GDT: Super Late Last Minute Prospect Showdown GDT

[CurrentCS]

I don't need to do a write up because I echo your thoughts pretty much exactly. Bolduc has a lot more grit than I thought before he got called up. He's got that Perron feistiness that you love to see and he was kind of bullying the Wild prospects at times today.

Pretty sure I saw Jiri Fischer at the game today as there was a tall guy wearing a Red Wings jacket there. Kinda wish I had said hello in Czech just to verify. I saw JR as well and kept wondering if Army and/or Steen was in attendance and if so where they were hiding out.

Yes I can definitely see the Perron type of game coming out in him. Some of those hits, which there were a number of them, were very Perron-like in a pest sort of way. Add the offense and shot and he is well on his way to making an impact moving forward.

 

[Michael64]

What a pass by McIsaac! Petroesque

Watched the feed start to finish.
McIsaac was above expectations, as was Burns.

Dean does all the little things needed of a bottom 6 player.

Bolduc and Dvorsky are both looking like top 6 candidates which is exactly what is needed...however with the depth, Bolduc would not look out of place on a 3rd line with 2 vets. He worked hard and has gasp! started showing tendencies to play a 200 ft game. He has clearly listened and worked.

 

[MortiestOfMortys]

I was very encouraged by what I saw out of Robertsson today. I can really see him being a bottom-6 contributer; he just plays a very mature game already, which makes sense given how long he's been playing in the men's leagues. I was a little sad we didn't get to see more of his shot in this tourney, but he has big-time hockey sense that means the puck is ending up in good spots whenever he's on the ice. Made a lot of smart decisions quickly and decisively. Got the puck where it needed to be. Comparing him to someone like Kaskimaki, it's clear that SR is miles ahead in his development. Good things in his future, hopefully.

 

[rumrokh]

Bolduc would not look out of place on a 3rd line with 2 vets. He worked hard and has gasp! started showing tendencies to play a 200 ft game. He has clearly listened and worked.

I really feel like Bolduc's apparent reputation as not working hard enough or being unwilling to engage is not just outdated, it's almost completely fabricated. Biased fans thought he was a reach and rolled their eyes at a French Canadian sniper. And when he was cut from the WJC team, their biases were confirmed.

The reality is that scouting reports when he was drafted praised him for being strong and dogged on pucks in the corners. I didn't watch him A LOT in juniors, but what I did see was a competitive, driven player. He never played a perimeter game, never shied away from the net or contact, and he didn't just mail it in when he didn't have the puck.
That didn't mean he was a potent two-way presence all the time, and the Blues were always right to want him to work on that aspect, especially if he had a chance of remaining a center, but I didn't see a lack of effort or intensity.

His time in the NHL last season didn't show a lack of effort or intensity, either. He threw his body around, didn't shy away from the corners or net, and moved his feet and used his stick skills on the back-check. Plenty of room to grow in defensive effectiveness, but that's not the same as willingness or tendencies or work ethic.

 

[Brian39]

I was at the game yesterday and was specifically looking at the Bolduc/Dvorsky/Dean trio that we've been talking about as guys who could potentially make the NHL team out of camp.

I absolutely loved what I saw out of Bolduc and I think he's the only one with a real shot to make the team out of camp. In terms of NHL-readiness, he looked miles ahead of anyone on the ice. He was bullying Minnesota players at every opportunity, but he kept things on the correct side of the line (unlike Dean who took several deserved penalties). I expected him to look a tier ahead of everyone, but the difference was massive. I think he is going to make it extremely difficult to leave him off the NHL roster.

I really liked what I saw out of Dvorsky from a skill/talent perspective, but a lot of his successful plays from yesterday won't cut it against NHL talent. He clearly wants to slow the game down and he is pretty damn effective at it. I think he will eventually be able to do that at the NHL level, but I very much doubt that he will have success trying to do it as a 19 year old. I think an extended period of time in the AHL will do him very well. Maybe he surprises me in camp against NHLers, but I see a high end talent who needs more time.

