St. Louis Blues: Top 10 Prospects in the System 2017

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The St. Louis Blues need more prospects, as their development camp was kind of empty. Still, with what they’re working with, it’s not a bad group. Here are the 10 best Blues prospects.

The St. Louis Blues traditionally have brought prospects along slowly. Former head coach Ken Hitchcock was notably slow to trust younger players. With Mike Yeo taking over, things might be changing.

For the purposes of this exercise, Ivan Barbashev and Zach Sanford do not count as prospects. Both will be up in the NHL at some point this season. Maybe even at the start, especially with Barbashev, especially on a center-weak team. So that immediately takes out of consideration two of the best St. Louis Blues prospects.

That’s not to say there are no quality Blues prospects. The top 10 list is still a respectable group. But there’s a lot of forwards fighting for not a lot of spots. Sanford will likely get Ryan Reaves‘s spot, which immediately raises the skill level of the Blues. Barbashev should be his center, which moving forward, is a deadly duo.

But it also says a lot that I’ve talked this much about two “prospects” removed from contention. Still, the Blues are a young enough team now that they don’t necessarily have to have a ton of great prospects. Most of their core is young and more importantly, locked up long-term. Let’s take a look at the Blues top 10 prospects.

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10. Evan Fitzpatrick

Last season stats: 49 GP (games played), 3.46 GAA, .899 SV%.

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The best goaltender in the St. Louis Blues pipeline (maybe because he’s the only one), Fitzpatrick still has a long way to go. Putting up a below-.900 save percentage is bad in the NHL.

In the QMJHL, against other teenagers, it’s very bad. And it’s a save percentage that’s improved – last year, Fitzpatrick was at a .896. He’s definitely going to need some time in the AHL, and bigger surprises have happened.

Nobody would have said five years ago that Scott Darling would be a starting goaltender in the NHL. So maybe Fitzpatrick has the work ethic to surprise in the NHL. He’s still extremely young, so he has that going for him.

9. Adam Musil

Last season stats (with the Red Deer Rebels): 56 GP, 20 G (goals), 31 A (assists), 51 P (points), 74 PIM (penalties in minutes). 5 PGP (playoff games played), 0 G, 4 A, 4 P, 0 PIM.
Last season stats (with Chicago Wolves): 6 games (all playoffs), 3 G, 2 A, 5 P, 2 PIM.

At 20, Musil’s point-per-game pace in the minors was a bit low. Against younger players, it would have been nice to see Musil dominate. His 20 goals aren’t at all a bad mark, but it still leaves some room for improvement.

Musil saw playing time in the AHL playoffs and he did well. His 3 goals in six playoff games were necessary to see for his development, and it should give a lot of hope to the St. Louis Blues organization. Like all their prospects, Musil could use some improvement on the penalties front, but taking 1 penalty in 11 playoff games between the WHL and AHL is that improvement.

Maybe Musil’s just not a good minors player but an excellent AHL/NHL player. That’d be nice for the Blues. Still, for his work in the minors (which represents most of his career), he’s down here.

8. Klim Kostin

Last season stats: 9 GP, 1 G, 0 A, 1 P, 4 PIM.

Kostin played 9 games in the VHL (the KHL’s AHL), 1 game in the MHL (Russian minors) and 8 games in the KHL itself. While that represents the ceiling for him, a high-level professional league at 18, he also scored no points in the KHL, while racking up 27 penalty minutes.

I think Kostin can be great. A list of other Russian players to have played in the KHL (or equivalent) at 18 includes Artemi Panarin, Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin. Still, those guys scored in the KHL at 18. So again, we just don’t know enough about Kostin. But he is very talented and he probably would have gone a lot higher than the 31st pick in the 2017 NHL Draft if it wasn’t for injuries.

7. Nolan Stevens

Last season stats: 17 GP, 10 G, 12 A, 22 P, 12 PIM.

Stevens has put up more points than games for the last two years now, the last coming on a terrific pace. Unfortunately, last season, Stevens also got hurt. Which is why he’s so low – it all depends on how he bounces back from the injury. Luckily, he’s still super young and will be captaining the Northeastern team this year. That’s a leadership role and it means he’ll be freed up for next season.

If Stevens can bounce back, expect him to be able to play with the big boys and to be able to manufacture points. He’s looked like a really good player and might be one of the better Blues centers in a few years.

6. Tage Thompson

Last season stats (with University of Connecticut): 34 GP, 19 G, 13 A, 32 P, 24 PIM. University of Connecticut, NCAA.

Last season stats (with Chicago Wolves): 16 GP, 1 G, 1 A, 2 P, 2 PIM. Playoffs: 10 GP, 2 G, 1 A, 3 P, 4 PIM.

