Notes and Observations from St. Louis Blues Prospect Camp, July 9

The St. Louis Blues concluded their annual prospect camp on Thursday, conducting two practice sessions and a four-period scrimmage. Thursday was the quietest and most uneventful day of the four-day camp (evidenced by the absence of head coach Ken Hitchcock, who had taken in the previous sessions from the stands), as the routine was firmly in place, the practice sessions were light, and the amateur tryout players seemed to get more action in the scrimmage than the premium prospects.

Here’s a quick summary of what went on during the prospect camp finale:

• As was the case all week, forward Robby Fabbri was the most dominant player on the ice and continued to make his case for being part of the NHL roster in 2015-16. The 2014 first-rounder scored two goals and repeatedly put himself in position to be an offensive contributor. Forward C.J. Yakimowicz also had a strong day, matching Fabbri with two goals.
• It was another very good day for goaltender Jeremy Brodeur, who attended the camp on a tryout basis. The 18-year old netminder, who is set to become the starting goalie for the OHL’s Oshawa Generals this season, was the most impressive goaltender at the camp. On Thursday, he didn’t allow a goal during his half of the scrimmage and made some impressive saves throughout. While Brodeur’s youth and remaining two years of draft eligibility still probably make it less likely that he’ll be signed by the Blues than his former Oshawa teammate, Ken Appleby, who also attended prospect camp, he definitely showed that he has a chance to be a legitimate NHL prospect going forward.
• While the first few days of prospect camp presented more opportunities for the Blues’ top prospects to showcase themselves, Thursday’s four-period scrimmage opened the action up to several players attending camp on a tryout basis to distinguish themselves. In addition to Brodeur and Appleby, who were in nets for the first two periods, guys like University of Michigan prospect Justin Selman, three-year WHL vet Carson Stadnyk, and CBC High School alum Grant Frederic had flashes during Thursday’s scrimmage. It’s not exactly common for the Blues to sign undrafted prospects, and the players are really aiming to impress all 30 NHL teams rather than just the Blues, but nevertheless the free agents were able to make an impression this week and at least get their names out there a bit more than they were coming into the week.
• There weren’t as many video-worthy moments on Thursday as there had been earlier in the week. Here’s a short clip of several young Blues defensemen–Vince Dunn, Tommy Vannelli, and Niko Mikkola–who showed off their impressive skating ability during Thursday’s practice:

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