St. Louis Blues Prospect Camp Roundup
The St. Louis Blues held their annual Prospect Camp this week and it showcased talent all across the organization. Players intent on making the NHL club like Jordan Kyrou and Erik Foley all the way down to this years top draft pick Dominik Bokk were in attendance and the crowds came out to grab a glimpse of the Blues future potential.
Over the last four days the players were put through many off ice and on ice activities and ended each day with a scrimmage between the blue and yellow teams. With the Blues finally having an AHL team of their own again, this camp was used as a way to integrate the new players as well as the new coaches with the San Antonio Rampage into the systems that the Blues are wanting to run. Players went through drills from balancing on one skate to passing and receiving skills to zone entry drills.
The biggest advancement I saw at this years camp was the inclusion of more technology as a means to study player performance. In one drill a player would scan into the system and then enter a slalom course. As a player passed through a gate and approached the flags a light would flash to tell them which random direction to cut. The coaches use this data as well as data picked up during skating drills to asses reaction time as well as pure speed.
Now to some players that impressed during this camp.
Alexey Toropchenko: This guy was much bigger than I thought but has the soft hands and skills of a much smaller forward. I was impressed with how he used his feet while battling for pucks in the corners. His willingness to go to the front of the net is something the Blues are lacking and he could be a big asset to this team in the future. While he didn't net a goal during the scrimmages I saw he has the potential to be at least a 20 goal scorer in this league.
Mathias Laferriere: If there was one player that impressed me the most it was this kid. The 169th pick in this year's draft, Laferriere showed his speed, hands and vision throughout the entire camp. In Thursdays scrimmage Laferriere notched two goals including a nice bit of stick work to work in alone on net. Laferriere will likely return to Cape Breton in the QMJHL this season but look for him to move quickly through the ranks of the Blues organization.
Evan Fitzpatrick: Fitzpatrick looked the part of a Memorial Cup winning goalie this week and it was impressive. In watching him you can see his patience and strength. During drills he would cover the post like a pro and his quick recovery time allowed him to stick to the post long enough to be sure the pass was made and still make a save. He is so calm in net and has little wasted movement but can be explosive when needs to be. In the Friday scrimmage he moved post to post and absolutely robbed a shot with his glove. This guy is someone who will be putting on the Bluenote in the near future.
Jordan Kyrou: Aside from Robert Thomas, Kyrou is almost a lock to make the Blues this season. Kyrou was named the OHL MVP this past season as he notched 39 goals and 70 assists in just 56 games played. That skill showed in camp this week as Kyrou made multiple passes that would look right at home in the NHL. Like Toropchenko, Kyrou didn't net a goal in scrimmage but his poise and potential project into a 25-30 goal scorer in this league.
Erik Foley: The player who came back in the Paul Stastny trade wasn't just a throw in and it showed in camp this week. Foley has some sick hands and speed for days. In Friday's scrimmage Foley split two defenders and deked out the goalie before slipping the puck into the net. It was all so seamless for him. He is also another player not afraid to go to the net. He is going to make some noise in San Antonio this year and could be a call up if the Blues suffer injuries. 20 goal scorer at least in the NHL.
Dominik Bokk: The Blues first round draft pick this year, Bokk started camp out slow but came on as the week wore on. He was described as not a hard worker and in the first skill session that looked to be true but as the week went on Bokk got comfortable and really worked his tail off. There were moments in the scrimmages that show why he has the nickname the Deutsche Dangler. Being 18 years old there are things to work on including defensive coverage as well as getting bulked up but Bokk has the potentail to be in the lineup in the next 3 years.
Klim Kostin: One guy who didn't impress as much was Kostin. He seemed to struggle during balancing drills and seemed to short change himself in other drills. This guy has skill but it seemed like he was pressing the whole week. With a spot on the Blues out there, Kostin will have to rebound in training camp if he wants a chance on the big club. Kostin has a full year of AHL hockey under his belt but the fact that the team was shared with Vegas it limited his playing time. Kostin will benefit from a full year in the AHL and we will likely see him on Tarasenko's wing in 2019-20.
In reality all the players who participated in the camp this week showed plenty of promise. Some will be heading to college, some to juniors, some to the AHL and a lucky few may make the Blues roster.
With Prospect camp over the next thing to look forward to will be the start of free agency on Sunday. We will be with you if and when the Blues make a signing or a trade.