Prospect Info: Blues 2024-2025 Prospect Thread

[StlBigFly]

Sweden is one of the favorites are they not? They look pretty damn good

I watched a handful of preview shows in the background and all had the same opinion: USA, Sweden, Canada are on in a different tier due to roster density.

 

[PerryTurnbullfan]

I wouldn’t mind the Blues taking a late round flyer on Julius Sumpf. Plays with Pekarcik. Automatic on the dot good two way center.

 

[Mike Liut]

Is Ralph doing anything?

 

[ExtraExtra888]

Ralph isn't playing much but I think he's looked fine when he's out there.

 

[Quaz]

Is Ralph doing anything?

He has looked pretty good. I don’t think he played another shift after he lost the puck in the corner on the PK that resulted in Germany’s first goal. Hopefully he gets some ice time in the 3rd. He looks huge out there.

 

[STLegend]

Stenberg might be my favorite prospect, he's got that dawg in him.

He's such a smart player and is so dynamic, he makes things happen. Reminds me a little bit of Schwartzie, maybe a little more hard-nosed.

Dvorsky REALLY needs to work on his acceleration, first 3 steps are slowwww.

 

[LetsGoBooze]

Stenberg might be my favorite prospect, he's got that dawg in him.

He's such a smart player and is so dynamic, he makes things happen. Reminds me a little bit of Schwartzie, maybe a little more hard-nosed.

Dvorsky REALLY needs to work on his acceleration, first 3 steps are slowwww.

Would love a hard nosed Schwartz for this core. Could definitely use some of that.

 

[Quaz]

Stenberg might be my favorite prospect, he's got that dawg in him.

He's such a smart player and is so dynamic, he makes things happen. Reminds me a little bit of Schwartzie, maybe a little more hard-nosed.

Dvorsky REALLY needs to work on his acceleration, first 3 steps are slowwww.

The good news is Dvorsky has been able to produce in the AHL with this limitation. If he can add that first couple of steps quickness to his game he could be a dominate player. Better decisions under pressure should improve as well. His playmaking ability is pretty good overall.

 

[LGB]

I don’t see Dvorsky as separated from the pack of our top 5 prospects. He’s a skilled player, but I think 3C is still a potential outcome for him. The skating is a big issue and I would’ve hoped it would be better at this point.

 

[StlBigFly]

Jaden Schwartz + Corey Perry have baby = Otto Stenberg?

Works for me.

Dude looks like Perry when he’s mucking it up around the net. He has that trollish intensity. Love it.

 

[Quaz]

I don’t see Dvorsky as separated from the pack of our top 5 prospects. He’s a skilled player, but I think 3C is still a potential outcome for him. The skating is a big issue and I would’ve hoped it would be better at this point.

I think the AHL was a wake-up call for Dvorsky that he needs to improve his skating/conditioning if he wants to be an impact player at the NHL level. He is only 19, he still has plenty of time to improve his skating. Backes and Sundqvist were able to do it so I don’t see why he couldn’t.

 

[LGB]

I think the AHL was a wake-up call for Dvorsky that he needs to improve his skating/conditioning if he wants to be an impact player at the NHL level. He is only 19, he still has plenty of time to improve his skating. Backes and Sundqvist were able to do it so I don’t see why he couldn’t.

Hopefully he can. At this point though I would bet he will always be below average by NHL standards. What I’d like to see is improvements in his transition playmaking ability. More deception in his handling and passing and better awareness of his options.

 

[DatDude44]

Is Kaskimaki that good of a skater? Hagelin and Duchene were both known for being super quick, I admittedly haven't seen much of Kaskimaki but didn't think he was super fast?

He’s a very good skater, extremely sticky on pucks too. Takes good angles and does a really good job tracking above pucks and bodies out of the zone. I’ve yet to see him on the ice for an odd man rush against lol

 

[DatDude44]

Really Like Kos's game today

 

[Mike Liut]

Really Like Kos's game today

He was drafted at 6’2 165 lbs. Does he look like he’s adding any weight?

 

[DatDude44]

He was drafted at 6’2 165 lbs. Does he look like he’s adding any weight?

Not sure, I'd guess natural progression will take care of that in due time.... But I really like his overall hockey sense, he makes alot of smart hockey plays with zero hesitation. So far, he looks much better than I expected.

Like Stancl alot too, he's learning how to gain leverage/manipulate body position and use his size to his advantage down low.

 

[Mike Liut]

Not sure, I'd guess natural progression will take care of that in due time.... But I really like his overall hockey sense, he makes alot of smart hockey plays with zero hesitation. So far, he looks much better than I expected.

