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Prospect Info: - Blues 2024-2025 Prospect Thread | Page 81 | HFBoards - NHL Message Board and Forum for National Hockey League
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Prospect Info: Blues 2024-2025 Prospect Thread

PocketNines said:
today's games ALL TIMES PACIFIC

Lindstein played 6:31 today with no stats against Stenberg's former team
Pekarcik 1pm @ Rouyn Noranda
Snuggerud 330 vs Ohio State
BLUES 4pm vs CBJ
Fischer 4pm at Erie
Jiricek 405pm at Peterborough
SPRINGFIELD 405pm Dvorsky & Kaskimaki & others host Providence
Ralph 407pm @ Minn Duluth
Mrsic 6pm at Red Deer
Jecho 6pm vs Medicine Hat
STANCL 7pm at Vancouver
Click to expand...
Pekarcik with 2 goals in the first!
 
Pekarcik finished off the hatty. Will try to watch some Stancl later.

There's going to be a lot of near term Stancl watching on mute with a screen only visible by me, similar to the way Robin Williams is trying to watch the game during dinner in The Best of Times (1986).
 
Stancl had one sweet break in with about 4 min to go in the 3d period, went through three players up the middle with the puck and in alone, didn't finish. He was out there a ton in the wide open third period, PK, PP. Vancouver was up 3-0 and 4-1 (Stancl's goal put them on the board) but Kelowna closed to 5-4 in a vigorous third before losing 6-4.

His -4 is super misleading. In the third he was -3 but one was an ENG, one came one second ofter a PP ended, another came just after a PP ended and they were trapped on the ice.
 
PocketNines said:
Stancl had one sweet break in with about 4 min to go in the 3d period, went through three players up the middle with the puck and in alone, didn't finish. He was out there a ton in the wide open third period, PK, PP. Vancouver was up 3-0 and 4-1 (Stancl's goal put them on the board) but Kelowna closed to 5-4 in a vigorous third before losing 6-4.

His -4 is super misleading. In the third he was -3 but one was an ENG, one came one second ofter a PP ended, another came just after a PP ended and they were trapped on the ice.
Click to expand...
What´s the projection/potential for Štancl in NHL?
 
Wheeler’s post-WJC comments with Rutherford are up at the Athletic. Some interesting stuff:

How many of these prospects are legit first- and second-line guys versus third- or fourth-line guys? — Paul V.

I’ve gotten a lot of questions in the lead-up to this year’s prospect pool rankings asking why the Blues with all their representation at the World Juniors haven’t been ranked higher in similar projections in previous years or at other outlets. Part of that answer can be answered in the answer to this question. The Blues have a lot of quantity of quality prospects, it’s true. Without spoiling their upcoming spot in this year’s countdown, they’ve got a good pool: Jimmy Snuggerud, Dvorsky, Jiricek, Stenberg, Lindstein, Zack Bolduc before them. All top players in their age groups coming up, or close. All have legitimate NHL potential. But they aren’t the top top, and it’s those players who truly change the shape and outlook of a franchise.

If all five of those guys reach their potential, are the Blues going to benefit? Absolutely. Especially if they can make an impact on their entry-level deals or early years of their RFA rights and the Blues can spend well around them. But are they going to be playing on a first line of a Stanley Cup contender, or be a top 1-3 D on one? I think Snuggerud and Dvorsky are more likely the fourth or fifth forward on a team like that (which is still a highly paid, important piece) if they hit. I think Lindstein’s probably a 4-5. Jiricek might have a wider range of outcomes, for good and for bad. But the reason you don’t see them with a top-five ranked pool, for example, is because those teams have a player or two who is at the very top of the prospect pyramid, so to speak, and then they have a handful of other really quality pieces as well.

How much weight does a tournament like this carry in prospect evaluations? How many tiers in your rankings can a handful of games with strong production bump up a guy like Stancl? — Matt M.

I think Stancl is the most positive story coming out of the World Juniors if you’re a Blues fan. The other eight played about in line with how you should have expected them to play. Stancl is the one who exceeded expectations. This is a kid who had 14 points in 28 games at the J20 level in Sweden as an 18-year-old last year. That’s a very poor post-draft season, even for a fourth-round pick. For him to go from that to leading the World Juniors in goals and making big plays in big moments against the best young players in the world is a huge deal. He’s had a respectable season in Kelowna, as well and looked more comfortable with the puck on his stick, than I can remember. Just so you have a picture: I wasn’t sure, coming into the tournament, whether he’d be on my Blues prospect pool ranking. He was sort of in the mix for spots 13-15. I’m not sure if he’s going to play in the NHL, so I don’t think anyone should get carried away, but he’s going to be on my list now!

