Prospect Info: Blues 2024-2025 Prospect Thread

[STL fan in MN]

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.

Jecho looked better in this tourney than I expected. But not ready to say I expect him to take a jump like Stancl did. I still question Jecho’s hockey sense quite a bit. Heck of a shot and size combo though. But I think his hockey sense will hold him back though. But I’d be exceptionally happy to be wrong.

Stancl though was impressive. He doesn’t have top notch skills but he definitely showed smarts in this tourney and with his size, shot and work ethic, I could see him being a middle-6 player for a long time.

I’ve never cared much about comparables but I think we have to admit these guys have ranges of what they can become, with that range narrowing and becoming clearer the more they play and older they get. Jaskin would be a floor sort of comp IMO. With Handzus as a most likely sort of comp and Holik as an unlikely but possible if everything works out in his favor comp.

 

[CurrentCS]

Jecho looked better in this tourney than I expected. But not ready to say I expect him to take a jump like Stancl did. I still question Jecho’s hockey sense quite a bit. Heck of a shot and size combo though. But I think his hockey sense will hold him back though. But I’d be exceptionally happy to be wrong.

Stancl though was impressive. He doesn’t have top notch skills but he definitely showed smarts in this tourney and with his size, shot and work ethic, I could see him being a middle-6 player for a long time.

I’ve never cared much about comparables but I think we have to admit these guys have ranges of what they can become, with that range narrowing and becoming clearer the more they play and older they get. Jaskin would be a floor sort of comp IMO. With Handzus as a most likely sort of comp and Holik as an unlikely but possible if everything works out in his favor comp.

Agree with much of what you said.

For me with Jecho its his lack of high level hockey sense that puts him as having a 3rd line upside. It's not bad but I can see him being one of those guys where you always feel like he could be more when you see all of the raw tools.

The key with him imo is going to be in building up strength in his frame which I think will give him confidence over time and unlock some of those tools.

On comparables I'm talking stylistic generally, not of expected production. If he actually replicates Holik's career they will have hit a grand slam in the 4th round. He was one of the best shutdown complete centers of his era so the likelihood of Stancl replicating that is quite low. However I think the combo of his toolkit and play style now reminds me of Holik.

 

[MortiestOfMortys]

Say what you will about Jaskin, but suffice it to say that if we get 300 NHL games out of Stancl (like we got out of Jaskin) that will be a massive success. Since 2000, only ~8% of 4th rounders reach that mark. The last one we drafted was Handzus in 1995, although Hakanpaa will probably cross that threshold too if he can just stay healthy for 10 more games. Toropchenko will probably get there too. Heck, if Stancl can play 100 games in the NHL he will have been a better pick than ~80% of other 4th rounders since 2000.

 

[StlBigFly]

Say what you will about Jaskin, but suffice it to say that if we get 300 NHL games out of Stancl (like we got out of Jaskin) that will be a massive success. Since 2000, only ~8% of 4th rounders reach that mark. The last one we drafted was Handzus in 1995, although Hakanpaa will probably cross that threshold too if he can just stay healthy for 10 more games. Toropchenko will probably get there too. Heck, if Stancl can play 100 games in the NHL he will have been a better pick than ~80% of other 4th rounders since 2000.

Seems really smart to take size with later picks. Size has inherent and unteachable advantage.

Toropchenko

Parayko

Stancl

 

[PerryTurnbullfan]

Say what you will about Jaskin, but suffice it to say that if we get 300 NHL games out of Stancl (like we got out of Jaskin) that will be a massive success. Since 2000, only ~8% of 4th rounders reach that mark. The last one we drafted was Handzus in 1995, although Hakanpaa will probably cross that threshold too if he can just stay healthy for 10 more games. Toropchenko will probably get there too. Heck, if Stancl can play 100 games in the NHL he will have been a better pick than ~80% of other 4th rounders since 2000.

Good point!

 

[PocketNines]

Jecho looked better in this tourney than I expected. But not ready to say I expect him to take a jump like Stancl did. I still question Jecho’s hockey sense quite a bit. Heck of a shot and size combo though. But I think his hockey sense will hold him back though. But I’d be exceptionally happy to be wrong.

Stancl though was impressive. He doesn’t have top notch skills but he definitely showed smarts in this tourney and with his size, shot and work ethic, I could see him being a middle-6 player for a long time.

