The NHL entry draft is officially over, and the that means that all the players drafted are now onto bigger and better things. The Blues were without a second-round pick, fourth-round pick, and a sixth-round pick, but were still able to come away with four new players in their affiliate league. When it comes to the players the Blues drafted their seemed to be a rather one-sided approach, goal-scorers.
1.17: Zachary Bolduc, LW, Rimouski Oceanic
The St. Louis Blues had a lot of attention on them throughout the draft, but one of the more surprising picks in the draft would be their first overall selection, Zachary Bolduc. The Blues had been tied to defenseman, Carson Lambos, prior to the draft and have also had reports of Matthew Coronato. After Coronato had been taken, if they had any interest at all, they settled on Bolduc.
Zachary Bolduc was ranked on most big boards as a top 28-35 player, so getting taken at 17 was probably quite the shock. I was surprised by the reach given some of the names still available however, after reading up on Bolduc, he is exactly what I want in a player.
After being drafted by the St. Louis Blues there were a lot of people calling for interviews and asking questions, but after the draft pick was made and listening to what the insiders had to say about him, he was already one of my favorites in the draft. The reporters were saying that he used to spend so many hours on the rink that in order to get him to stop, they had to reprimand him. On top of being a ice rink junkie, he is also a smooth playmaker, very good goal scorer, and shows a high ceiling.
When it comes to creating a team, and building a team, having guys like Bolduc are the risks you need to take. You can find a player who can come into the league and be good, but take a risk on a player with developmental traits then you may find a superstar.
Bolduc played in 27 games in the QMJHL this past season, in those games he was able to score 10 goals, and 19 assists for 29 points. Looking at where he is coming from and who he was able to learn from is another big upside to his game. Last season Bolduc was able to play with the first overall pick, and future superstar, Alexis Lafreniere. Learning and developing alongside a talent like Alexis could be a big part to how he translates as a player through the AHL.
3.71: Simon Robertsson, RW, Skelleftea
The St. Louis Blues had a pretty good first selection with a lot of upside, after reading up on Simon Robertsson and watching film, this has the potential to be the best selection by the Blues this season. Robertsson was quoted as a top 20-40 player in this draft, as you can see above they were able to grab him with the 71st pick.
Simon played in both the Swedish junior level and in the worlds which he was able to put on display his talent against bigger and better competition. The biggest question mark for Robertsson is simply consistency and ability to make an impact every-time he steps on the ice. As far as his skillset goes, he has the a lot of things working for him. He has incredible puck handling that is commonly seen in situations that would cause for a deke instead of being checked. Although not much of a fancy puck handler, he still has the ability to keep the puck on his stick through traffic. He was able to create a lot of chances of his ability to get through traffic and find the open pass. With that being said, he is an incredibly fundamental and smart player when it comes to his playmaking ability. With the ability to be creative when it comes to making plays on the perimeter or taking the puck to the net and hit the backdoor pass, he’s always looking to make an impact.
There were multiple things that he said he can do well, but perhaps the best part of his game is his electric shot. His ability to get the wrist shot off is something that reminds me of Vladimir Tarasenko. Watching his wrist shot is like watching a bullet getting shot out of a gun. His upside and potential to be a top tier goal scorer in the future is what makes his game so fun and exciting.
5.145: Tyson Galloway, D, Calgary
The St. Louis Blues have drafted a right wing and a C/LW prior to this pick however, with their third pick in the draft they selected: Tyson Galloway, D, Calgary. Their was a lot of people who said that he plays a lot like former Blues defenseman and current Montreal Canadiens defenseman, Joel Edmundson. The Blues have a lot of holes towards the end of last season, but perhaps the player that was most missed was Edmundson. Not having a stay at home defenseman was a big part to a bigger problem that they had, but having a guy who has drown multiple comparisons to him could be a huge get. He was fairly unproductive from a statistical point of view, but if he can become a stay-at-home defenseman capable to playing at the NHL level, he could be a huge get for the Blues.
7.198: Ivan Vorobyov, RW, Khanty-Mansiysk
The St. Louis Blues are in a win now position, that means that they need to find upside players in the later rounds. Ivan Vorobyov is a incredible talent, and was extremely productive in his time with Khanty-Mansisyk. While there isn’t much film on him to break down his film, off the highlights I was able to find, he appears to have a incredible skill-set that reminds me of a player similar to Mathew Barzal. He’s incredibly smooth with the puck on his stick, and is a very good goal scorer and playmaker. As far as upside goes, he is going to be a name to watch out for.