Who is the most underrated Blues prospect? Most overrated? — Scott F.

Underrated: Lukas Fischer. I think he has the tools, makeup, disposition and work ethic to become a bottom-pairing NHL defenseman. The stats don’t pop, but he’s a strong kid with a strong, wide base to his stride who can play big minutes and looks like how NHL teams want their D to look these days.

Overrated: I’m not going to call a player who has missed the time that Jiricek has missed overrated because I still think he’s working his way back and has plenty of quality to his game/makeup/projection, but I will say that before any of the injuries, before he blew out his knee at last year’s World Juniors, I felt Jiricek was being overrated based on his performance at the Hlinka.
 
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Lindstein, Juricek & Lukas Fisher as the top-rated d-prospects still leaves a lot to be desired. Seems like with the Blues best guy being a 4/5 at the NHL level we’re going to need Broberg to level up again, Parayko to age like a fine wine, Steen to acquire another top-young defender and somebody in the system (Koromyslov?) to really pop.
 
Stealth JD said:
Lindstein, Juricek & Lukas Fisher as the top-rated d-prospects still leaves a lot to be desired. Seems like with the Blues best guy being a 4/5 at the NHL level we’re going to need Broberg to level up again, Parayko to age like a fine wine, Steen to acquire another top-young defender and somebody in the system (Koromyslov?) to really pop.
Click to expand...
A lot depends on how Jiricek develops over the next few years. I think he hits, but we’ll see. If he doesn’t, I still see 4-5 dmen in our prospect pool with size and skating ability who could arguably be in that top-4 range. That’s an excellent foundation. And it keeps us from adding expensive older dmen in FA.

I agree that we have to keep adding to the top end of the group. But I don’t think there’s a lot of reason to be pessimistic about what we already have, either.
 
Stealth JD said:
Wheeler’s post-WJC comments with Rutherford are up at the Athletic. Some interesting stuff:

How many of these prospects are legit first- and second-line guys versus third- or fourth-line guys? — Paul V.

I’ve gotten a lot of questions in the lead-up to this year’s prospect pool rankings asking why the Blues with all their representation at the World Juniors haven’t been ranked higher in similar projections in previous years or at other outlets. Part of that answer can be answered in the answer to this question. The Blues have a lot of quantity of quality prospects, it’s true. Without spoiling their upcoming spot in this year’s countdown, they’ve got a good pool: Jimmy Snuggerud, Dvorsky, Jiricek, Stenberg, Lindstein, Zack Bolduc before them. All top players in their age groups coming up, or close. All have legitimate NHL potential. But they aren’t the top top, and it’s those players who truly change the shape and outlook of a franchise.

If all five of those guys reach their potential, are the Blues going to benefit? Absolutely. Especially if they can make an impact on their entry-level deals or early years of their RFA rights and the Blues can spend well around them. But are they going to be playing on a first line of a Stanley Cup contender, or be a top 1-3 D on one? I think Snuggerud and Dvorsky are more likely the fourth or fifth forward on a team like that (which is still a highly paid, important piece) if they hit. I think Lindstein’s probably a 4-5. Jiricek might have a wider range of outcomes, for good and for bad. But the reason you don’t see them with a top-five ranked pool, for example, is because those teams have a player or two who is at the very top of the prospect pyramid, so to speak, and then they have a handful of other really quality pieces as well.

How much weight does a tournament like this carry in prospect evaluations? How many tiers in your rankings can a handful of games with strong production bump up a guy like Stancl? — Matt M.

I think Stancl is the most positive story coming out of the World Juniors if you’re a Blues fan. The other eight played about in line with how you should have expected them to play. Stancl is the one who exceeded expectations. This is a kid who had 14 points in 28 games at the J20 level in Sweden as an 18-year-old last year. That’s a very poor post-draft season, even for a fourth-round pick. For him to go from that to leading the World Juniors in goals and making big plays in big moments against the best young players in the world is a huge deal. He’s had a respectable season in Kelowna, as well and looked more comfortable with the puck on his stick, than I can remember. Just so you have a picture: I wasn’t sure, coming into the tournament, whether he’d be on my Blues prospect pool ranking. He was sort of in the mix for spots 13-15. I’m not sure if he’s going to play in the NHL, so I don’t think anyone should get carried away, but he’s going to be on my list now!

Who is the most underrated Blues prospect? Most overrated? — Scott F.