I’ve never cared much about comparables but I think we have to admit these guys have ranges of what they can become, with that range narrowing and becoming clearer the more they play and older they get. Jaskin would be a floor sort of comp IMO. With Handzus as a most likely sort of comp and Holik as an unlikely but possible if everything works out in his favor comp.

Jecho taking a Stancl path suggests itself because both are large. Jecho skates more like a pterodactyl. Stancl is efficient. He seems to glide as he tracks the puck, just making sure he is in the right defensive spot. But Stancl frequently pounces onto the boards to take the puck away. He's very watchful. Whereas Jecho is more a harrier. Jecho will use his body more like Toropchenko does, just get on the guy and disrupt the play. Stancl is more cerebral as to when he chooses to do that kind of stuff. When you talk about the difference in their hockey IQ that's what I think of. Having said that I saw a lot of skating initiative that I liked from Jecho, and it's good enough to swarm smaller slower players at this level consistently and force plays. But in the NHL people are faster so Stancl's positioning approach is more valuable.

 

[MissouriMook]

At his current level of development, Jecho reminds me of a poor man's Adam Creighton or maybe a rich man's Adam Cracknell. It will be interesting to see what he does with the next two years of his development.

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

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

I really appreciate this type of run down. I realize we don’t know things like whether a guy was sick during the week of WJC, but it’s good on good so those games mean a lot.

Dean, I think he’s either going to suddenly be on the NHL roster ready to stick, or just fade away never to be heard from again. I thought he would be in the NHL by now.

 

[PerryTurnbullfan]

At his current level of development, Jecho reminds me of a poor man's Adam Creighton or maybe a rich man's Adam Cracknell. It will be interesting to see what he does with the next two years of his development.

I think the problem with Jecho is he was originally miscast as a center and playmaker and he is far better winger and shooter. The size skating package had him in the 2nd round, but his role didn’t suit him in his draft year.

The only outfit that gave Stancl any love was central scouting with a 26 th rating as Europe is separated from NA. Hockey news gave him his highest rating of 81. What you can say about both at draft time is they had good size and a good shot. Some had Stancl as a no draft.

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

At his current level of development, Jecho reminds me of a poor man's Adam Creighton or maybe a rich man's Adam Cracknell. It will be interesting to see what he does with the next two years of his development.

Definitely an Adam.

 

[BlueMed]

I really appreciate this type of run down. I realize we don’t know things like whether a guy was sick during the week of WJC, but it’s good on good so those games mean a lot.

Dean, I think he’s either going to suddenly be on the NHL roster ready to stick, or just fade away never to be heard from again. I thought he would be in the NHL by now.

Dean has an injury (lower body if I'm not mistaken) and has therefore only played 3 games so far. It's not clear if he is going to return this season, so I'm basically hoping that he will return to the AHL in 2025-26 before starting in the NHL in 2026-27.

 

[LogosBlue]

My prospect rankings after 2025 WJC and not accounting for TOA to the NHL:

1. Dvorsky
2. Jiricek
3. Lindstein
4. Snuggerud
5. Stenberg
6. Stancl
7. Pekarcik
8. Kaskimaki
9. Fischer
10. Jecho
11. Ralph
12. Burns
13. Kos
14. Mrsic
15. Mcisaac
16. Dean

Basically, I have Dvo, Jiricek and Lindstien as the top tier talent in our prospect pool. The next (5) spots thru #8 are tier 2 and very close to each other and hard to separate. All are shoe ins for the NHL in some form or fashion. Sten and Stancl jump out to me as having the overall best all-around game. Starting at #9 we have lots of question marks. Some will make the NHL and some will burn out in the minors. Hard to tell still. Fisher and Jecho top this list as most likely to see regular NHL shifts / GP.

 

[TheOrganist]

I think the problem with Jecho is he was originally miscast as a center and playmaker and he is far better winger and shooter. The size skating package had him in the 2nd round, but his role didn’t suit him in his draft year.

The only outfit that gave Stancl any love was central scouting with a 26 th rating as Europe is separated from NA. Hockey news gave him his highest rating of 81. What you can say about both at draft time is they had good size and a good shot. Some had Stancl as a no draft.

That’s an interesting nugget in hindsight.

