Midpoint Analysis: Who is Progressing and who is Regressing in the St. Louis Blues Prospect Pool?

As we have hit the halfway point in the 2024-2025 season for Hockey, let's take a look at how the prospects for the St. Louis Blues have progressed so far. Below are the stat lines for all prospects that are currently in the Blues' system. The leagues that they play in will be specified.

Under each name will be an individual analysis of each player. The cut-off for this article is that players must be 25 years old and younger and have not graduated from the NHL. Prospects who are full-time in the NHL will be covered in a separate Article after the 41st game of the season has been played. All stats were taken on December 31st, 2024 to maintain a set period for the article.

Forward Group - Players are sorted alphabetically for ease of reading and locating specific players.

• Abramov, Mikhail:

Last year I made the prediction that Abramov would try to push for an NHL spot after finally performing well in the AHL. That prediction was a dud once rumors began to circulate in European hockey circles that Abramov would be returning home to Russia and the KHL.

While the Blues did submit a qualifying offer this past summer, he chose to go back home. While he is producing well in the KHL, what is now on people's minds is, will he return to North America after his KHL contract is up or will he stay and end his dreams of playing in the NHL permanently?

• Alexandrov, Nikita

Alexandrov continues to drop in the depth charts for the St. Louis Blues. The first time he was called u, he showed great promise, scoring 7 points in 28 NHL games and 38 points in 41 AHL games. The very next year he struggled badly and was eventually sent down after being healthy scratched for a good portion of the season.

He is currently holding projections in the AHL to perform very well and end the season with 50 points in 58 games pending any injuries. That is roughly the track he was on before he was called up in 22-23. I think they may have rushed him out of necessity and salary cap constraints for 23-24 and it hindered his development worse than Jake Neighbor's sophomore season. I think they may try to qualify him one more time as he may have been rushed to make the team.

• Dean, Zach

Zach Dean is one of the 1st round draft picks who seems to be struggling to consistently translate his game from Canadian Juniors to the professional level. While he is having a rough start, he may need another season to acclimate. Alternatively, the Blues might consider trading him to recoup some picks if they feel he may not meet their expectations.

• Dickenson, Tanner

Tanner Dickenson seems to be on the fast track to stay an AHL-er and never really get a crack at the NHL.

• Dorian, Antoine

Antoine Dorian who was recently drafted this past summer seems to be hitting a roadblock during the season. Currently projected to achieve less than his best stats in the QMJHL, there is some concern, but not enough to rush a trade of his rights unless another team specifically wants him.

• Dvorsky, Dalibor

A future core member of the Blues, Dvorsky had a slow start in the AHL but has since been steadily producing both at even strength and during the playoffs with his great wrist shot and one-timer. He is currently representing his home country of Slovakia one last time. Even though he may stay in the AHL all year, which personally isn't a bad thing at all, he is projected to have a great 55 points in 70 games in his rookie season at the AHL level.

• Jecho, Adam

Adam Jecho is taking the year very well making the Czechia world juniors team with 3 others from the Blues prospects and producing well in the WHL. He is projected to beat his previous records as well which is a good sign that he is developing his game more and more.

• Kaskimaki, Aleksanteri

Aleksanteri has been a wonderful surprise for the AHL Springfield Thunderbirds. As he has transitioned to a much harder league in terms of competition and a smaller rink size, Kaskimaki has done so very well translating his game to the AHL and North American ice rinks. He is projected to hit the same points as Dvorsky for the year which honestly speaks volumes to his game.

• Korotky, Matvei

This is one 7th-round pick that has been a big surprise from the 2024 Draft. Korotky was having a great 2nd year in the juniors league in Russia when he was drafted and since being drafted he has turned up the heat in terms of his production. An interesting case as Russian players who played in the MHL, such as Kaprizov, didn't match the point production that he currently is on track for. The Blues might have gotten lucky and found a gem hidden in the reeds.

• Kos, Ondrej

Kos has been struggling slightly since being called up to Liiga from the U20 league in Finland. Kos was producing at a great pace during the first 6 games of the U20 league scoring 8 points in that time before being called up. Since his call up he has been slowly adjusting to the increased difficulty but has had trouble finding the scoresheet. He will need another year or two in Liiga before he should try to come over to the NHL/AHL.

