as a prospect, though I can see why the stat lines would make people think that. I do feel like returning to Minnesota this season is a wasted year of development for him. At the end of the day, is it going to matter long-term? Probably not. I still expect to see Snuggerud settle in as our 2nd line RW and PP trigger man very quickly. His shot is lethal.

I wouldn't deal him unless it's part of a package that nets us one of two of the big missing pieces: a 2C or a top pairing D-man. He is the type of prospect that could move a deal like that along.

 

[PocketNines]

Jecho with three assists yesterday

 

[LGB]

Snuggerud is playing with a freshman center who has 2 points. They're only 6 games into the season. Relax. Wish he would have come out this year though.

 

[Bonin21]

Again hate to be the bearer of reality but Snuggerud looks the same as he did in the second half of last year, which is to say nowhere near ready for the NHL.

He has 6 goals in his last 25 games, as a sniper prospect if he wants to stick in the NHL.

It will be a full year in the AHL or a senior year in college. I think he'll choose AHL, but he'll need to keep working his tail off to ever stick full time in the NHL.

Regarding how deep the Gophers are I'd say Snuggerud has been the 6th-8th or so best forward so far this season.

 

[LGB]

Again hate to be the bearer of reality

I get the opposite impression

 

[taylord22]

Again hate to be the bearer of reality but Snuggerud looks the same as he did in the second half of last year, which is to say nowhere near ready for the NHL.

He has 6 goals in his last 25 games, as a sniper prospect if he wants to stick in the NHL.

It will be a full year in the AHL or a senior year in college. I think he'll choose AHL, but he'll need to keep working his tail off to ever stick full time in the NHL.

Regarding how deep the Gophers are I'd say Snuggerud has been the 6th-8th or so best forward so far this season.

Yeah, the alarm bells around his game go back to post WJC, last year. I think where you and I disagreed at the time is: I don't think he can learn any more playing for Motzko and I don't think the surrounding talent is very conducive to Snuggerud's game. He and Moore are/were a bad match, and Motzko constantly shifting him up and down the top 9 borders on the absurd. He should've turned pro and gone to the AHL.

The whole question about Snuggerrud, to me, has always been "can he be the 3rd best player on a top line"? The answer to that from his D+1 to last year's WJC was a loud 'yes'. Even with the putrid play to end the season, he still scored 21 goals (20 is hard in NCAA). There's no good answer as to 'why' that happened, and it's why I'm extra weary that he's just not in a good spot at this point in his development.

For the Blues, on paper, he's exactly what we need to play with Thomas, which is our 2nd biggest organizational need, IMO. I haven't watched every T-birds game, but I like where Dvorsky is at this early in the season. Plenty to work on, but there's a lot more to like in his game than not. And when he does have the puck, he's dangerous. I'm not worried about the 2C.

We need an elite dman, and an elite/near elite winger who can play with Thomas. There's options in F/A, the Blues need to decide if they have the appetite for shelling out dollars, or putting their eggs in the Snuggy basket. But we need that shot first winger.

 

[STL fan in MN]

It appears my observations from Friday’s Gophers game started quite the discussion. Below are some additional thoughts and responses:

For a team that struggles scoring, trading a guy with the scoring ability of Snuggerud would be a mistake we would come to regret pretty quickly, I think.

1. Don't count on guys to break out before they're 23, especially college guys. If they do, great. But I wouldn't make too many drastic evaluations before they reach that D+5 season.
2. I haven't watched any Minny games, but we don't know what Snuggerud is working on / through right now. Is he focusing on a 200-foot game? Does his team need him to be defense first? Is he nursing an injury? All sorts of things could be going on that don't show up on the scoresheet.
3. He is over PPG in college hockey. That's not a guy you give up on. The goals will come. It's a weaker team than they had last year or the year before, so more attention is on him than before. That's a good thing. It's better he work out how to succeed in that scenario in college hockey than struggle at it in the NHL.

Snuggerud is very much in our long term plans, and there is no reason to change those plans based on 6 games.

It’s not just 6 games. It’s pretty much all of last season too.

