St. Louis Blues 2015 NHL Mock Draft: Round Two

Our 2015 NHL mock Draft continues with a look at round two and the St. Louis Blues: their picks, the players available, and who the Blues are likely to land on.

Unlike the first round, where the Blues currently have zero picks available to them, the Blues boast an abundance of picks in the second round. Well, they boast one. They have one pick available.

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Luckily teams have the opportunity to trade for draft picks because as it stands, St. Louis holds no picks in the first round, one in the second, none in the third, and only reach multiple picks by the fourth round, where they hold a pair. St. Louis is seen as one of the weaker drafting teams, and the front office has done nothing to combat that rumor. They held on to only four draft picks for the 2013 NHL Draft and while they expanded that number to ten in 2014, only a handful of them were seen as future stars. Barbashev, Fabbri, and Letunov were the best of the bunch.

However the future of the Blues mattered less than the current iteration, it seems.

Given the fact that St. Louis recently traded away one of their most-anticipated draft picks in Maxim Letunov for Zbynek Michalek (and a possible third-round pick), the Blues’ front office must step up their drafting game if they want a deep pool of players available to them on their own AHL affiliate in the future.

Jun 27, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; NHL commissioner Gary Bettman addresses the crowd before the 2014 NHL Draft at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Our first round focused on how St. Louis might be able to acquire a first-round draft pick, and from which team. Who might they pick in the second round? Below, we look at four potential draft picks and what they would bring to the table for the Blues.

Next: St. Louis Blues 2015 NHL Mock Draft: Round One

In the first round, given that the average development time for Blues prospects being roughly three years, we postulated that the Blues would first go for a forward to replace one of their aging stars up front. But even if the Blues miss out on a star forward in the first round, center Adam Musil would be an addition to the team who fits with the theme and .

Draft Prospect No. 32: Adam Musil

Musil is ranked 32nd among incoming draftees and has a truly impressive hockey pedigree. He’s nephew to former NHL center Bobby Holik, originally of the Hartford Whalers. Musil is also son to Frank Musil and brother to David Musil, the latter of whom was picked up at 31st in 2011 by the Edmonton Oilers.

Musil is big, physical, and would fit right in on a Blues line. He’s not necessarily a big scorer: he earned only 38 points in 64 games over the past season. 14 of those were goals. But he’s not afraid to go after a puck in the tough areas and is a strong skater, which would give the Blues an edge against some of the faster teams in the league.

And, to top it off, he’s already got his own page on hockeyfights.com. He looks like he’d be a pretty straightforward replacement for Steve Ott, who had a very similar juniors record to Musil. Both are able to play up on the second or third line, but physical enough for the checking line. Ott’s contract is up at the end of the 2015-16 season; if Musil develops quickly he could be in the NHL sooner than thought.

Strong checking lines aside, the Blues will also need to look over the defensive prospects, considering Jackman’s nearing contract deadline, Bouwmeester’s age and Kevin Shattenkirk’s soon-to-rise cap hit. For that, we have a few options.

Draft Prospect No. 59: Olivier Galipeau

It seems that every defender projected to go in the second round is Canadian. Galipeau, however, is the only Quebecois player to make that list.

Yes, he’s one of the lowest-ranked prospects in the second round, but whichever team drafts Galipeau is going to be one to watch. His defense is sound, if not the swiftest. As you can see in his interview below, Galipeau is aware of his flaws on the ice, which makes for a good, self-aware player. But the most interesting of Galipeau’s assets is his on-ice leadership.

Drafting Galipeau is a smart move with an eye towards the future. After Backes retires in a decade or slightly less, the Blues have a couple of current players who could step up to the captaincy. Shattenkirk is the first to come to mind.

But no contract is forever.

There is no guarantee that Shattenkirk, or any other leader in the locker room stays with the Blues for as long as it takes to become captain. Galipeau has already shown leadership at the juniors level, and his presence on their power play at 17 is nothing to smirk at. I’m willing to bet he’ll work long and hard for whoever drafts him, and we’ll see his name pop up regularly for years to come.

Draft Prospect No. 31: Ryan Pilon

Pilon is a highly-ranked defensive prospect, coming in at 31 via the NHL’s site. Frankly, he may very well go in the first round. Pilon was a number three overall bantam draft pick for the Lethbridge Hurricanes and though he has since moved to the Brandon Wheat Kings, came away this season with a +/- of 35 and contributed 11 goals and 41 points.

Per his EliteProspects page:

A strong two-way defenceman with the work ethic, determination, and skill to get the job done in all situations. Possesses a quick, accurate release on his shot. Pilon is a smooth skater and is able to quarterback plays as he sees the ice very well. He exhibits very good decision making in all three zones. (Curtis Joe, EP 2014)

While skating and skills can all be taught, defensive intelligence has a cap on it; those who are without it are regularly caught flat-footed if they don’t have a strong partner who will direct them around the ice. Pilon’s ability to do that for others will make him an invaluable asset to his team; if the Blues are able to do so, they’ll be even stronger in the back end, a prospect that makes grown men weep and birds burst into song.

Think I’m exaggerating? Okay, maybe a little.

Last, but not least, we have

Draft Prospect No. 53: Vince Dunn

Dunn isn’t the largest defenseman available, but what he is, is smart. At 6’0″ and 185 lbs he’s large enough to protect the puck, but he’s smart enough to know his play options if he can’t muscle someone off the puck.

He’s comparable to Travis Dermott, who’s ranked in the NHL Draft Prospects list at number 47. Dermott is highly skilled with a puck and in how he sees the game, but his size would hinder his ability in the Blues’ more physical system. Dunn, on the other hand, has similar hockey smarts about him, but with some size that Dermott lacks.

His EliteProspects page dissects his play nicely.

An offensive defenceman that sees the ice well and makes high-percentage plays. Very mobile, poised with the puck, and actively joins the rush. Is great with his stick; possesses a good shot and makes seamless tape-to-tape passes. Not the biggest body, but can out-work bigger opponents for puck possession. All-in-all, an offensive defenceman who will thrive in a system where puck possession is key. (Curtis Joe, EP 2015)

Objectively, puck possession is something the Blues can do very well and if properly developed Dunn will help turn them into a top-five team in possession.

As you can see in the video linked here, Dunn isn’t lacking in speed either. He has the ability to turn on the jets and beat everyone back to his net, or to split the opposing defense and score one for his team. While he’s not a star player, he’ll be a great roaming defensive partner for a d-man who is more offensively minded.

Next, A.P. Andes will tackle rounds three and four. Stay tuned!

Next: Montreal Canadiens Help Expand Pro Hockey For Women

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