Prospect Info: St. Louis Blues Top-20 Prospects: #9

[Bluesnatic27]

1) Jordan Kyrou - 83.3% (Run-off Vote)
2) Scott Perunovich - 76.9%
3) Klim Kostin - 57.9%
4) Niko Mikkola - 42.9%
5) Jake Neighbours - 61.1%
6) Nikita Alexandrov - 48.6%
7) Joel Hofer - 69.4%
8) Tyler Tucker - 31.6%

Tucker takes the #8 spot in the closest race yet. He's been a steady riser the last few years, at least in my book, to the point where I can see him becoming a solid NHLer. He loves to prove doubters wrong, so hopefully he continues that for the foreseeable future (preferably in a Blue note, of course).

Onto #9!

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[Bluesnatic27]

From here, it's a toss up between a lot of players for me. But I usually go for upside, so I guess Reinke is next up for me, followed by Stevens and then Toropchenko.

 

[Beauterham]

Peterson again. For me he's the one with the most upside.

I'm surprised Toropchenko has gotten quite a lot of votes last time, to be honest: I really don't see it. He didn't stood out with both Guelph and the Rampage besides a stretch in the 2019 OHL playoffs and Memorial cup run. Can someone please explain what they see in him that I'm not seeing?

 

[simon IC]

I went with Peterson. Decent upside, good size, and a product of Boston U, which has a good program. He is a pretty exciting prospect.

 

[Bye Bye Blueston]

McCing. Kinda the forgotten prospect.

 

[Bluesnatic27]

I'm lost on the upside for Peterson. He's mobile and big, but he doesn't really have the offensive mind to be anything more than a bottom-6 player. He relies heavily on his linemates to distribute pucks while he's the player bolting up ice to find some hole to exploit. It's far too simplistic and actively takes him out of developing plays. He can put on a one man show when given the puck, but he doesn't play any sort of game that will translate well in higher leagues. Maybe he has an intelligence that he has yet to show, but right now, I see a player with nifty tools and no toolbox.

I truly don't believe he has any higher upside than McGing or Toropchenko.

 

[Blueline2757]

For me it's a toss up between McGing and Peterson. I'll vote Peterson.

 

[simon IC]

I'm lost on the upside for Peterson. He's mobile and big, but he doesn't really have the offensive mind to be anything more than a bottom-6 player. He relies heavily on his linemates to distribute pucks while he's the player bolting up ice to find some hole to exploit. It's far too simplistic and actively takes him out of developing plays. He can put on a one man show when given the puck, but he doesn't play any sort of game that will translate well in higher leagues. Maybe he has an intelligence that he has yet to show, but right now, I see a player with nifty tools and no toolbox.

I truly don't believe he has any higher upside than McGing or Toropchenko.

I know it comes up every year when we make this list, but we all have different criteria for our selections. For some, it is pure skill, for others, it is NHL readiness. It is a mix of both for me, but the problem is that when you get this far down the list, that criteria becomes a lot more blurred and fluid. An example of this is the reason I would choose Peterson over McGing. McGing may be slightly more talented than Peterson, but IMO, has not yet demonstrated, that at the pro level, his skill can compensate for his lack of size. Peterson, on the other hand, is 6'4" and is a very good skater. So even if Peterson is slightly behind McGing in puck skills, he has adequate talent enough to combine with his size and skating to make him a more likely candidate to succeed at the NHL level, even if it is in a bottom-six role. I don't know if I have been clear enough, but I hope this helps the conversation.