 

[PocketNines]

They are playing Jecho at center in Edmonton and he gets a lot of minutes. Watching his games you get to see him do plenty. I do agree he is more of a natural winger. Toropchenko is the guy I keep thinking of with their body / skating form

 

[PocketNines]

I'd expect Stancl to PK at a minimum and probably PP at the NHL level. He is a big body always up high in a shooting lane on the PK. If he blocks a shot and goes the other way killing a penalty, a Krug or Perunovich type is going to be in deep, deep trouble. Scott Perunovich was born to turn the puck over at the blue line to a guy like Stancl going the other way shorthanded.

He has the shot, the smarts, the vision and the body dominance on board battles for PP in the NHL as well

 

[PerryTurnbullfan]

They are playing Jecho at center in Edmonton and he gets a lot of minutes. Watching his games you get to see him do plenty. I do agree he is more of a natural winger. Toropchenko is the guy I keep thinking of with their body / skating form

I think he is playing wing with Holinka and Hodnett and wing with Gracyn Sawcyn on the PP.

He played center last year

 

[PocketNines]

To get confirmation on Stancl's height I can describe one way to check but can't do it myself. On the TSN broadcast they interviewed Stenberg right before the game and Stancl between periods, I don't remember which one. The same small female reporter standing next to both of them. Stancl noticeably taller than Stenberg as you would expect but you'd need side by side screen caps with the same lady next to them to see how they compare. So if someone has access to that broadcast and can screen cap it we could see

I think he is playing wing with Holinka and Hodnett and wing with Gracyn Sawcyn on the PP.

He played center last year

Is he? Maybe they are switching him around because I have definitely noticed him at center in their games. The Czechs used him there some too

 

[PerryTurnbullfan]

To get confirmation on Stancl's height I can describe one way to check but can't do it myself. On the TSN broadcast they interviewed Stenberg right before the game and Stancl between periods, I don't remember which one. The same small female reporter standing next to both of them. Stancl noticeably taller than Stenberg as you would expect but you'd need side by side screen caps with the same lady next to them to see how they compare. So if someone has access to that broadcast and can screen cap it we could see


Is he? Maybe they are switching him around because I have definitely noticed him at center in their games. The Czechs used him there some too

He’s listed as both. I don’t know. I’ve only seen a few games. Watch more Thunderbirds games. I just remember him drilling one timers on the power play most of all. That stood out.

 

[PocketNines]

He’s listed as both. I don’t know. I’ve only seen a few games. Watch more Thunderbirds games. I just remember him drilling one timers on the power play most of all. That stood out.

I think we see the same thing with him, he doesn't quite have the hockey sense to be a long term center but at this level his size is such an imposition along with his speed that he can succeed at center at this level. He also seems to love to fly onto the forecheck and succeed at it which I associate with winger behavior

 

[LGB]

Before you knock Snuggerud down your list because guys had good showings this year, remember Snuggerud had 13 points in 7 games at the WJC as an 18 year old.

 

[DatDude44]

Before you knock Snuggerud down your list because guys had good showings this year, remember Snuggerud had 13 points in 7 games at the WJC as an 18 year old.

And snuggys carrying his own line int he NCAA with lower end talents like Huglen and lamb. Love what he's done this year.

 

[PocketNines]

I had Snuggerud at 5 before the season and he's 4 right now.

I would argue there's a group of 6 in a top tier. Basically there are five first rounders + Stancl in the top 6 of our prospects in some order assuming we agree Bolduc's imminent graduation doesn't include him.

Dvorsky is consensus #1

I have Lindstein at 2 for his absolute steady eddieness. 22-23 min left side defensemen you can trust on defense don't grow on trees, they are franchise anchors. but I can see the Jiricek thought process for that one due to importance of position/faith in what the Blues saw originally there + faith in avoiding further hiccups, I can see the Stenberg at 2 thought process, I have a tougher time seeing Snuggy at 2, it's more because his position isn't as critical as some of the other prospects. I could even see someone locking themselves into Stancl with a (Kelowna) rocket at 2, but that's premature IMO.

2-6 order variance is pretty defensible here
I know everyone doesn't have the same 6 non-Bolducs atop their lists
What's especially good is the positional variance. Two centers in Dvorsky and Stancl + each one of the other skater positions

 

[DatDude44]

I had Snuggerud at 5 before the season and he's 4 right now.