Dean looked like a guy trying to convince the coaching staff that he can be a bang and crash 4th line center in the NHL right now. To be fair, he might be right and he has every financial incentive to earn that spot (he doesn't earn a signing bonus this year, so NHL vs AHL salary is $832k vs $80k). But I don't really know that the team needs that from him on the NHL roster and I think I'd rather have him continue developing other aspects of his game in the top half of the AHL lineup. I don't see him ever becoming an NHL 2C, but I think he's got a chance to be a 3C instead of a pure bottom 6, 4C kind of guy.

 

[CurrentCS]

I really feel like Bolduc's apparent reputation as not working hard enough or being unwilling to engage is not just outdated, it's almost completely fabricated. Biased fans thought he was a reach and rolled their eyes at a French Canadian sniper. And when he was cut from the WJC team, their biases were confirmed.

The reality is that scouting reports when he was drafted praised him for being strong and dogged on pucks in the corners. I didn't watch him A LOT in juniors, but what I did see was a competitive, driven player. He never played a perimeter game, never shied away from the net or contact, and he didn't just mail it in when he didn't have the puck.
That didn't mean he was a potent two-way presence all the time, and the Blues were always right to want him to work on that aspect, especially if he had a chance of remaining a center, but I didn't see a lack of effort or intensity.

His time in the NHL last season didn't show a lack of effort or intensity, either. He threw his body around, didn't shy away from the corners or net, and moved his feet and used his stick skills on the back-check. Plenty of room to grow in defensive effectiveness, but that's not the same as willingness or tendencies or work ethic.

Totally agree here. I remember watching him in his first camp with the Blues, albeit briefly because he got injured, and the thing that immediately stood out to me was his intelligence. It was clear he needed to add strength, gain speed and work on his defensive game but I saw a guy that was very smart. He knew where to go, what play to make, etc. I thought he played like a guy that was already a pro. I never saw the Mike Hoffman comps at all. That was very very worst case scenario in my mind.

Fast forward to today and he has worked on all of his deficiencies to the point where they mostly look like pluses in his game. He's physical, like what someone else said was Perron-like. It looks like he has plus speed now, much more powerful in his strides and he gets back defensively as hard as he forechecks.

To me he is every bit of a 2-way all situations sniping winger. I'm not so sure that he is still behind Snuggerud...granted he has an extra year of development. Just glad we have both guys.

 

[SirPaste]

Thanks to everyone who was able to attend for sharing your thoughts and notes! Wanted to go but couldn't make it so I appreciate reading all these posts!

 

[Snubbed4Vezina]

I really liked what I saw out of Dvorsky from a skill/talent perspective, but a lot of his successful plays from yesterday won't cut it against NHL talent. He clearly wants to slow the game down and he is pretty damn effective at it. I think he will eventually be able to do that at the NHL level, but I very much doubt that he will have success trying to do it as a 19 year old. I think an extended period of time in the AHL will do him very well. Maybe he surprises me in camp against NHLers, but I see a high end talent who needs more time.

I think you nailed it. You can see how talented Dali is and you can envision the type of player he can become, but he's not ready. Playing against adults on a team that commits to throwing him out there every game is what he needs the most at this point in his development.

I'm confident in saying he's not going to make the team out of camp and I think he's going to struggle for the first half of the season in Springfield, but he needs to fail against the big boys to learn how to take his game to the next level. Once everything clicks, there's going to be no denying him a spot in the Blues lineup.

 

[jura]

Prospect Showcase: Blues 6, Wild 2 | St. Louis Blues

The St. Louis Blues are undefeated! They beat the Minnesota Wild 6-2 on Sunday afternoon at Centene Community Ice Center to close out the Prospect Showcase with a 2-0 record. They previously defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 4-3 in overtime on Friday. It was an impressive performance all around by the

www.nhl.com

 

[Linkens Mastery]

Dean, Bolduc, Dvorsky, and Robertsson really looked good to me on the forward side.

Burns, Buchinger, And Fischer on the defensive side.

If one of Burns, Fischer, or Buchinger were a Righty it would have been amazing. I think they all have potential to be a 4-6. I especially enjoyed the Burns and Buchinger pairing.

 

[bleedblue1223]

I think two things with Bolduc can be true, he never showed enough in previous camps with Blues or Canada, but that he also has a new mentality since turning pro last season. I think he even talked about this at different points in regards to the NHL camp, there's a different mentality you are going to have when you know you are going back to juniors and when you know there is a legitimate shot to make the team. And on top of that, camps are a tough evaluation. It's a short period of time, some players might have injuries, and some players might just take time to get the rust off. Or when it comes to WJC teams, coaches are sometimes looking for very specific types of players in a stacked pool of players. Or in NHL camps, you have young players going all out, and vets are trying to just get ready for the season.

