The St. Louis Blues have just weeks before their first selection must be made in the 2020 draft. There’s an interesting German prospect they may be looking into.
The St. Louis Blues will have an interesting draft come October, one way or the other. Things haven’t been the easiest with free agent problems and front office changes.
Despite the loss of assistant general manager and director of scouting Bill Armstrong, Doug Armstrong claims the team already did all the leg work. They have their list and are just waiting to see what the teams in front of them do.
The only thing the Blues know for sure, right now, is they possess the 26th pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. Whether they use it or package it in a trade for more cap space is up in the air.
If the team decides to use it, they are not short on options. The Blues have needs at forward and defense and mock drafts have them looking just about anywhere. We already profiled a defender that might be available.
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If they look up front, one of the many German prospects projected to be selected this year might fit right in with the Blues.
Tankathon’s latest mock draft has them selecting Lukas Reichel with the 26th overall pick. Reichel is an 18 year old forward from Nurnberg, Germany.
The benefit of potentially drafting Reichel is is versatility. He is capable of playing all three positions up top, though his game is currently suited better as a wing.
Reichel scored 47 goals and 86 points as a 16 year old. His totals have gone down when playing at higher levels, such as the U20 league and the regular German league.
Nevertheless, he still manages to get points. At just 18, he still produced 12 goals and 24 points in the German Elite League.
When going against his own peers, he is just as potent, if not more. Reichel had three goals and five points in seven games for Germany in the World Junior Championships. He added another four goals and seven points in other U20 international action.
Reichel is the 11th ranked European skater available for this draft. His highest overall rating is number 20 on TSN/Bob McKenzie’s list. On average, he is rated in the 30’s on many lists.
The downside for Reichel is he would likely stay in Europe a year or more unless the Blues, or any team, made it worth his while. This is typical of anyone drafted in the lower half of the first round or afterward.
Rarely do those players see pro time immediately. On the positive side, it is often much easier to work with any of the European leagues that are not the KHL. So, if the Blues wanted Reichel to play in North America right away, they’d likely work out a deal fairly easily.
The Blues already looked to Germany for the draft in the past. The only reason Dominik Bokk was traded was because the team felt they were getting a good player in Justin Faulk.
Time will tell about that. What we do know is this is an important draft for the Blues as their cupboards need restocking.
Let’s hope Doug Armstrong was right and the loss of Bill Armstrong won’t give this draft any hiccups.