A first round pick just last year, Thompson’s development has been… slow, to say the least. I get that not everybody is going to be over a point-per-game in college (but they guy behind Thompson is) but Thompson’s AHL play also leaves a lot to be desired. 16 games played and just 2 points is a whole lot of “meh”.

Again, this is not to say that Thompson is a bad prospect yet. It’s just that the St. Louis Blues expect (and rightfully so) more out of Tage. They’ll look to get that this year, as it’s likely Thompson plays most of the year with AHL affiliates Chicago Wolves and/or San Antonio Stampede.

5. Robert Thomas

Last season stats: 66 GP, 16 G, 50 A, 66 P, 26 PIM. 14 PGP, 3 G, 9 A, 12 P, 6 PIM.

Thomas was the earliest of the Blues’ first round picks of this year’s draft class for the Blues. He’s also a whole lot cleaner than many of the Blues prospects – his 26 PIM are on the low end for the Blues.

Thomas is a better playmaker than goal scorer, and that’s a perfectly fine thing – Joe Thornton made a top 100, Hall of Fame career out of it. If Thomas can do anything close to that, the Blues will be extremely satisfied. Over the last 2 years, including more than 100 games, Thomas has just 19 goals.

But with the vision, hockey sense, intelligence, and playmaking ability that are in Thomas’s tool set surround him with finishers and watch him succeed. Hopefully for the Blues, that’s where Kostin comes in.

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4. Jake Walman

Last season stats (with Providence College): 39 GP, 7 G, 18 A, 25 P, 42 PIM.
Last season stats (with Chicago Wolves): 7 GP, 2 G, 1 A, 3 P, 2 PIM. 8 PGP, 2 G, 1 A, 3 P, 2 PIM.

Walman is a puck-moving defenseman, one with the ability to finish plays as well as he sets them up, a good young defensive prospect who can run the power play and then backcheck well. He’s the second prospect in the system like that. In the NHL, both Colton Parayko and Joel Edmundson are well-moving defensemen with the puck on their blades.

Still, Walman has similar size to the pros, and he’s not afraid to use it – those 42 PIM aren’t a result of someone afraid to use their body. If he can combine those two things, that’s the play style the Blues will continue to have. Walman has the potential to fit right in.

3. Samuel Blais

Last season stats: 75 GP, 26 G, 17 A, 43 P, 58 PIM. 10 PGP, 3 G, 5 A, 8 P, 18 PIM.

Blais is an extremely productive left wing, one with the ability to finish plays, and is a little too unafraid to use his smaller stature to surprise. His 58 PIM will need to come down in the pro game, especially in the playoffs. Still, he’s the best left wing in the system, and 25+ goals will translate well to the pro game. Blais is somebody that could be stuck on Thomas’s wing and work well with the young center.

And he’s not too small either. 5’10” is larger than Johnny Gaudreau, who’s right around the small stature mark in the NHL. Blais’s production should naturally translate better to the pro game (than some smaller wings) for that reason.

2. Vince Dunn

Last season stats: 72 GP, 13 G, 32 A, 45 P, 71 PIM. 10 PGP, 1 G, 5 A, 6 P, 20 PIM

Vince Dunn, the best defensive prospect for the Blues, is a better puck-mover than Walman and is a better offensive defenseman as well. His point production is nothing to sneeze at, and while he’s small for a Blues defenseman, he’s unafraid of going against bigger competition. He’s also able to finish off plays with a well-timed stick check, which means he doesn’t necessarily need to rely on physicality.

Dunn is also great in terms of puck possession, is not wobbled easily, and can make accurate passes. He should join the Blues once a vacancy arises, and may be better than Robert Bortuzzo already.

1. Jordan Kyrou

Last season stats: 66 GP, 30 G, 64 A, 94 P, 36 PIM. 4 PGP, 1 G, 2 A, 3 P, 0 PIM.

Kyrou is what I personally look for in a prospect – more points than games, a fantastic goal scorer but also a playmaker, someone who plays a cleaner game and can also compete in the playoffs. That’s a perfect package in my eyes. And the Blues got him in the second round last year.

The Blues even have some room at the right side, if Chris Thorburn and Beau Bennett don’t work out or one of them (predictably) get injured. And as a two-way player, if Kyrou is given an opportunity, St. Louis Blues fans shouldn’t be shocked if Kyrou doesn’t let go. He should succeed in the NHL in more than one area, and his all-around game will make him useful in multiple situations.

Kyrou is very skilled, and the Blues are a team who are a bit lacking in top tier skill. A lot of their hopes depend on him and a few other of the forwards panning out. Kyrou seems like someone whose game should translate well to the NHL. And the Blues better be hoping that it does. Because without him, they won’t be adding much skill from their prospects. That’s not good.

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