I think people make too big a deal out of those "red flags", and hold onto them for too long. Sometimes it means something, and sometimes it's nothing. Bolduc to his credit finished the season with the Blues strong and is giving every indication of keeping that momentum heading into this season. I do think he's going to make a strong push for a top 6 wing spot. If Buchnevich plays C, then we really only have 2 locked in top 6 wingers in my view, Kyrou and Neighbours. Then there is a combination of Saad, Schenn, Bolduc, and Holloway that could legitimately push for the other 2 spots. I could definitely see it going to Saad and Bolduc, where we start to ease Schenn's minutes down to allow him to be more effective and have a better 5v5 bottom 6.

I was at the game yesterday and was specifically looking at the Bolduc/Dvorsky/Dean trio that we've been talking about as guys who could potentially make the NHL team out of camp.

I absolutely loved what I saw out of Bolduc and I think he's the only one with a real shot to make the team out of camp. In terms of NHL-readiness, he looked miles ahead of anyone on the ice. He was bullying Minnesota players at every opportunity, but he kept things on the correct side of the line (unlike Dean who took several deserved penalties). I expected him to look a tier ahead of everyone, but the difference was massive. I think he is going to make it extremely difficult to leave him off the NHL roster.

I really liked what I saw out of Dvorsky from a skill/talent perspective, but a lot of his successful plays from yesterday won't cut it against NHL talent. He clearly wants to slow the game down and he is pretty damn effective at it. I think he will eventually be able to do that at the NHL level, but I very much doubt that he will have success trying to do it as a 19 year old. I think an extended period of time in the AHL will do him very well. Maybe he surprises me in camp against NHLers, but I see a high end talent who needs more time.

Dean looked like a guy trying to convince the coaching staff that he can be a bang and crash 4th line center in the NHL right now. To be fair, he might be right and he has every financial incentive to earn that spot (he doesn't earn a signing bonus this year, so NHL vs AHL salary is $832k vs $80k). But I don't really know that the team needs that from him on the NHL roster and I think I'd rather have him continue developing other aspects of his game in the top half of the AHL lineup. I don't see him ever becoming an NHL 2C, but I think he's got a chance to be a 3C instead of a pure bottom 6, 4C kind of guy.

And based on Army's quotes from the summer, I think the plan for Dvorsky is to play the full year in Springfield, similar to what the plan was for Bolduc and Dean. Plan could change if the season goes poorly like last season, where he gets called up if we trade Faksa, but I bet the hope is that we are able to squeeze into the playoffs, and we never realistically have a spot for Dvorsky, and he has an inside track on the 2nd or 3rd line C role next season with Faksa gone.

 

[STL fan in MN]

And based on Army's quotes from the summer, I think the plan for Dvorsky is to play the full year in Springfield, similar to what the plan was for Bolduc and Dean. Plan could change if the season goes poorly like last season, where he gets called up if we trade Faksa, but I bet the hope is that we are able to squeeze into the playoffs, and we never realistically have a spot for Dvorsky, and he has an inside track on the 2nd or 3rd line C role next season with Faksa gone.

I would agree with this.

And I’ll note, if Dvorsky plays 10 or fewer games with the Blues this season, his contract will slide and not truly start until the 2925-26 season since he’s 19.

 

[DatDude44]

I would agree with this.

And I’ll note, if Dvorsky plays 10 or fewer games with the Blues this season, his contract will slide and not truly start until the 2925-26 season since he’s 19.

that’s only if he goes back to the O or Sweden though right? if he’s in the A, it’ll burn a year I thought?

I believe it’s 9 games or less?

 

[PerryTurnbullfan]

I think offensively Bolduc, Dvo, and Robertsson stood above the pack. I can’t say I see an NHL player in Dean yet. Maybe an AAAA guy. He just lacks something in opening his tool kit. I hope I’m wrong, but I can’t say I’m counting on him be a piece.