I would argue there's a group of 6 in a top tier. Basically there are five first rounders + Stancl in the top 6 of our prospects in some order assuming we agree Bolduc's imminent graduation doesn't include him.

Dvorsky is consensus #1

I have Lindstein at 2 for his absolute steady eddieness. 22-23 min left side defensemen you can trust on defense don't grow on trees, they are franchise anchors. but I can see the Jiricek thought process for that one due to importance of position/faith in what the Blues saw originally there + faith in avoiding further hiccups, I can see the Stenberg at 2 thought process, I have a tougher time seeing Snuggy at 2, it's more because his position isn't as critical as some of the other prospects. I could even see someone locking themselves into Stancl with a (Kelowna) rocket at 2, but that's premature IMO.

2-6 order variance is pretty defensible here
I know everyone doesn't have the same 6 non-Bolducs atop their lists
What's especially good is the positional variance. Two centers in Dvorsky and Stancl + each one of the other skater positions

I think Snuggys talent is relatively special thus for me I put him at 2, Also I think his stylistic fit with our top players being a smart space finding shooter who's good on the walls will be perfect with thomas and Buch/Kyrou. .But i do not disagree with what your saying about Lindstein/Jiricek at all. I see alot of Gustav Forsling in Lindstein who's been a massive part of the FLA panthers D core these last couple years.

I love the composition of the types of players throughout our pool as well, alot of psychotic high compete types with scoring abiltiy. and not many top 6 or bust types, alot of guys i could see finding 3rd line roles someday like Kaskimaki, Stancl, Kos etc...

Let's also not forget about guys like Matvei Korotky who could be a high end player down the line.

 

[PerryTurnbullfan]

I think Snuggys talent is relatively special thus for me I put him at 2, Also I think his stylistic fit with our top players being a smart space finding shooter who's good on the walls will be perfect with thomas and Buch/Kyrou. .But i do not disagree with what your saying about Lindstein/Jiricek at all. I see alot of Gustav Forsling in Lindstein who's been a massive part of the FLA panthers D core these last couple years.

I love the composition of the types of players throughout our pool as well, alot of psychotic high compete types with scoring abiltiy. and not many top 6 or bust types, alot of guys i could see finding 3rd line roles someday like Kaskimaki, Stancl, Kos etc...

Let's also not forget about guys like Matvei Korotky who could be a high end player down the line.

I'm going to have to agree that Snuggy is the #2 talent on our roster. I think he makes a top 6 impact immediately. Let's see what we have in Lindstein and Jiricek. I see future top 4 guys, but they need to do something regularly here before I'm willing to go overboard. I've seen as much out of Lukas Fischer and Quinton Burns as leaders on the ice as I've seen out of Jiricek at the Junior level. Night in night out Burns has the Senneckes and toughest assignments still being +28 and I'm not sure if he is just a top 6 or what. Canada sure could've used him. So I'm just not ready to have Jiricek knighted yet.....

 

[PocketNines]

I think Snuggys talent is relatively special thus for me I put him at 2, Also I think his stylistic fit with our top players being a smart space finding shooter who's good on the walls will be perfect with thomas and Buch/Kyrou. .But i do not disagree with what your saying about Lindstein/Jiricek at all. I see alot of Gustav Forsling in Lindstein who's been a massive part of the FLA panthers D core these last couple years.

I love the composition of the types of players throughout our pool as well, alot of psychotic high compete types with scoring abiltiy. and not many top 6 or bust types, alot of guys i could see finding 3rd line roles someday like Kaskimaki, Stancl, Kos etc...

Let's also not forget about guys like Matvei Korotky who could be a high end player down the line.

Snuggy has the best shot among the group I would say, but also we are getting an influx of that attribute. Dvorsky, Bolduc, Stancl can all rip it from that right circle (and in general) the same way Snuggy can. Stenberg can shoot as well they were using him multiple times in their shootout (and he damn near won them the silver medal but Sale scored). That's not Snuggy's fault that we have more of the attribute in the pipeline so it's not a knock, just an observation.

Having a legitimate 1st round prospect at every position but goalie (which we shouldn't use one on) gives us a ton more versatility in the trade market in the "trade for a major player" category, which often involves a prospect at the same position going back (but doesn't have to).