Prospect Info: Blues 2024-2025 Prospect Thread

ChicagoBlues

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Oct 24, 2006
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I might weigh Jeff Marek's opinions way too highly, but he has regularly talked about how guys generally aren't eager to go to the World Juniors if they have legitimately established themselves on their pro teams.

I agree with you about allowing him to go if he is pushing for it. But I don't think it is very likely that he is pushing for it. He would step getting a paycheck while he's there and I'd be very surprised if it hasn't become clear to him that AHL games are a greater challenge and benefit to his goal of getting NHL ready.

I could very much be wrong. Marek's info/opinion is probably mostly shaped by Canadian kids and the reality is that those kids are choosing between NHL and the World Juniors. They would be giving up way more money on the missed paycheck and the gap between NHL to WJC is obviously much larger than the gap between the AHL and WJC. Again, if he is pushing to go then I'd let him. I'm just guessing/assuming that he is privately saying that he wants to focus on being a pro hockey player.
I'll trust you on Marek's views regarding prospects and the WJCs and agree that money is, oftentimes, the motivating factor in the decision to not play at the WJCs. Money is the motivating factor for many people in many contexts.

I've listened to only two interviews with Dvorsky, but, in each one, he carefully crafted his responses. This is important because it appears he has that rare and vital human quality that allows him the maturity and space to "play the tape forward". If he was operating from a severe "lack mentality", then I'd venture to guess that the decision may be the same, but the decision-making process would be vastly different.

There are other factors to consider such as national pride, overall financial health of the family and narcissistic family members hovering around like a vampire, each of which can lay a foundation of "lack".

Comparatively, Snuggerud appears to be lacking something. His father had only a modest NHL career, but they may be financialy healthy anyway, therefore a financial lack would not be present. A nostalgic lack could be present with Daddy possibly projecting onto his son his lost dreams and his delusional urge toward fantastcal vicarity. Snuggy is losing lots of moolah because of a different type of lack. To what this perceived lack can be attributed is debatable.

And, yes, I am arguing that there is, indeed, a sense of lack and that it is this sense of lack that motivates individuals to make a decision. Collegiate (National) pride is, imo, the motivating factor for Snuggerud and that that motivation may not be pure.
 

BlueMed

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Jul 18, 2019
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I think that the Blues are viewing his development completely differently than their philosophy with Bolduc. Dvorsky is bigger than Bolduc (both at comparable ages and currently) and got to the AHL a year quicker than Bolduc. Bolduc may or may not have been ready for the AHL in his D+2 season. We'll never know since the NHL-CHL agreement prevented him from being assigned there. But what we do know is that Dvorsky has been better than Bolduc by a noticeable margin in their respective AHL seasons and Dvorsky is doing that while being a year (and 4 months) younger than Bolduc was in his AHL season.

Bolduc's first NHL game was 2 days before his 21st birthday and it came after he posted 8 goals and 25 points through 50 AHL games.

Dvorsky won't turn 20 until June and he already has 8 goals and 16 points through 20 AHL games.

Dvorsky is well ahead of Bolduc's schedule, so I could definitely see him getting the end-of-year NHL callup that Bolduc got in his rookie pro year.
I'm not necessarily saying Dvorsky won't be playing at this end of this season but rather inferring that Dvorsky will more than likely see NHL ice time no later than early next season because his AHL production already has exceeded Bolduc's AHL production, who evidently made the team this year.
 
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BlueMed

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Mrsic with another goal - he backchecked to take the puck on one end and soon rushed it confidently up ice. He lost the puck in the zone but it was kept in, and eventually he snuck into the slot where he put it on net, fired a shot, gathered the rebound and then rifled it in. Made it 3-2 late in the third but they couldn't tie it
His goal per game rate is impressively high this season. It makes me wonder what the front office plans on doing with him next season...AHL perhaps?
 

blue zone

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Apr 14, 2024
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I think that the Blues are viewing his development completely differently than their philosophy with Bolduc. Dvorsky is bigger than Bolduc (both at comparable ages and currently) and got to the AHL a year quicker than Bolduc. Bolduc may or may not have been ready for the AHL in his D+2 season. We'll never know since the NHL-CHL agreement prevented him from being assigned there. But what we do know is that Dvorsky has been better than Bolduc by a noticeable margin in their respective AHL seasons and Dvorsky is doing that while being a year (and 4 months) younger than Bolduc was in his AHL season.

Bolduc's first NHL game was 2 days before his 21st birthday and it came after he posted 8 goals and 25 points through 50 AHL games.

Dvorsky won't turn 20 until June and he already has 8 goals and 16 points through 20 AHL games.

Dvorsky is well ahead of Bolduc's schedule, so I could definitely see him getting the end-of-year NHL callup that Bolduc got in his rookie pro year.
I agree to an extent. But, Springfield looks like a better and m
ore balanced team this year, as well.
 

Stupendous Yappi

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Mrsic with another goal - he backchecked to take the puck on one end and soon rushed it confidently up ice. He lost the puck in the zone but it was kept in, and eventually he snuck into the slot where he put it on net, fired a shot, gathered the rebound and then rifled it in. Made it 3-2 late in the third but they couldn't tie it.
IMG_1393.jpeg
 

PerryTurnbullfan

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Sep 30, 2006
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When I saw this I realized I had inadvertently stumbled into a reference with an organic nickname, if it's Arrested Development or Bojack or the first four seasons of Archer I am chapter/verse, but I've never seen rick and morty
Well… I’m kind of old so… it’s just a reference to not giving Mrsic a chance to shoot. He will finish and keeps proving it.
 
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TheOrganist

Don't Call Him Alex
Feb 21, 2006
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The WJC. It has already been confirmed by the Slovak hockey federation today and he did an interview talking about how much he is looking forward to joining the team.
I see. I'm sure you're happy to have him but I don't really get the logic from the Blues perspective.
 

SirPaste

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I see. I'm sure you're happy to have him but I don't really get the logic from the Blues perspective.
I don't really see the harm in it, I am sure Dvorsky really wanted to go so why not let him go participate in the one of the biggest tournaments of the year with his peers. Sure he is playing great in the AHL right now but missing a couple weeks to play in the WJC isn't a big deal IMO.
 

Antiillafire

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May 1, 2021
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I don't really see the harm in it, I am sure Dvorsky really wanted to go so why not let him go participate in the one of the biggest tournaments of the year with his peers. Sure he is playing great in the AHL right now but missing a couple weeks to play in the WJC isn't a big deal IMO.
He likely won’t join until the final stage of pre tournament, that’s if they play him for any pre tournament games at all.
I think it’s hard for Americans and Canadians to understand that a player like Dvorsky can be the difference between a medal and a QF loss for Slovakia. This 2005 age group for Slovakia beat Finland, Czechia and nearly topped the Canadians and Swedes at the U18’s. Dvorsky probably feels like there is unfinished business.
 

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