Defensively, I liked Buchinger, Burns, and Mayich. Burns has to stay out of the box with the minors. Buchinger will take Perunovich’s job. Mayich looks like a playoff bottom pair shutdown guy that can contribute a little ways more than you anticipate he will. 3 smart players.

 

[Linkens Mastery]

I think offensively Bolduc, Dvo, and Robertsson stood above the pack. I can’t say I see an NHL player in Dean yet. Maybe an AAAA guy. He just lacks something in opening his tool kit. I hope I’m wrong, but I can’t say I’m counting on him be a piece.

Defensively, I liked Buchinger, Burns, and Mayich. Burns has to stay out of the box with the minors. Buchinger will take Perunovich’s job. Mayich looks like a playoff bottom pair shutdown guy that can contribute a little ways more than you anticipate he will. 3 smart players.

It will not hard for Buchinger to take Perunovich's job. Especially when the job will be open next year anyways If Peru doesn't show he can be an everyday player this year.

 

[ChicagoBlues]

It will not hard for Buchinger to take Perunovich's job. Especially when the job will be open next year anyways If Peru doesn't show he can be an everyday player this year.

I think many of us projected Buchinger as a PPQB-type, but then he regressed defensively in his D+1&2 seasons. It sounds like he's had a hell of an offseason, training wise. One more season in juniors should do the trick.

Smart of him to hit the weights and watch his diet. Scott Perunovich has one, final season to make it happen. Then again, we said the same thing about Walman and MacMac.

 

[Snubbed4Vezina]

I think offensively Bolduc, Dvo, and Robertsson stood above the pack. I can’t say I see an NHL player in Dean yet. Maybe an AAAA guy. He just lacks something in opening his tool kit. I hope I’m wrong, but I can’t say I’m counting on him be a piece.

Defensively, I liked Buchinger, Burns, and Mayich. Burns has to stay out of the box with the minors. Buchinger will take Perunovich’s job. Mayich looks like a playoff bottom pair shutdown guy that can contribute a little ways more than you anticipate he will. 3 smart players.

What did you think about McIsaac this weekend?

 

[PerryTurnbullfan]

What did you think about McIsaac this weekend?

I thought he played very well for someone that is 18. Relatively mistake free and he should be uneventful on defense. That is his game until you see him +1 or +2 at the end of the night. His home run pass was a grand slam. I like the kid a lot, but man he is young and has a big year ahead of him. Really, the same with Pekarcik. He is young, but boy he shows some things for an 18 year old. He is not afraid. He really gets in there. He, Dvo, and Robertsson were a great line.

It will not hard for Buchinger to take Perunovich's job. Especially when the job will be open next year anyways If Peru doesn't show he can be an everyday player this year.

Even if Perunovich has a good year, I think he will take his ice time away and make him trade bait.

 

[STL fan in MN]

that’s only if he goes back to the O or Sweden though right? if he’s in the A, it’ll burn a year I thought?

I believe it’s 9 games or less?

9 games is for the NHL/CHL rule. So that’d only apply if the play was to send him back to Sudbury…which I suspect it’s not.

But yes, my understanding is that if he plays almost all of the season in the AHL (max 10 games in the NHL) then his contract will slide since he’s a teenager.

Check out Jiri Kulich’s contract for reference. He spent both his 18 and 19 year old seasons in the AHL and is still under the first year of his ELC.
Jiri Kulich | 5yrs x 950K (BUF)

It’s simply a situation that doesn’t come up very often as so few teenagers actually play in the AHL.

 

[DatDude44]

I think offensively Bolduc, Dvo, and Robertsson stood above the pack. I can’t say I see an NHL player in Dean yet. Maybe an AAAA guy. He just lacks something in opening his tool kit. I hope I’m wrong, but I can’t say I’m counting on him be a piece.

Defensively, I liked Buchinger, Burns, and Mayich. Burns has to stay out of the box with the minors. Buchinger will take Perunovich’s job. Mayich looks like a playoff bottom pair shutdown guy that can contribute a little ways more than you anticipate he will. 3 smart players.

Mayich game reminded me a lot of what Florida got out of OEL in the playoffs. And Vegas got out of Hague on their run

9 games is for the NHL/CHL rule. So that’d only apply if the play was to send him back to Sudbury…which I suspect it’s not.