Underrated: Lukas Fischer. I think he has the tools, makeup, disposition and work ethic to become a bottom-pairing NHL defenseman. The stats don’t pop, but he’s a strong kid with a strong, wide base to his stride who can play big minutes and looks like how NHL teams want their D to look these days.

Overrated: I’m not going to call a player who has missed the time that Jiricek has missed overrated because I still think he’s working his way back and has plenty of quality to his game/makeup/projection, but I will say that before any of the injuries, before he blew out his knee at last year’s World Juniors, I felt Jiricek was being overrated based on his performance at the Hlinka.
Click to expand...
As much as all of us agree that we don't have any elite superstars in our draft pool, I think he is REALLY underselling our current high end prospects. I highly doubt that Lindstein ends up a #5 defenseman. As always though you just never know until they prove it.
 
The Athletic NHL prospect evaluators all hate the Blues for some reason. I can't remember which one but they were called out for completely changing their evaluation for Dvorsky after the Blues picked him. Snuggerud is on pace to at least be a Hobey Baker finalists and he's not considered a top end prospect? Stancl may not even play in the NHL? Jiricek overrated? No mention of Stenberg?
 
In the next year, we’ll need to make a move for a defender that’s better than anybody we currently have. It’s going to take moving pieces that we won’t like, but it’s necessary for our rebuild. Who this player is, I have no clue. Somebody young, with term, big, pretty physical…. Somebody that can grow with our young core.
 
You have to do two things when you build a Cup contender

1. Get pinnacle guys, because even in team sports it comes down to a few key guys vs. a few key guys in the end
2. Get as much quality at each position as you can.

Blues are unquestionably in great spot on #2 now. That's their pool.

Is Thomas a pinnacle 1C? Compared to elites at the position, probably no, but he is capable of being a 1-2 punch, the Backstrom comparison the other say I thought was apt.

Is Binnington a pinnacle playoff 1G? Yes, and other contending teams are not going to win for lack of a guy like him, just as the Blues did for many years.

Do we have a pinnacle 1D? No.

We need another center to go along with Thomas and we need a pinnacle 1D. They've covered the bases with quality. But that center could be Dvorsky, he is 19 and has enough of the skillset that says maybe yes. Furthermore if we had the 1D in place we could get the other center if we had to acquire him externally, that is easier to do than 1D or 1G.

I am higher on Fischer than I am on Ralph. Fischer will grow into his frame and then we're off and running. All three of Fischer, Ralph and Burns are big, forceful defenders. Two of them are captains and one just played in the WJC. There's internal quality turnover in the defensive corps as a whole on its way. But we are talking 2-3 years. Which seems ok since we have vets not retiring tomorrow in some of those spots.

Jiricek, he is the only potential 1D currently in the system anywhere, and right now we are all justifiably thinking, let's assume this player won't make it but let it be a happy surprise if he does. I watched enough of his first game back with Bramptford to see he was a little shaky, it wasn't a continuation of his final three WJC games where he got better each game. There's a long way to go with this one, and he could be a perfectly fine defender who isn't a pinnacle 1D. But they definitely hope he becomes that, the Blues scouts are thinking 1D and crossing fingers right now.

A pinnacle 1D is difficult to get and if you get one you should not squander one (FYI!). The timing of everything doesn't demand one right now, although as soon as we get one it will immediately help.

You can get a pinnacle 1D in the draft (most common), in free agency (almost no GMs allow that it's super rare) or in trade. But if you get it in trade you are likely trading for a player who has yet to fully grow into 1D and you are hoping the change of scenery helps level a guy up.

All of the pining for us to tank and lose is connected to the reality we know that the draft is the safest place to get a pinnacle player. We can't count on us simply offer sheeting one away from someone. It's highly rational to want a high draft pick to accomplish this. The reasonable worry is they do everything except get that key guy and now your team is aging together without the needed player and soon you pass through the contending window and have to start again.

I'm glad Stancl's leveling up is being acknowledged. His confidence is through the roof right now and he's so, so fun to watch. Watch his decisions, that's how you get comfy with him. He's skating with a purpose and he's dragging his team into the fight. He races up the ice as if he believes someone is watching and questioning his skating, it's really fun stuff.

I am going to suggest this player could be a scoring center in the NHL, a second line center, I can envision it. That will completely exceed projections and expectations. Stancl is completely exceeding projections and expectations though, he is doing it.
 
