Prospect Info: Blues 2024-2025 Prospect Thread

[bleedblue1223]

Did they get to play against Kazakhstan as well? Keep in mind 5 of his 9 points came in that blowout

Faksa had 5 points in 17 total games. Jaskin had 8 in 12, with 6 in 6 in his 2nd. Stancl has 15 in 13.

 

[Reality Czech]

Faksa had 5 points in 17 total games. Jaskin had 8 in 12, with 6 in 6 in his 2nd. Stancl has 15 in 13.

Fair enough. I don't think U20 stats are that important when comparing talent but hopefully Stancl continues to develop in juniors. Just saying his numbers look a lot better due to that 5 spot he put up against the worst team in the tournament. He had a solid tournament, but the numbers can be misleading as well.

 

[bleedblue1223]

Every tourney has a couple teams that are terrible in each group. 2013 was Latvia for Czech and 2014 was Germany. And small samples are also a factor, but while Stancl isn't our Mark Stone, I don't think we should downplay his performance either.

 

[LetsGoBooze]

Gunnar at his peak was a very good mid pair guy. Not amazing but did well offensively and defensively. Was a great complement to anyone he played with. Calling someone who isn’t an elite prospect a potential Gunnarson is probably a complement. I do think expectations need to be tempered some.

Agreed. We're not shaming him with the Gunnar comparisons, just aligning expectations.

 

[PocketNines]

public service announcement because I can see how this Jaskin thing is already going to take root among people who are definitely not watching the player either closely or game over game, and it will become shorthand for "short term, limited NHL contributor" ... the same Czech poster who came up with the Jaskin comp said a few minutes ago that Handzus is really good comp too.

non watchers, put that in the vague gut sense, please.

It's a shallow assessment to dismiss his shift over shift over shift dominance in this tourney to point to the Kazakh game. He skates well, he is just on the defender, then it's him who has the puck, then he makes some great pass or puts a laser quickly on net. Big guy with a quick release, excellent hands. Real good on faceoffs, 200' player, you watch him watch the play and make decisions, you get sooo comfortable with this kid's ability to reproduce this.

Agreed. We're not shaming him with the Gunnar comparisons, just aligning expectations.

you're saying the expectation is this is a 4/5 defenseman and so that isn't aligning expectations, it is guarding yourself against disappointment.

his actual expectation has kind of always been a #2 defenseman. Not a 4/5 like Gunnarsson. everything from the eye test to reports from his own coach and the Blues' Tim Taylor is that this is a #2 defenseman in the making, that if anything he is fully on track to develop as expected.

 

[Bye Bye Blueston]

Agreed. We're not shaming him with the Gunnar comparisons, just aligning expectations.

Not sure if y’all are overrating Gunnar or underrating Lindstein, but that comp seems way off. Fowler or Leddy seem like much better comps.

 

[CurrentCS]

I still stand by my comp of Jonas Brodin for Lindstein.

I think people might forget Carl Gunnarsson before the hip injuries as well. He was every bit of a 3/4 for the Leafs as a youngster.

 

[PocketNines]

Stancl has scored goals against Canada, USA, Sweden in three consecutive elimination games. He has outright dominated this tournament, again he could have twice the points that he has ... it has been awesome. They use him in all situations, PP, PK, against the Stenberg line. They trust this 200' player and they should. We deserve to be excited about this one

 

[ChicagoBlues]

Not sure if y’all are overrating Gunnar or underrating Lindstein, but that comp seems way off. Fowler or Leddy seem like much better comps.

Thank you

—

Do we need to agree on expectations?

 

[AyeBah]

Every tourney has a couple teams that are terrible in each group. 2013 was Latvia for Czech and 2014 was Germany. And small samples are also a factor, but while Stancl isn't our Mark Stone, I don't think we should downplay his performance either.

More watered down now than ever though with no Russia

 

[LetsGoBooze]

I still stand by my comp of Jonas Brodin for Lindstein.

I think people might forget Carl Gunnarsson before the hip injuries as well. He was every bit of a 3/4 for the Leafs as a youngster.

