It's nearly hockey season--not just for the NHL, but for leagues the world over. While the St. Louis Blues are gearing up for another run to the playoffs after last year's surprise appearance, plenty of prospects are gearing up for their season in juniors, the AHL, or the Euro leagues. Today, we're going to look at three prospects important to the Blues' future who are likely to spend a lot of the year with the Blues' AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds. They may not get a ton of NHL playing time, but their development in the AHL could be critical to sustaining a successful Blues team for years to come.
Dalibor Dvorsky
While many of us hope Dvorsky makes the Blues roster out of camp this month, adding Pius Suter and Nick Bjugstad in free agency doesn't make it necessary; there are no pressing roster deficiencies that mandate Dvorsky make the Blues. If he's ready, then he'll be on the roster; if he'd benefit from more seasoning in the AHL, then back to the Thunderbirds he'll go. He had a good rookie season with the Thunderbirds last year, posting 21 goals and 45 points in 61 games--improving on that would only be good for the Blues.
Otto Stenberg
While Stenberg's rookie AHL season was less flashy than Dvorsky's, as Stenberg posted only five goals and 17 points in 38 games, he's still a first-round pick of the Blues. Ideally, Stenberg can find some more offense in the AHL before transitioning to the NHL--can he make it happen this year?
Zach Dean
This one's a bit under the radar, but Dean is also a first-round pick--though it was the Vegas Golden Knights who selected him. Dean joined the Blues organization as part of the trade that sent Ivan Barbashev to Vegas and, though he's a bit older than Stenberg and Dvorsky, could still be a useful player for the Blues. One goal and four points in 11 games isn't too flashy, but there's always a chance Dean finds a way to make enough of an impact to become an NHL player.