St. Louis Blues 2017 Draft Picks: Robert Thomas
After every draft, people are left wondering whether their teams picks are going to be the future and how good each player is. The Blues got some good ones in 2017 and it’s time to take a deeper look.
The St. Louis Blues had a heck of an entry draft in 2017. After 2016’s high expectations and little action, the following draft was met with much skepticism.
Instead, the Blues shocked their fans by pulling the trigger on some major deals to improve the current team. Almost overlooked in all the hoopla was the fact the Blues got a pretty good player with their own first round pick.
The Blues had two first round picks in the 2017 draft. Their own was the 20th pick. They received the 27th pick as part of the compensation in the Kevin Shattenkirk trade.
All the fireworks happened with the pick the Blues did not have to start 2016-17. However, pick 20 was put to good use.
The Blues drafted Robert Thomas from the London Knights. The Knights have become accustomed to producing pros. Some of their more famous alumni include Rob Ramage, Brendan Shanahan, Patrick Kane, Corey Perry, Rick Nash and Matthew Tkachuk.
Thomas might not reach the heights of those names, but he has shown the talents to be a decent NHL player in the future. He already is a good junior player.
Thomas made huge improvements from 2015-16 to 2016-17. His first season for the Knights, he only played in 40 games and had 15 points (3 G, 12 A). He scored a goal and four assists in 15 playoff games that year too.
The following season saw him find his game and his confidence. Thomas scored a point per game, coming away with 66 points in 66 games (16 G, 50 A).
He kept that pace going in the playoffs as well. Thomas three goals and nine assists in 14 playoff games, falling just short of keeping a point per game pace.
The exciting thing about Thomas is his playmaking ability. It’s way too early to predict what kind of professional player he might be, but his vision at his current level is pretty good.
Most of the highlights in that video are of his goals. However, what is noticeable beyond that is his stickhandling.
He probably won’t get away with those between the leg moves in the pros, but just his willingness to take on defenders is enough to get you wondering when he can be ready.
The Blues have had a slew of pass-first centers in recent history, at least in theory. Paul Stastny has a pass first mentality. Jori Lehtera did as well, to the point where if he was on a breakaway, you figured he’d pull up and look for someone to dish to.
Lehtera’s issue was he would pass too much. Passing is fine, but he was not finding guys in scoring positions so the pass amounted to nothing. Stastny has been quite hit or miss and streaky at best.
Whether you feel those players did a good job in their attempts or were passing in vain, the bottom line is they were not setting up enough scores. Thomas is looking to get points from his plays.
Admittedly, there has only been so much seen of him. Anyone can look good in highlights and he has to go out and prove it at the next level, whether that be ECHL, AHL or wherever the Blues place him (perhaps even back in the OHL).
Thomas is only 17 right now, so it would be almost unthinkable that he makes the Blues this season, especially with names in front of him. The good thing is he does not have to now.
Tage Thompson is still a guy fans are hoping will be the real deal. Ivan Barbashev is also in the mix in the middle, as are guys like Zach Sanford and newcomer Oskar Sundqvist.
That was what was best about the 2017 draft. The Blues took a position of weakness and turned it around. Now they have an abundance of centers, which gives them the freedom to push guys outside if that is more their comfort zone.
In terms of NHL-ready guys, the Blues are still a little thin or at least unproven. They might seek out another center via free agency, they could pull another trade or they might very well go with what they have.
Thomas, like Thompson before him, is probably at least a year (if not two or three) away. Unless he has a monster camp, there is no need to rush him either.
Stastny is a free agent following 2017-18. Kyle Brodziak is not getting any younger and Patrik Berglund seems to be one of those guys who might be better off on the wing.
Spots will be open in the near future if he chooses to claim them. For now, it’ll be fun to watch this guy blossom.
Next: Blues 2017-18 Schedule Released
He’s not going to magically find a shooting touch in the pros, but the Blues don’t need that. If he can find the open man or make the good play, the Blues have some young scorers that would definitely benefit from that.
The future is definitely bright. It just won’t come immediately as the Blues phase guys like Thomas in slowly.