Great pull w/the Brodin take. Taking into consideration his size, handidness, and origin, but more importantly his point totals i think this is the best comp i've seen for my personal expectations. Good stuff.

 

[CurrentCS]

Stancl's development, especially as a C prospect rather than just another winger could be huge for the Blues. He looks great at C and plays a full 200ft just really smart game.

I've been trying to come up with a solid comp for him as he's progressed and I think he kind of reminds me of a young Bobby Holik in a number of ways. Frame, physicality, hands, heavy shot, shutdown defensively, etc.

I'm not seeing Stancl's skating as an issue at all either. He's clearly gained at least a step since his draft.

Anybody else see the Holik comp?

 

[bleedblue1223]

Here's an optimistic look at a pessimistic view. Let's say Stancl is Jaskin, continues to have a great Junior season, gets on the radar of prospect rankings, turns pro, and has a good AHL rookie year in the same way that Jaskin did. Back when Jaskin did that, he and Rattie were our top prospects after Tarasenko and Schwartz graduated.

So, while we may differ on what stylistic comp fits best or what someone's upside is, Army and Steen will have a ton of trade chips in the coming years with the quality play of our prospects at the WJC. When Jaskin and Rattie were our top prospects, on some level we would be more reluctant to trade them for an immediate upgrade, center being the primary position that we needed at the time. It's good to have prospects improve their stock, even if it's ultimately to be used in a trade package.

Similar to when we acquired ROR and Thomas, Kyrou, Thompson, and Kostin were all viewed as top prospects. The more you have at the top, the more flexibility and willingness to be aggressive your GM will have.

 

[Bye Bye Blueston]

Stancl's development, especially as a C prospect rather than just another winger could be huge for the Blues. He looks great at C and plays a full 200ft just really smart game.

I've been trying to come up with a solid comp for him as he's progressed and I think he kind of reminds me of a young Bobby Holik in a number of ways. Frame, physicality, hands, heavy shot, shutdown defensively, etc.

I'm not seeing Stancl's skating as an issue at all either. He's clearly gained at least a step since his draft.

Anybody else see the Holik comp?

Holik is a comp I was thinking as well.

 

[PocketNines]

Great pull w/the Brodin take. Taking into consideration his size, handidness, and origin, but more importantly his point totals i think this is the best comp i've seen for my personal expectations. Good stuff.

Brodin has always been the comp. When people talk about Forsling they are just picking another player who, like Brodin is a #2 defenseman. So I am not really sure why you are also saying he's Gunnarsson. You can't think Brodin = Gunnarsson, right?

 

[CurrentCS]

Holik is a comp I was thinking as well.

Can anybody confirm Stancl's size now?

I know he's listed at 6'3 203lbs but he looks even bigger to me.

 

[CurrentCS]

Jecho is another guy I thought really played well all tourney.

Most noticeable to me is his skating looks much improved and his shot also even stronger.

He's another guy like Parayko where in just the span of a year went from 5'10 to 6'3 at 16/17 then to 6'5 by 18. So I feel like he's just adjusting to his body.

His skating is actually quite good and thinking ahead to what he looks like adding 20-25 lbs to his frame. Could be a powerful skater like a Parayko one day.

I see 2way 3rd line realistic upside and solid 4th liner if his offensive game doesn't translate.

Feeling like the Stancl type pick of the '24 draft for the Blues.

 

[CurrentCS]

On the Stancl comps I don't see Jaskin at all in the slightest.

Jaskin had 2 major flaws. He had heavy feet and was slow combined with having a low hockey IQ. You can overcome 1 of those but generally not both to last in the NHL.

Stancl is already a step or 2 faster and more agile and their hockey IQ isn't even close. Stancl is already playing a very detailed pro game that I just found really impressive to watch.

 

[Vladys Gumption]

On the Stancl comps I don't see Jaskin at all in the slightest.

Jaskin had 2 major flaws. He had heavy feet and was slow combined with having a low hockey IQ. You can overcome 1 of those but generally not both to last in the NHL.

