The St. Louis Blues aren’t off to a great start in the preseason. They dropped their first game against the Dallas Stars 2-1 in what was a low-event affair and followed it up with a 5-3 loss to the Utah Hockey Club.
The Blues split up their rosters in both games, featuring a good mix of NHL players and prospects. Below are three prospects in the organization that fans should keep an eye on during the preseason.
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St. Louis’ top prospects Dalibor Dvorsky and Zachary Bolduc are not included on this list. Our three players on the list focus more on the “under the radar” type of prospects in the organization who could push for an NHL spot in one to two years, or even be callup options for the team this season.
Dvorsky and Bolduc already are on every Blues fan’s radar. The two are in fierce competition to make the opening night roster, and both already have gotten the opportunity to play alongside NHL-caliber players in their preseason games.
Here are the three “under the radar” prospects Blues fans should key in on:
Zach Dean
Zach Dean is a player I’ve watched since his U16 season in the GTHL (Greater Toronto Hockey League) with the Toronto Nationals AAA team. He clearly was his team’s best player and one of the top prospects coming out of the GTHL.
St. Louis made a rather unusual trade when they acquired Dean from the Vegas Golden Knights. Instead of trading Ivan Barbashev for multiple draft picks, the team dealt him for the 2021 30th overall pick.
After three seasons in the QMJHL with the Gatineau Olympiques, Dean graduated to the professional level last season, scoring nine goals and 14 points in 49 games with the Springfield Thunderbirds in the AHL, and received a nine-game stint with the Blues.
Dean didn’t have a standout rookie season in the AHL, but he was a standout at the recent Tom Kurvers Prospects Showcase tournament and is putting his name on the map as a player who may challenge some of the veterans for a spot in the opening night lineup.
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Dean isn’t a big forward, listed at six feet and 179 pounds. But he’s sneaky strong on his stick and great at stealing pucks in board battles. He’s an agile and quick skater who pressures defenders into making errors with the puck. Watch him be a regular top-six contributor in Springfield this season.
Samuel Johannesson
Samuel Johannesson was picked 176th overall in the 6th round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft by the Columbus Blue Jackets. He’s an older prospect who turns 24 on Dec. 27.
The 5-foot-11 right-shot defenseman played alongside Pierre-Olivier Joseph in St. Louis’ preseason opener against Dallas and did not look out of place in his first bit of NHL action.
Johannesson has plenty of experience playing at the professional level. He’s played 239 games in the SHL in Sweden and won the Champions Hockey League with Rogle BK in 2021-22. He recorded 59 points in 95 games in his last two seasons and will play in North America for the first time in his career in the AHL with Springfield this season.
What we saw from the Swedish defenseman is that he’s a smooth, calm, efficient puck-moving defenseman. He doesn’t panic under pressure up along the offensive blueline or when handling the puck in his own zone. His passes were delivered with crisp accuracy. He’ll have the opportunity to run the powerplay in Springfield and be a go-to offensive defenseman for the team.
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Simon Robertsson
Simon Robertsson played on a line with Aleksanteri Kaskimaki and Tanner Dickinson the other night against Utah and got on the scoresheet when he deposited the puck into the net off a pretty backhand feed by Juraj Pekarcik.
Robertsson has been an interesting prospect to follow since he was selected 71st overall in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. He was rated as a late first-rounder/early second-rounder but slipped to St. Louis in the third round.
He struggled to gain footing in the SHL and vault himself up the lineup in the Skelleftea organization. However, he did win the SHL Championship with them last season, recording two points in 15 playoff games.
Robertsson is the type of prospect who isn’t flashy but has a lot of NHL-like qualities. He’s a powerful skater and strong on his skates and he has a snappy quick release and a goal-scorer shot.
The Swedish winger signed his entry-level contract back in May and is expected to report to Springfield and get accumulated with the North American play style.
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