But yes, my understanding is that if he plays almost all of the season in the AHL (max 10 games in the NHL) then his contract will slide since he’s a teenager.

Check out Jiri Kulich’s contract for reference. He spent both his 18 and 19 year old seasons in the AHL and is still under the first year of his ELC.
Jiri Kulich | 5yrs x 950K (BUF)

It’s simply a situation that doesn’t come up very often as so few teenagers actually play in the AHL.

Did that happen with Klim?

 

[STL fan in MN]

Mayich game reminded me a lot of what Florida got out of OEL in the playoffs. And Vegas got out of Hague on their run


Did that happen with Klim?

Yep.
Klim Kostin | 2yrs x 2.000M (SJS)

He was in San Antonio both seasons and the contract slid both years.

 

[Brian39]

that’s only if he goes back to the O or Sweden though right? if he’s in the A, it’ll burn a year I thought?

I believe it’s 9 games or less?

9 games is for the NHL/CHL rule. So that’d only apply if the play was to send him back to Sudbury…which I suspect it’s not.

But yes, my understanding is that if he plays almost all of the season in the AHL (max 10 games in the NHL) then his contract will slide since he’s a teenager.

Check out Jiri Kulich’s contract for reference. He spent both his 18 and 19 year old seasons in the AHL and is still under the first year of his ELC.
Jiri Kulich | 5yrs x 950K (BUF)

It’s simply a situation that doesn’t come up very often as so few teenagers actually play in the AHL.

To clarify, the '9 game rule' is about whether an ELC can 'slide' and isn't related to the NHL/CHL agreement. The '9 game rule' applies to all players in their age 18 or 19 seasons. Every player in his age 18 or 19 season will see their ELC slide if they don't play 10 NHL games. That is true regardless of where they are assigned. If Dvorsky plays fewer than 10 NHL games this year, his ELC will slide no matter where the Blues assign him.

The NHL/CHL agreement simply states that players drafted out of the CHL can only play in the NHL or CHL during their age 18 and 19 seasons and that a player reassigned to junior can't be called up until their junior season is finished. However, there is no specific number of NHL games that prevent them from being returned to the CHL or force a team to keep the guy on the NHL roster.

Draisaitl spent half of his D+1 season on the NHL roster and played 37 NHL games before being returned to the WHL. That season burned a year of his ELC since he played 10+ NHL games, but Edmonton was free to return him to the WHL months after most CHL kids get sent back.

 

[blueper]

I'm seeing mixed reviews on Dean. After being at both games, I side with the cautious viewpoint. I don't see a player who is developing to be anything other than a JAG at this point. He could be a 4th liner, but he's not particularly big or fast. He's not afraid to try to be physical but he's not very explosive. His offensive game was not noteworthy in either game. I'm not trying to slam him. I just don't see him fitting in with what DA is currently doing with the bottom 6. Yes, he does a lot of little things right, but because he's not particularly dynamic in any area ... he's just a guy at this point.

 

[blueper]

I think Bolduc was told to get stronger a year or so ago, and I think he responded. Now he seems to feel pretty good about his added strength. He gets more involved now, so when scoring opportunities aren't showing up he is still noticeable and can contribute. It's a good look on him.
And here's another vote that Dvorsky needs time in the AHL. He's not NHL ready yet.

 

[Reality Czech]

I'm seeing mixed reviews on Dean. After being at both games, I side with the cautious viewpoint. I don't see a player who is developing to be anything other than a JAG at this point. He could be a 4th liner, but he's not particularly big or fast. He's not afraid to try to be physical but he's not very explosive. His offensive game was not noteworthy in either game. I'm not trying to slam him. I just don't see him fitting in with what DA is currently doing with the bottom 6. Yes, he does a lot of little things right, but because he's not particularly dynamic in any area ... he's just a guy at this point.

I don't disagree with your assessment based on this past weekend, but I would caution against projecting a guy's NHL career based on two prospect scrimmages. Obviously he's got a lot of work to do in order to have a productive NHL career but it's up to him how hard he's willing to work for that. This season will go a long way to finding out whether he's got that in him or if he'll be more of an AHL guy the rest of his career. I did like his drive to the net that led to one of those goals in that game Sunday (I'm blanking on who scored it but Dean drove to the net, Robertsson got the rebound and made a nice pass to whoever scored).