Stancl is already a step or 2 faster and more agile and their hockey IQ isn't even close. Stancl is already playing a very detailed pro game that I just found really impressive to watch.

I never felt like Jaskin had low hockey IQ. I’m not saying he was Gretzky, but I felt it was adequate. He was just a horrific skater.

I feel pretty confident in saying I’ve played with beer league players who were better skaters.

 

[PocketNines]

Stancl was particularly impressive defending in the dzone getting in shot lanes and he was able to constantly get in the right spot because he tracks the puck and thinks the game so well.

 

[CurrentCS]

I never felt like Jaskin had low hockey IQ. I’m not saying he was Gretzky, but I felt it was adequate. He was just a horrific skater.

I feel pretty confident in saying I’ve played with beer league players who were better skaters.

Maybe it was adequate but it definitely wasn't a plus, imo. Especially enough to make up for the skating.

 

[BlueMed]

There's a lot of disagreement about prospect projections, but it's good to keep in mind that no body really knows what a player looks like until he plays a fair amount of games in the NHL. That will be at least 2 years away for most of these prospects. We've had plenty of players like Rattie and Jaskin put up impressive point totals, but for one reason or another, played better in professional leagues outside of the NHL. It happens, and that's why this team is loaded with prospects. I'm fairly convinced that Army/Steen will have to package 1 or 2 of these guys in a trade because there's simply not enough room in the top 9 if even most of these guys pan out.

 

[CurrentCS]

There's a lot of disagreement about prospect projections, but it's good to keep in mind that no body really knows what a player looks like until he plays a fair amount of games in the NHL. That will be at least 2 years away for most of these prospects. We've had plenty of players like Rattie and Jaskin put up impressive point totals, but for one reason or another, played better in professional leagues outside of the NHL. It happens, and that's why this team is loaded with prospects. I'm fairly convinced that Army/Steen will have to package 1 or 2 of these guys in a trade because there's simply not enough room in the top 9 if even most of these guys pan out.

Imo the Tony Feltrin era is going to go down as the best of Jarmo, Bill Armstrong and Teddy Hampton.

 

[ezcreepin]

Regardless of outcome, the way our prospects played this tournament is a testament to the scouting staff we have currently. Whether it's Dvorsky deciding to take over games, Pekarcik playing second fiddle to Dvo, Stancl having a massive showing, Jecho showing good skill against peers, Stenberg and Lindstein remaining consistent, Jiricek showing that he is indeed healthy and he can contribute as well, to the young guys who got their first taste in Ralph and Kos, there's a lot to like about this group of prospects and it seems like the development has been much quicker than I personally anticipated.

 

[PocketNines]

After this tournament:

1. Dvorsky (scoring centers are just rare)
2. Lindstein (I see an NHL #2 defenseman which is super valuable)
3. Stenberg (I had him 4th and he had a really strong tournament, his contribution should have gotten them in to the gold medal game)
4. Snuggerud (he's done nothing to warrant dropping)
5. Stancl (I am open to the possibility of him moving up because what just happened was awesome and suggests a very complete player but holding back for recency bias reasons)
6. Jiricek (probably unfair to drop him from 3 where I had him before the season and if he performs as he did those last three games but especially today he probably goes right back to 3)
7. Fischer (potential left side glue piece)
8. Ralph (potential left side glue piece)
9. Kaskimaki (dark horse rising, middle/bottom 6 contributor)
10. Jecho (I can envision the Stancl trajectory with this one, he's rangier in his stride like Toropchenko is)
11. Pekarcik (guy is producing in the Q, PPG+ in the WJC, can't even crack the top 10? snub!)
12. Burns (leader, stout defensive dman)
13. Kos (more likely than Mrsic to translate to NHL due to size if less skill)
14. Mrsic (more skilled than Kos and just as fast but smaller)

I don't know where to put Dean he's in real limbo
There's Peterson, Buchinger and some dark horse Russians floating on the fringes
Bolduc plays game 65 a week from Thursday so he's as good as graduated by the old standard

Really looking forward to the Blues' scouts/org comments on the WJC, especially on Stancl