We shouldn’t make too many observations or judgments until a player’s D+5 year? While many work out their kinks, others do not. Ignoring a lack of development would’ve resulted in us hanging onto Dominik Bokk instead of cutting bait. Sometimes the warning signs are real.

I haven’t watched every Gopher game but around 15 of them last season and this season combined. I think that’s a fair number to make a proper evaluation. He hasn’t been very good for quite a while now. Could he be working through something? Sure, but I doubt it. Not for all that time anyway.

We are no where deep enough to move someone like Snuggerud. And even if he is someone that benefits from better linemates like Cooley, which was always the expectation, that's fine. His shot is his asset, playing with a guy like Thomas down the road has potential for a great partnership.

It's also silly to care about effort in a massive blowout win. Let me know how he performs in the meaningful games against quality opponents.

Not everyone can play with Thomas. That’s what I mean by a lack of versatility. He needs a very specific type of linemates to be successful. We only have 1 Thomas (0 currently actually). We need wingers that can be successful paired with all sorts of Cs, not just one of the best in the entire league.

He’s looked like garbage against most quality competition as well.

Of the guys who aren't currently in the NHL, it's Dvorsky, Snuggerud, and then a BIG gap between the rest. One day we'll have to trade in 4 quarters for a dollar, but I don't think this season is that time. Let things shake out a bit more, let guys reveal who they can be for the team.

I’d put all of Dvorsky, Lindstein, Jiricek, Bolduc and Stenberg ahead if Snuggerud.

I’m not advocating we absolutely trade Snuggerud. But if we are to trade a prospect in the next year or so, he’d be the one I’d look to move. I’m concerned with his development. I’ve watched him a lot. He has massive holes in his games and I’m not really seeing much of any improvement. I think I’m pretty fair with my observations with prospects and try to pump their tires when I can. But there’s some very clear red flags I’ve seen with Snuggerud. Could I be wrong? Sure, but just giving my honest observations.

 

[PocketNines]

I’d put all of Dvorsky, Lindstein, Jiricek, Bolduc and Stenberg ahead if Snuggerud.

I don't know about Bolduc relative to Snuggerud because I still see one being more valuable than the other in his skillset if he reaches it and they seem about similar likelihood.

But Dvorsky Lindstein Jiricek Stenberg is my top 4. Then Snuggy Fischer Bolduc. Dvorsky Lindstein Stenberg and Fischer read to me as definite NHL players. Jiricek Snuggy Bolduc are talented question marks to me

 

[Majorityof1]

Yeah, the alarm bells around his game go back to post WJC, last year. I think where you and I disagreed at the time is: I don't think he can learn any more playing for Motzko and I don't think the surrounding talent is very conducive to Snuggerud's game. He and Moore are/were a bad match, and Motzko constantly shifting him up and down the top 9 borders on the absurd. He should've turned pro and gone to the AHL.

The whole question about Snuggerrud, to me, has always been "can he be the 3rd best player on a top line"? The answer to that from his D+1 to last year's WJC was a loud 'yes'. Even with the putrid play to end the season, he still scored 21 goals (20 is hard in NCAA). There's no good answer as to 'why' that happened, and it's why I'm extra weary that he's just not in a good spot at this point in his development.

For the Blues, on paper, he's exactly what we need to play with Thomas, which is our 2nd biggest organizational need, IMO. I haven't watched every T-birds game, but I like where Dvorsky is at this early in the season. Plenty to work on, but there's a lot more to like in his game than not. And when he does have the puck, he's dangerous. I'm not worried about the 2C.

We need an elite dman, and an elite/near elite winger who can play with Thomas. There's options in F/A, the Blues need to decide if they have the appetite for shelling out dollars, or putting their eggs in the Snuggy basket. But we need that shot first winger.

I agree with much of this but 2C is still our 2nd biggest need. I don't think its fair to say Dvorsky will fill one need but discount our prospects on the other. Until the prospect hits, its still a need. With Buchnevich and Kyrou, plus a lot of other winger prospects and the fact that wingers are the easiest to acquire through FA/trade, 2C is still an overwhelmingly bigger need than a winger for Thomas. Dvorsky still has a TON of work before he is an good NHL 2C.