MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. — The St. Louis Blues’ 4-3 overtime win against the Chicago Blackhawks in the opening game of the Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase at Centene Community Ice Center was filled with a number of highs but also some alarming trends that comes with prospects playing.
For the Blues, who only led in the game when Simon Robertsson scored off his own rebound at 2:19 of the 3-on-3 period, there were a number of good outings by players looking to catch the eyes of the management team watching atop of the walkway above the bleachers in one corner of the building.
Let’s take a look at some that did:
* Zach Dean — The 30th pick inthe 2021 NHL Draft may have been the best Blues player in the game.
Dean, who was flanked on a line surrounded by Aleksanteri Kaskimaki (third round, 2022) and Zack Bolduc (17th pick, 2021), was immersed in the game from the drop of the puck.
Dean, who assisted on goals by Lukas Fischer and Matthew Mayich, showed an extremely high compete level.
“You look at the one goal, we’ve got Dean and Bolduc in front of the net,” Springfield coach and Blues prospect coach Steve Konowalchuk said. “Things like that, they competed, played both ends. I thought as the game went on, [Dean] got more into it physically, as I think our whole team did. A lot of nerves early for our team and typical exhibition, especially the first period. I thought he got more physically engaged and that goal, it was Bolduc at the hash marks in front of the net and we’ve got Dean busting real hard from the corner. I don’t think they got credit on the scoresheet, but that’s a big part of the goal.”
Dean won a loose puck behind the net to set up Fischer’s goal at 4:16 of the second to tie the game 2-2, then dug puck off the wall in the o-zone corner, getting it loose to Kaskimaki, who found Mayich at the left point for the tying goal at 3-3 at 16:04 of the second.
“Obviously the first one, everyone’s trying to make an impression on both sides,” Dean said. “Everyone’s going, so we were just trying to compete. It’s always fun getting the first one out there.
“You just try and play your game and I think being up here last year (for nine games) and getting some tips from the coaches and stuff like that, the little details like that are really important at the next level. Obviously this summer and now coming into camp, that was something that I was thinking about coming into the games.”
Now if Dean would have just found the back of the net off one of three posts he hit and one puck off his skate that just slid wide …
“Yeah I don’t know. It was crazy,” Dean said. “I think the worst one was the last one. It was a wide open net (in overtime), but it’s good. It’s fun to get the first one out of the way.”
* Kaskimaki-Dean-Bolduc line — The Kaskimaki-Dean-Bolduc line was effective most of the game generating scoring chances, through 5-on-5 play or on the power play, and they gained plenty of extra ice time when Tomas Mrsic (fourth round, 2024) left the game early in the second period with an undisclosed injury.
“Well for sure. You can see they’re talented players, the speed,” Konowalchuk said. “They certainly could add some more goals, quite a bit of 4-on-4, specialty teams and they were able to generate some chances, but certainly that line, there’s some good skill and speed and slipperiness out there.”
* Michael Buchinger — Buchinger, who opened the scoring for the Blues with a nifty move pulling a puck into the high slot before beating Drew Commesso at 15:28 of the first period, played on his offside as a lefty paired with Quinton Burns (third round, 2023).
“He can skate, he can move the puck well, good compete,” Konowalchuk said. “He’s another good, solid player and a good prospect.”
Buchinger (third round, 2022), who spent the past three seasons with Guelph of the Ontario Hockey League, turns pro this season and is ready to make the jump.
“Yeah, I think I’ve put in a lot of work and I’m confident in myself that I’m able to make the jump to pro now,” Buchinger said. “I’ve dreamt about it my whole life now, so the fact that it’s here now is very exciting and I think I’m ready.”
* Dylan Peterson — Peterson (third round, 2020), who assisted on Buchinger’s goal was named one of the leaders for the tournament wearing an ‘A.’ He certainly displayed his leadership by example on the ice with honing in on some of the smaller details and some terrific speed with the puck.
The 6-foot-4, 192-pound forward found himself managing pucks quite well and when without it, positioned himself to get it whether through being in right places at the right times or defending the ice well.
“He shielded the puck, he went to the net well,” Konowalchuk said. “That goal, that 3-on-2, he made a nice play, drove the net hard, hard on the 3-on-2 goal. That was a big part of it. He certainly has a big body that can skate and there’s definitely a good prospect there that can be a winger that can go up and down, that can crash and bang, go to the net, dig the puck out for some skill guys, penalty kill. There’s definitely some potential there with him as well.”
* Simon Robertsson — Robertsson (third round, 2021) had a relatively quiet, solid game, if that makes sense; not in the sense that it was bad, but he did what was needed of him each shift without the flare playing alongside Dalibor Dvorsky and Juraj Pekarcik.
But the 6-0, 181-pound forward’s OT winner was a thing of beauty, following up his own shot crashing the net with a second effort that catches everyone’s eye.
“That’s a great effort,” Konowalchuk said. “Takes a shot and goes diving. That’s something you want to keep talking about all the time is that desperation work ethic and I thought our team as the game went on got more and more desperate and more and more compete and kept sticking with it and kept pushing. That was a real good goal for him and shoes a lot of character in our group.”
As for some players that got mixed results:
* Dalibor Dvorsky — The 10th pick in the 2023 NHL Draft comes with plenty of flare. The shot is definitely there, and the 6-1, 201-pound center is definitely not shy about flexing the stick with the puck on it.
Dvorsky centered a line with Pekarcik (third round, 2023) and Robertsson and had his moments with the puck on his stick, stick-handling it through a phone booth to create opportunities and winning face-offs with regularity. But he also had some turnovers in spots on the ice that will get taken advantage of against NHL players that wasn’t punished in this game.
“He was fine. I think some nerves,” Konowalchuk said. “I think some nerves early on. I certainly didn’t dislike him. I don’t know that he was at the level, nor should he be necessarily the first game as maybe a Bolduc or Dean, who’ve played in the NHL already. Dvorsky I think is putting a lot of pressure on himself to want to come out here and it’s all a little bit of a learning process. But I certainly wasn’t disappointed in his game.”
* Quinton Burns, Lukas Fischer, Matthew Mayich — Three defensemen that got extensive ice time had their moments with the puck in the d-zone. Fischer (second round, 2024) and Mayich (sixth round, 2023) scored goals, which was good for the Blues, but there were moments in the d-zone that left a little to be desired in regards to moving pucks quicker at this level.
And Burns had a careless minor in the game’s opening minute that led to a Blackhawks power play goal.
* Vadim Zherenko — Zherenko (seventh round, 2019) got better as the game went along and made some key saves, including a breakaway stop on Frank Nazar with just over two minutes remaining in a 3-3 game, but the netminder was slow to cover post to post on the opening Chicago goal getting beat short side, and exposing his angle on the Blackhawks’ second goal by AJ Spellacy at 16:57 of the opening period.
Zherenko made 26 saves in the game and was certainly better in the latter stages of the game.
* Juraj Pekarcik — Pekarcik wasn’t much of a factor in the game; in fact, the 2023 third-round pick struggled to get any footing in it.
The 6-0, 194-pound forward was knocked off pucks easily, couldn’t possess it often enough and was exposed for lack of coverage on Chicago’s shorthanded goal by Landon Slaggert at 7:50 of the second period.
