While things aren't going so hot for the St. Louis Blues at the NHL level, there are some young prospects to look forward to. Recently, one of the The Athletic's scouting experts, Corey Pronman, released his ranking of all NHL prospects under the age of 23. The list had a whopping 137 prospects on it, and the Blues were represented by six players.
The first Blue to appear on the list, at number 55, is defenseman Adam Jiricek. Now, don't worry too much about that seemingly low ranking: Pronman divides his list into player tiers, and Jiricek is considered "Bubble top/middle of the lineup." That means Pronman views Jiricek as, at the very least, a top-four defenseman, with room to grow into a larger role on a top pair if Jiricek continues to develop. Those that watched World Juniors a few weeks ago and saw how well Jiricek played for Czechia, this ranking should come as no surprise. For context, players in his general vicinity are Caleb Desnoyers (52) and Tij Iginla (59), just to get an idea of who his peers are.
Not far behind Jiricek at 61 is the Blues' most recent 1st-round draft pick, Justin Carbonneau--still in that same tier of players. While Carbonneau didn't make Team Canada for World Juniors, he's having a solid season with the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada in the QMJHL, with 30 goals and 47 points through 35 games this season.
The next four Blues prospects are in the following tier, which Pronman describes as "middle of the lineup;" think middle-six forwards or a No. 4/5 defenseman. The first up, at 64, is someone Blues fans should be very familiar with by now: none other than Dalibor Dvorsky, who's got seven goals and 10 points through 37 games this season with the Blues. Not far behind, at 68, is another Blues roster staple, Jimmy Snuggerud. Snuggerud's come down a bit from last year's blistering finish, with only seven goals in 35 games, but he's still only a rookie.
All the way down at 110 is one of the Blues' newer additions to the prospect pool, Logan Mailloux, who's undeniably had some struggles this season after being traded from Montreal. Near the end of the list, at 132, is center Adam Jecho, who's played 27 games this season with the Edmonton Oil Kings of the WHL and has posted six goals and 22 points. Not bad for a 3rd-round pick!
The signs may be clear that the Blues should start pursuing a rebuild (or at least an aggressive retool), and the good news is the farm system isn't devoid of promising young players. If this season continues to go down the drain, it presents a great opportunity to add even more future assets.