• Laferriere, Mathias

The Laferriere experiment may be nearing its end as Laferriere has not really developed further for the last two years. I do not think he will graduate past the AHL at this rate.

• Mrsic, Tomas

Tomas Mrsic seems to be the front runner in terms of point projections for the year. Since being drafted this past summer, a fire seems to have been lit with his projections for the WHL almost doubling from his draft years. Something very interesting to note is that while yes his projections are showing this trend his +/- is also maintaining a positive trend which bodes well for his play away from the puck as well.

• Pekarcik, Juraj

Pekarcik is definitely taking the QMJHL by storm in his first season since transferring from the USHL. Pekarcik seems to be more than ready to make the jump to the AHL next year and could be NHL ready by 2027.

• Peterson, Dylan

Dylan Peterson had a slow start acclimating to the AHL from the NCAA. I would attribute this more so to being on a very top tier NCAA team and then going to a lower-middle of the pack AHL team. But since his slow start he has begun to heat up and post points very well. He may push for a spot in the NHL by Fall 2026.

• Robertsson, Simon

Robertsson seems to be slowly adjusting to the North American ice rinks. He is producing which is a good sign but he definitely needs more years to develop into anything. I would expect him to be the AHL for the next three years unless he breaks out sometime sooner.

• Snuggerud, Jimmy

Minnesota Gophers are lucky that Snuggerud chose to stay one more year. Currently 3rd best in points in the whole NCAA Div. 1, Snuggerud is on pace to come closer to his freshman year points totals. With the Frozen Four event happening in St. Louis this spring, Blues fans will be able to see him chance the title before he becomes eligible to be signed by the Blues and he will likely be used in the middle 6 if not on the top line some nights as the season winds down.

• Stancl, Jakub

Jakub Stancl is posting great points in his first year in the WHL currently on track for 78 points on the season pending playoffs. In the World Juniors preliminaries he has already surpassed last years points and sits in the top 3 of scorers in this years tournament. I would expect Stancl to be a player that pushes for a spot next year in the bottom 6 otherwise he will start as a top 6 in the AHL next year.

• Stenberg, Otto

Stenberg seems to have adjusted to a new team very well and is seeing more ice time. Personally he is slightly being stunted and should come over to the AHL by next year and really get more time to develop and more roles with the Springfield Thunderbirds.

• Susuyev, Nikita

Susuyev is like most 7th rounders, not really worth much and can't develop further.

• Sylvegard, Marcus

This was one off season signing that I was intrigued with when the rumors started to come out of Sweden. Sylvegard seems to be a forward that honestly could play 3rd line wing in the NHL and he might actually pan out as such. So far this year since joining the AHL, he is on a steady pace with Dvorsky and Kaskimaki to hit above 50 points for the year.

• Vorobyov, Ivan

Vorobyov seems to be developing in the KHL and already set to hit a decent points per game in just his 2nd year. If he stays healthy he very easily could be a consistent 30 point producer in the KHL. How that translates towards the AHL or the NHL will depend on if he is willing to leave Russia.

Defensive Group - Players are sorted alphabetically for ease of reading and locating specific players.

• Buchinger, Michael

Since Buchinger graduated from Canadian Juniors, he has been slowly adjusting defensively to the professional scene in the AHL. While I did expect him to have some trouble adjusting, he has seen some good ice time and will definitely be a long term development prospect for the defense.

• Burns, Quinton

Quinton Burns seems to be handling his year as a captain for the Kingston Frontenacs rather well and is looking to eclipse his previous record for points in a season. This does bode well to his growth in the OHL and his development in a leadership role. Now to wait and see what he can do in the AHL or ECHL next year. One thing to note is a big concern is the penalty minutes and his discipline which really need to be worked on once he makes the jump.

• Fischer, Lukas

Like Burns, Fischer seems to be taking the role of captain to heart for his team in the OHL. On pace to match his points a season he could do better about staying out of the penalty box which is his one trouble area. He will need to hammer that out more before he makes the jump to professional level after next season.

• Gaudet, Marc-Andre

Gaudet seems to be having trouble translating his game to the professional level. He was one defenseman from juniors I was particularly high on but since then he has been stuck at the ECHL level.

