St. Louis Blues Top Five Age 25-and-Under Players
By Todd Panula
3. Scott Perunovich
Speaking of potential and someone people are extremely high on, Scott Perunovich might be at the top of that list. The only reason he is not higher on this list is because he has yet to play a professional game at any level yet.
Nevertheless, Perunovich is the defensive version of a name we have yet to come on this list. There is a lot of hype surrounding the name and if he can live up to even part of it, he will be a solid NHL player.
The thing that benefits and hinders Perunovich right now is the fact there are so many good defensemen on the Blues roster in front of him. That’s a double-edged sword.
On the positive side, you have players with plenty of talent to learn from and be mentored by. It also takes the pressure off of Perunovich to make an early splash.
On the negative side, there are so many guys in front of you in the pecking order. Perhaps the fifth, sixth and seventh defensemen on the Blues roster don’t have the pure talent as Perunovich, but they have NHL experience and the coaching staff knows they can be counted on.
Still, it is exciting to ponder the future of the former Hobey Baker award winner. Not everyone that has won the hockey equivalent of the Heisman has turned into a famous NHLer, but plenty have. Perunovich racked up plenty of awards in college. Now it’s time to make that next jump.
Nobody is expecting Perunovich to be a Hall of Fame player, but if he can turn into a player on the level of a current Blues defender like Torey Krug, the Blues would be really set up for success along the blue line. As long as Perunovich continues to improve as a defender, his offensive game should be good enough to carry him to a long career.