The St. Louis Blues claim to have their 2020 NHL Draft List all set. Could that include another forward out of the Sarnia franchise?
The St. Louis Blues had pretty good success the last time they looked at the OHL for a draft pick. They took Robert Thomas from the London Knights and he looks like a future star.
The last time the Blues picked a player from the Sarnia Sting, they got a pretty talented guy as well. Jordan Kyrou has not made a huge impact in the NHL yet, but yet is the key phrase. The team and fans still expect quite a bit from him.
So, why not look to Sarnia out of the OHL again? With that in mind, the Blues could very well take Jacob Perreault with their 26th overall selection.
Assuming the Blues do not package that pick as part of a trade, most mock drafts have St. Louis looking to restock their forward ranks. Perreault could be an interesting selection if the Blues go that route.
More from Draft
- Blues Will Select 5 New Players at 2022 Montreal Draft
- St. Louis Blues Look For All Around Depth On Draft Day 2
- St. Louis Blues: What you need to know about the NHL Draft First Round
- St. Louis Blues 2020 Draft Prospects: Brendan Brisson
- St. Louis Blues 2020 Draft Prospects: Tyson Foerster
He has NHL pedigree already. His father, Yanic, played in the NHL from 1993 through 2008.
Jacob has picked up consistency from his father in his young career. Perreault has scored 30-plus goals in both seasons with the Sarnia Sting, totaling 69 in two OHL seasons.
Perreault would likely play at least one more year with Sarnia, or another CHL team, before turning pro. Kyrou spent four seasons with Sarnia and continually progressed his scoring totals.
Perreault still has room to go up, even though a 70 point season as an 18 year old is impressive.
Physically, Perreault is probably about as big as you’d like him to get. EliteProspects lists him at 5’11 and 198 lbs.
So, he’s got some muscle on him already. Unless he grows a couple inches, you wouldn’t want him to put on any more size (unless he needs to lean out any) because you might sacrifice speed.
Perreault is a right wing and the Blues are thin on natural right wingers, especially right-handed right wings. Most of their current right wingers are guys that got put there out of necessity.
Perreault isn’t highly touted, with most rankings putting him in the 20’s. He’s ranked as high as 17th for overall skaters in North America. His lowest ranking is 40th by TSN/Craig Button.
Perreault is probably a player in Kyrou’s mold. The talent is definitely there and he would be a solid pick, but most likely would not wear a Blues sweater in a regular season game for a few years.
However, that’s likely the case of anybody who is available near the back end of the first round. If the Blues feel he’s got the talent and fits their organization, then this would definitely not be a reach to take him at 26.