Charlie Elick, RD/Brandon Wheat Kings
Charlie Elick is the first player on this list with better-than-average size, at 6’3, 198 lbs, but he also doesn’t produce points in the same way as Aron Kiviharju (when healthy) or Cole Hutson. But players who fare well in their own zone don’t need to be major scorers. They can also be game-changers and even show two-way potential, as Adam Kierszenblat of The Hockey News reminds us.
So you don’t need to worry about Elick producing just 27 points and four goals in 65 regular season games for the Brandon Wheat Kings, though it was a substantial increase from the 11 he contributed in 56 contests during the 2022-23 season.
That plus-16 improvement in points productivity shows off Elick’s overall potential, and it will be fun to see whether he keeps that trend going in 2024-25, regardless of which system he finds himself in. This is a player whose work ethic will at least construct a sound foundation in the offensive zone, and it’s also important to remember that he can always set up a play as well, and that won’t always reflect on the stat sheet.
Elick is, overall, a prospect Blues fans would be very glad to see in their system should Armstrong take the high-potential blueliner in the middle of the first round.