Blues Sign Jakub Stancl to 3 year Entry Level Contract

As of 3 pm CST on June 1st, the St. Louis Blues announce the signing of Jakub Stancl, a 4th-round pick from the 2023 draft.

The 6'3 left-wing prospect from Czechia (formerly the Czech Republic), was recently a part of the World Juniors national team who finished with a Bronze medal victory this past winter. Stancl also spent time bouncing between the SHL and the Junior division of the Swedish Hockey League (J20).

While he did spend a handful of games at the SHL, which is the top level in Sweden, most of his games played were again in the J20. However, while he did not improve his performance in either J20 or the SHL he shined in national play for team Czechia. Scoring at almost a point per game during the tournament, Stancl showcased his skill in all areas of the ice. I would also like to point out that Stancl ended Canada's medal aspirations with 11 seconds in the 3rd period to move on.

He would end up playing in 2 more games after that, firstly against the home country Sweden who were beyond dominant in the tournament, then facing Finland in the Bronze medal game and winning a medal. Stancl scored during the Bronze medal game and made a beautiful lead pass for the 3rd goal that would jumpstart their 5-goal comeback to win.

What do the Blues have in Stancl? They have another developing two-way winger who uses his height to his advantage and has a very high hockey sense and awareness around him. The nice thing with this for his teammates is during breakouts he makes it a point to help defensemen get the puck out of the zone and relieve pressure. Another benefit for Stancl is he can play all forward positions so he may pan out as a full utility forward that can be placed where needed on any given night. I would expect him to be a bottom 9 forward that rotates on a given night or a full-time middle 6 winger.

If you want to read a more in-depth analysis of Jakub Stancl, check out his draft profile at the Hockey Writers!

https://thehockeywriters.com/jakub-stancl-2023-nhl-draft-prospect-profile/