• Jiricek, Adam

Jiricek has finally been able to get over his injury and started his play in the OHL, albeit at a slow pace. In terms of the World juniors he has progressed well in the first few games. (Since the cutoff of Dec 31 for the article Jiricek has been a big part of the Quarterfinal win over Canada on Jan 2.)

• Johannesson, Samuel

Johannesson has been a stabilizing signing by the Blues for the AHL. While he may not jump into the NHL in a permanent role, he is worthy of a call up if an injury happens. What I am curious about is how he progresses the rest of the year and what he does come next year.

• Kessel, Matthew

Although Kessel played most of the year so far in the NHL, he counts here because his play was not consistent enough and he ended up being sent down. Since being sent down he has started to put in the work to try and force the Blues to call him back up. Personally he is more than likely staying in the AHL for the rest of the season unless an injury happens.

• Koromyslov, Arseni

Koromyslov seems to be stuck where he is and I do not know if he can make the jump to the KHL any time soon. He is more than likely going to be stuck at the VHL (comparable to AHL for Russian league) for his career. I do not expect the Blues to keep his rights when they expire.

• Lindstein, Theo

While Lindstein's game doesn't necessarily translate on the scoresheet his coaches in the SHL do agree that his defensive game has kicked up a level this year. A recent article came out that mentioned they felt he was on the same potential path as Gustov Forsling which is a great compliment. A range of potential of Pietrangelo to Forsling is a great range to be talked about. He should be ready come next year to also make the jump to the AHL and then we will see how much longer he needs to be ready for the NHL.

• Loof, Leo

Loof is showing a lot of promise and is showing more active defense this year compared to last. If he can handle staying out of the penalty box more he may be able to help the Springfield Thunderbirds tighten up there defense and they could make a push for the playoffs.

• Malmstrom, Anton

Anton Malmstrom seems to be having trouble staying in the AHL since he chose to leave the NCAA back in 21-22. Currently he seems to be stuck at the ECHL level and while he is producing it doesn't bode well for his future with the Blues Organization and the amount of defensive prospects that will be graduating from their junior programs come next year.

• Mayich, Matthew

Mayich has easily shown much more ability to make plays happen as he has already posted points that equal his totals from last season. He also seems to be trending in a more positive direction with his +/- and showing more discipline.

• McIssac, William

McIssac seems to be having a quieter season with the Spokane Chiefs, although they are currently the 3rd best team in the WHL. He has been added to the leadership core of the group and it seems like he is focusing on his defensive side which is honestly a positive.

• Ralph, Colin

Colin Ralph seems to be having a quiet season points wise as he made the jump to the NCAA. In his games at the world juniors however, he has seen very low averages of time on ice which hasn't helped him that much. He has been on the ice for a few goals against and the world juniors seem to be shedding light on areas of his play he really needs to work on.

• Skinner, Hunter

Skinner looks to finally be coming into his own at the AHL level. While his penalty minutes are not good to look at projection wise, he is producing more on the scoresheet. Projected to double his points so far seems to show that something is finally clicking for him and that is a benefit for the blues so that up and coming defenseman have a partner to learn from.

Goaltending - Goal tenders are ordered in terms of depth. The lowest listed goalie is most likely gone this summer and not sent a qualifying offer.

• Ellis, Colten

Move out of the way because the Ellis train has taken off this year! Two years after his worst season on record after turning pro from the Canadian Juniors, Ellis has quite literally proved me wrong on my questioning whether or not he was a potential NHL goalie in the future.

So far he has taken over the role of starter in the AHL from Zherenko and has been running with it. While his save percentage has dipped with a heavier work load, his goals allowed is trending in the right direction. We may see Ellis backing up Hofer when it comes time for Binnington to move on.

• Zherenko, Vadim

Vadim Zherenko seems to be a slam dunk for the future back up role but ever since his hot start back in 22-23 he has seen decline and has been relegated to back up duties in the AHL. Zherenko may become trade fodder in the next few years or could be stuck at the AHL level till he hits UFA.

• Cranley, Will

Will Cranley seems to finally, be making some progress development wise albeit at the ECHL level. I still personally believe that he will never develop past the AHL level he will likely still not be qualified unless he severally improves his numbers the rest of the season.