By the way I think Stancl's first assist in the 5 point game was such a solid NHL play. The puck was being cleared. We see guys bail out all the time in this spot but he held ground at the left point blue line, kept the puck right in, took a hit from two different guys, and passed the puck down low where a 2 on 1 was created by one player leaving his spot to crunch Stancl, that's how they got their first goal, and then he scored the next 2 to even it up twice. If that highlight were on the reel we'd see more than just his shot, which is dangerous to goalies in Sweden, Canada, USA and Prince George as well as other parts of the world.

The Kelowna PBP guy is so infectious (Kaden something? when they go to commercial on the home Kelowna streams they show his name and twitter handle) that when Stancl does something I will say it out loud pointing to the screen. And then a woman who is skeptical of the idea "wait you're going to watch more hockey than the established habit of Blues?" is still persuaded to say it herself: SHHHTAHHHN-ZL

Giddy up, giddy up and go-go!
 
Stealth JD said:
Wheeler’s post-WJC comments with Rutherford are up at the Athletic. Some interesting stuff:

How many of these prospects are legit first- and second-line guys versus third- or fourth-line guys? — Paul V.

I’ve gotten a lot of questions in the lead-up to this year’s prospect pool rankings asking why the Blues with all their representation at the World Juniors haven’t been ranked higher in similar projections in previous years or at other outlets. Part of that answer can be answered in the answer to this question. The Blues have a lot of quantity of quality prospects, it’s true. Without spoiling their upcoming spot in this year’s countdown, they’ve got a good pool: Jimmy Snuggerud, Dvorsky, Jiricek, Stenberg, Lindstein, Zack Bolduc before them. All top players in their age groups coming up, or close. All have legitimate NHL potential. But they aren’t the top top, and it’s those players who truly change the shape and outlook of a franchise.

If all five of those guys reach their potential, are the Blues going to benefit? Absolutely. Especially if they can make an impact on their entry-level deals or early years of their RFA rights and the Blues can spend well around them. But are they going to be playing on a first line of a Stanley Cup contender, or be a top 1-3 D on one? I think Snuggerud and Dvorsky are more likely the fourth or fifth forward on a team like that (which is still a highly paid, important piece) if they hit. I think Lindstein’s probably a 4-5. Jiricek might have a wider range of outcomes, for good and for bad. But the reason you don’t see them with a top-five ranked pool, for example, is because those teams have a player or two who is at the very top of the prospect pyramid, so to speak, and then they have a handful of other really quality pieces as well.

How much weight does a tournament like this carry in prospect evaluations? How many tiers in your rankings can a handful of games with strong production bump up a guy like Stancl? — Matt M.

I think Stancl is the most positive story coming out of the World Juniors if you’re a Blues fan. The other eight played about in line with how you should have expected them to play. Stancl is the one who exceeded expectations. This is a kid who had 14 points in 28 games at the J20 level in Sweden as an 18-year-old last year. That’s a very poor post-draft season, even for a fourth-round pick. For him to go from that to leading the World Juniors in goals and making big plays in big moments against the best young players in the world is a huge deal. He’s had a respectable season in Kelowna, as well and looked more comfortable with the puck on his stick, than I can remember. Just so you have a picture: I wasn’t sure, coming into the tournament, whether he’d be on my Blues prospect pool ranking. He was sort of in the mix for spots 13-15. I’m not sure if he’s going to play in the NHL, so I don’t think anyone should get carried away, but he’s going to be on my list now!

Who is the most underrated Blues prospect? Most overrated? — Scott F.

Underrated: Lukas Fischer. I think he has the tools, makeup, disposition and work ethic to become a bottom-pairing NHL defenseman. The stats don’t pop, but he’s a strong kid with a strong, wide base to his stride who can play big minutes and looks like how NHL teams want their D to look these days.

Overrated: I’m not going to call a player who has missed the time that Jiricek has missed overrated because I still think he’s working his way back and has plenty of quality to his game/makeup/projection, but I will say that before any of the injuries, before he blew out his knee at last year’s World Juniors, I felt Jiricek was being overrated based on his performance at the Hlinka.
Click to expand...
Oh man, I thought these comments were from Jeremy Rutherford at first pass. I was dumbfounded that he was talking as though he watched the prospects himself and had opinions about roster construction!
 
greybush314 said:
The Athletic NHL prospect evaluators all hate the Blues for some reason. I can't remember which one but they were called out for completely changing their evaluation for Dvorsky after the Blues picked him. Snuggerud is on pace to at least be a Hobey Baker finalists and he's not considered a top end prospect? Stancl may not even play in the NHL? Jiricek overrated? No mention of Stenberg?
Click to expand...

Yeah they’ve been like this for awhile now. They did really like Thomas, but I remember most of them being really low on Kyrou, Neighbours, and others.
 
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