It's been three years since the 2023 NHL draft, one of the most hyped draft classes in recent memory. At the very top, Connor Bedard went first overall, followed by Leo Carlsson, Adam Fantilli, and Will Smith; then, due to the concern around Russian players being able to make it to the United States after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Matvei Michkov slipped to the Philadelphia Flyers at seventh overall. It was a heck of a run of premium prospects, and we haven't seen a draft quite like it since--and with time comes perspective, as The Athletic's Scott Wheeler does a redraft of the 2023 first round.
Unfortunately, the St. Louis Blues don't come out looking too good.
The Blues' draft class
Much like the most recent draft, the Blues had oodles of prime draft capital: three first-round picks. They used their earliest pick, tenth overall, on Slovakian forward Dalibor Dvorsky, who's now played 73 NHL games and has scored 21 points.
With picks 25 and 29, the Blues selected Otto Stenberg and Theo Lindstein, respectively. Both players have gotten their feet wet in the NHL, and Lindstein in particular might have a path to becoming a second-pair defender as a pro. The two players have a combined 49 NHL games and 14 points, most of that courtesy of Stenberg.
Not living up to expectations
In Wheeler's redraft, however, the only player to be taken in the first round is Dvorsky, at 12th overall--a little lower than Wheeler had originally ranked him (8th on his prospect list) and two spots below where the Blues did ultimately select Dvorsky. Stenberg and Lindstein don't make the cut at all, though Wheeler does mention they could've been 32nd overall alongside a few other prospects--we'll call it an "honorable mention."
If things had played out the way they did in Wheeler's redraft, the Blues would've wound up with goaltender Jacob Fowler, forward Easton Cowan and defenseman Hunter Brzustewic. Taking a goalie 10th overall is a little goofy, but Fowler looked like a legit starter as he backstopped the Montreal Canadiens to the Eastern Conference Final. Cowan, despite being undersized, plays with a lot of heart, and he would've made a great Blue.
Would this have changed much for the Blues in the near term? Probably not--and even long term, Lindstein and Stenberg could grow into middle-of-the-lineup guys akin to Cowan and Brzustewic. The major decision would be Dvorsky versus Fowler; middle-six playdrivers aren't the most difficult to find, but a true starting goaltender is one of the most difficult positions to lock down in the NHL, which can often be chalked up to "goalies are weird."
It's only been three years, though, and most of these prospects are just barely able to legally drink in America. Plenty of time for a couple to rise in these rankings as they develop.
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