Like Stancl alot too, he's learning how to gain leverage/manipulate body position and use his size to his advantage down low.

Stancl is 6’3 200. That’s a great size especially for a 19 yr old

 

[DatDude44]

Stancl is 6’3 200. That’s a great size especially for a 19 yr old

His skating has improved greatly since draft day as well. He could be a nice complimentary bottom 6 player when he's 22/23

 

[MortiestOfMortys]

Found this little breakdown clip of Colin Ralph:

 

[Reality Czech]

Snuggerud is a better two way player than Hoffman and will be a better 5v5 player as well. I don't think it's a great comp but for comparison's sake Snuggy is closer to Tarasenko than he is to Hoffman.

Hope you're right but let's be honest. It's anyone's guess at this point

 

[GettingYourMoms]

Stancl is 6’3 200. That’s a great size especially for a 19 yr old

Štancl is extremely underrated as a prospect, he has size, speed and shot and he looked amazing so far at WJC. Czechs missing that scoring threat like Kulich, but he will suffice. I just can´t see him being anything less than middle6 20 goal guy. He has all the good attributes and he adapted to NA ice really well.

 

[StlBigFly]

I don’t think we’ll see Dvorsky doing a MacKinnon Jr impression and I’d guess the coaches wouldn’t be happy if he did.

I like that he’s in the offensive zone a lot and he’s mixing it up with his linemates so the situation isn’t just some hero puck over and over. He’s had chances, so has Pekarcik, there have been seems, and nice that the other team isn’t getting a lot of that stuff against him.

I think they’re expected to play close support and to get the puck deep anytime you don’t have support.

I liked seeing Dvorsky creating cross crease opportunities at 5v5 that maybe failed at generating the full attempt every time versus if he had just tried to hero puck all game; get 5 turnovers/odd man rushes against but 2 highlight reel goals.

 

[DatDude44]

Luv what i'm seeing out of kaskimaki. I'd honestly argue he's closer to a callup than Dvorsky is in this present time. Obviously Dvorsky is the more talented Goal scorer....But Kaskimaki's Speed and first three steps is extremely impressive and he knows how to use it. His ability to disrupt and create/force turnovers hunting pucks all over the ice is impressive, he also has the ability to make some high end plays off the wall on breakouts and through transition, he seems to process the game pretty well and scan the ice at a high rate. As a boring coach, I also love how he starts and stops all over the ice relentlessly pressuring pucks or back tracking and picking up the right guys, very impressed with his details and that's something that could get him a bottom 6 look if we get another injury or we make a trade towards the end of the year. Looks like a heck of a 3rd rd pick to me.

Reminds me alot of Arturri Lehkonen, Emil Heineman and Mathieu Joseph. Lehkonen obviously being the player I hope he becomes if everything goes right.

 

[Brockon]

I watched a handful of preview shows in the background and all had the same opinion: USA, Sweden, Canada are on in a different tier due to roster density.

I wasn't particularly impressed with my Canadian boys in their first 2 games.

Sure they beat Finland 4-0. Carter George looked pretty impressive out there, less sold on the team overall than I have been in past years.

They lost in the shootout 2-3 vs Latvia, because they couldn't score at even strength. And their PP looked pretty weak, going 1/5 - which falls short of the usual 30-50% clip the Canadian team scores at with the man advantage.

I'm hoping that a decent portion of the even strength problems vs Latvia stem from losing Matthew Schaefer after 3 shifts played, when he collided with the net and broke his collarbone. He was expected to play top pairing minutes for them - and losing that early in the game hurts.

But, I did expect to see Sam Dickenson play more than 5th most dman minutes, given his draft pedigree as 11oa from 2024 (SD's 16:10 exceeding only Beau Akeys 14:34 and Schaefer's 2:08) for a game that went the full 65 mins to be settled in a shootout. The rest of the dcore is 2nd/3rd round players from 2023 outside of Oliver Bonk at 22oa in 2024.

Curious to see how Schaefer's draft stock is affected by the injury this summer.

I will say that I was pretty impressed with Feldbergs' performance in net for Latvia, he was peppered with 57 SOG and kept Canada off the board in the shootout. Kid probably ends up being selected as an overager in the 2nd/3rd round this summer by someone looking to stock their goalie pipeline with a slightly more developed goalie with this being his last eligible draft (as best I can tell). I'm getting Adam Gajan vibes as a prospect who gets up for big games on a largely unknown roster without a plethora of 1st rounders in front of him. Gajan rode a strong 2023 WJC performance for Slovakia to a 2nd round selection by CHI as an overager.

 

[LGB]

Incredible production for a 20 year old in the AHL