St. Louis Blues: How Many AHL Players Can Be Counted On?

The St. Louis Blues currently have some of the hottest players in the AHL in their organization. The question becomes how many of them could seriously make the jump to the next level.

The St. Louis Blues have gone up and down in terms of consistency and scoring production in the 2016-17 season. It has been a stark contrast to the Chicago Wolves, their minor league affiliate, who have some of the top scorers in the entire AHL.

It was not always that way, at least in terms of team success. The Wolves had plenty of Blues’ prospects doing well from the get-go, but the team was struggling to find wins.

Now they are getting the best of both worlds. 38 games in, the Wolves are tied for the lead in points and only not in first place due to an inferior winning percentage (the top team has games in hand).

Chicago has scored the most goals in the league with their closest competitor 17 goals behind. The Wolves are also 8-2 in their last 10 games as of writing this piece.

Individually, they have some of the best players this season. Kenny Agostino leads the league in points after Brad Hunt was leading the AHL before his recall to the Blues.

Additionally, Wade Megan who scored a goal in his only NHL game, is in the top five in scoring. Joining him, one spot back, is Ivan Barbashev.

Barbashev is probably the most interesting name on that list. After a mediocre season last year and not getting that close to making the NHL squad this time, there were rumblings that he might be a bust.

He is doing his best to dispel those thoughts. In half as many games as he played last season, Barbashev has already eclipsed his goal and point totals.

While Barbashev is living up to expectations, Megan and Hunt are a pleasant surprise. Megan has bounced between the AHL and ECHL for five seasons. He is barely halfway through this season and already has more points than any season since 2008-09, his last in prep hockey.

Hunt looked like he was destined for an AHL career. He was regularly putting up 50 points in Oklahoma City, but had only seen 21 NHL games prior to this year.

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As soon as the Blues gave him a shot, he came out like a house on fire. He had points in his first four games and has become a regular sub in the Blues defensive rotation now. He has, in fact, played so well that, despite his size, you could see him as a regular contributor.

That idea begs the question of how many, if any, of the Blues’ AHL contingent are actually NHL ready. How many could honestly make the jump and be more than a fill-in?

Baring a catastrophic injury, Agostino is guaranteed to eclipse his career highs and still has a half a season to pump in the points. Can he be trusted to do that same kind of production at the highest level?

He isn’t tall, but he’s strong and knows what to do with the puck in key situations. Hunt is quite small, but a smart player and a good puck mover. Megan has a good work rate and Barbashev has loads of potential.

The problem is the NHL is a desert wasteland of guys who had loads of potential and never realized it at the highest level. The Blues own history is littered with guys we thought could be our own next big name.

So few of them translated into what we wanted. Just as few, if not more, even stuck in the league.

It’s all a game of roulette. You bet on red and sometimes it lands on black and vice versa. Once in a blue moon, you get it to land on 17 when you put a bunch of chips on that number.

The good thing is the Blues have enough guys locked up or that they will lock up that none of these players have to be depended on next season. If they come through in camp, so be it.

The problem is you can’t tell if they are AHL good or just good. It could all come down to coaching.

Despite winning championships, John Anderson was not getting the job done with basically the same crew. Now that they are under Craig Berube’s tutelage, they are flourishing.

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Would they play as well under Mike Yeo? Only time will tell.

The Blues need Barbashev to be as good as we hope he might be if they are not going to raid the free agent market. The team is thin at center and need a playmaker. If he can be a regular 50 point guy at the NHL level, Agostino would be a welcome addition.

There just isn’t a way to truly know. So many were thought to be can’t misses and missed. Hopefully the Blues get some hits because these guys are on point right now.

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