St. Louis Blues Prospect Camp Reaction: Grading the Players

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

DEFENSEMEN

Tommy Vannelli- A-

Vannelli, the Blues’ second-rounder in 2013, was one of the most impressive defensemen in camp, and he reminded me of a poor man’s Kevin Shattenkirk. The 6-foot-2, 180-pounder looked very comfortable with the puck in his possession, and he showed good skills as a facilitator who can set up the offensive attack at the blueline. He wasn’t as noticeable in the defensive zone as bigger prospects like Colton Parayko and Niko Mikkola, but he didn’t make noticeable mistakes covering his own net, either.

The 20-year-old Vannelli, who has played the past two seasons with the WHL Medicine Hat Tigers, obviously still has a ways to go, but he looks skilled and confident enough at this point to move up to the AHL Chicago Wolves, the Blues’ top minor-league affiliate. The Blues will take their time with him, and he’s probably behind Parayko, Joel Edmundson, and maybe even Jordan Schmaltz in terms of being in line for a call-up, but this week Vannelli looked like a prospect who is capable of contributing in the NHL long-term.

Vince Dunn- C

Dunn, a 6-foot, 187-pound defenseman who was the Blues’ first pick this year at 56th overall, looked out of place quite a bit during his scrimmage action, committing some costly turnovers and getting run over at center ice. That’s perfectly acceptable, however, as Dunn is just 18 years old and is also coming off a MCL sprain suffered this spring. Just a week after getting drafted, prospect camp should be a learning experience for Dunn, rather than a real proving ground.

Dunn did have some moments where he impressed, and his speed (especially for a player coming off a lower-body injury) and passing skills stood out. This year’s prospect camp won’t hurt his status within the organization, but it does make it clear that he’s not the rare type of early-round pick (i.e. David Perron or Robby Fabbri) that’s in position to make an impact in the NHL during the very early part of his career.

Jordan Schmaltz- B+

For the most part, Schmaltz was kind of quiet in both the offensive and defensive zones. He didn’t take bad angles or commit costly turnovers, but at the same time, he didn’t show much physicality and was not a big contributor offensively.  On the bright side, Schmaltz was one of the fastest skaters in camp, and he seemed comfortable moving the puck up the ice. Also, for what it’s worth, Schmaltz had one of the best approaches in the shootout drills out of all the prospects.

Schmaltz may never be the flashy contributor that first-round picks like him are expected to be, but he should still eventually become at least a dependable, fundamentally-sound third-pairing defenseman. He’ll have the opportunity to start getting up to speed as he begins his professional career this season, and if everything goes according to plan, he should be ready to contribute in the NHL on at least a fill-in basis during the next few seasons.

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Jake Walman- B

Walman, a 6-foot-1, 193-pound defensively-focused blueliner, looked solid during prospect camp, even if he didn’t flash any standout skills. Walman did a decent job of moving the puck around the ice, and he was disciplined in the defensive zone. He also showed off an impressive slapshot which surely would be successful if he was a more aggressive offensive player.

Walman appears to be a pretty fundamentally-sound player, though a lack of elite speed, physicality, or offensive skills may put a roadblock in his path to the NHL, especially in an organization that has as much defensive depth as the Blues do. With that said, Walman appears to be on the right track and has plenty of time left to develop, as he’s just 19 and will be heading into his second season at Providence University this year.

Colton Parayko- A

From a physical standpoint, the 6-foot-5, 220-pound Parayko was the most impressive prospect in camp, and he wasn’t too far off from being the best in terms of his on-ice performance, either. Parayko was exceptionally physical in the defensive zone during the scrimmages, throwing opponents into the boards and leveling people to get to the puck. He displayed a strong presence in front of the net, as a player of his size should, and for the most part he took all the correct angles to prevent pucks from going into the net. Parayko also showed some above-average skills in the offensive zone, moving the puck up the ice quickly and displaying an impressive slapshot.

After breaking into the AHL last year following the end of his final college season, Parayko will have some pro experience to build upon this season. From the outset, he’ll be behind veterans Peter Harrold and Andre Benoit, and perhaps fellow prospect Joel Edmundson, in the battle to be called up in the event of an injury. However, with a strong performance and some more seasoning in the AHL, Parayko might be able to make himself a candidate for an in-season call-up during 2015-16, and if he looks like he did during prospect camp, he should fit in well.

Niko Mikkola- A

If there was anyone in camp who was a huge unexpected surprise, it was Mikkola, the Blues’ sixth-rounder in last month’s draft. Much like Petteri Lindbohm, who broke into the NHL with the Blues last season, Mikkola is a sixth-round defenseman out of Finland, and if the past week is any real indication, it looks like Mikkola could follow Lindbohm as a late-round pick who could break into the league much more quickly than expected.

Mikkola, who was last listed at 6-foot-4 and 185 pounds (though he looks bigger), displayed great physicality, playing an all-out style reminiscent of the one that propelled Lindbohm and Robert Bortuzzo to great success in 2014-15. He also has pretty good speed for a player of his size. If anything, Mikkola should work on developing his skills in the offensive zone, as those skills didn’t stand out a whole lot during the camp scrimmages.

He’s got plenty of time to develop those skills at just 19 years old, though, and even if he doesn’t get drastically better, there are plenty of teams in the NHL that would love to have an aggressive, fundamentally-sound, defense-first defenseman. The Blues obviously liked Mikkola enough that they paired him up with their top group, which also included forwards Robby Fabbri and Jaedon Descheneau and defenseman Colton Parayko, during the scrimmage periods. He’s surely got a while to go before he’s ready to make any sort of impact in the NHL or even come over to America, but Mikkola made a fantastic first impression and showed that he has the skills to defy the stigma of being a late-round pick.

Grant Frederic- B-

Frederic, a local product (CBC High School) who was invited to camp on a tryout basis after recently going undrafted in his final year of draft eligibility, did not look out of place among the other prospects in camp. Frederic skated well and did a pretty good job of moving the puck up the ice, though he didn’t seem to show as much physicality as a 6-foot-3, 210-pounder probably should.

With as much defensive depth as the Blues have already collected, they don’t have a particular need for an undrafted player like Frederic, but he looked solid enough that he should have a chance to sign a free agent contract somewhere around the league.

Next: Goaltenders