When the Blues make their selection at No. 10 on Wednesday night in Nashville, general manager Doug Armstrong and his scouting staff will be looking to land a caliber of player previously unreachable by St. Louis in the last 15 years.
It will be the team’s highest pick since 2008. It will be Armstrong’s first time selecting in the top 10 of the draft, and in one of the deepest drafts in recent memory. The Blues have been successful while picking late in the first round, and have built much of their extended period of winning on hitting on players drafted in the 20s.
But this one is different.
The Blues are not hoping for their first-round pick to turn into a regular NHL player. They are hoping for their first-round pick to turn into a star.
Who might that be?
They Blues would be fortunate if Matvei Michkov (because of his Russian contract and lack of contact with teams) or Zach Benson (size concerns) fell to them at No. 10. In a deep draft for forwards, the Blues could have the top defenseman (David Reinbacher) reach them. If not, they could have their pick of the next group that includes Dmitri Simashev, Axel Sandin-Pellikka and Tom Willander.
Some of those scenarios are optimistic. Here are more realistic ones if the first nine picks go a little closer to plan.
Oliver Moore: Moore is perhaps the best skater in the draft, a center whose acceleration and edges help him generate offense. He had 75 points in 61 games last season with the United States National Team Development Program and will be attending the University of Minnesota next season, where he’ll play alongside current Blues prospect Jimmy Snuggerud.
Moore is originally from a suburb of Minneapolis, and could be the key to forming a speedy one-two punch down the middle with Robert Thomas.
Gabriel Perreault: Perreault is coming off a season in which he broke Auston Matthews’ scoring record with the USNTDP by putting up 132 points on 53 goals and 79 assists. It’s not an apples to apples comparison because Perreault was still a year older than Matthews was at the time of his record, but the point remains that Perreault led the USNTDP in points, outscoring other top draft prospects like Will Smith, Ryan Leonard and Moore.
Perreault is a winger, and would not fix the Blues’ depth issues at center and defenseman in their prospect pipeline, but would add another element of scoring punch with high hockey IQ. He will go to Boston College next season.
Ryan Leonard: Leonard might be more wishful thinking than anything for the Blues at 10, as many projections have him being gone by that point. He formed a potent line with the USNTDP with Smith and Perreault and projects as a center with an above-average shot to go with his hands. Many scouting publications have Leonard gone in the No. 6-8 range, but a name to keep an eye on just in case.
Dalibor Dvorsky: Like Leonard, Dvorsky could be gone by the time the Blues make their selection. Dvorsky is a big center at 6-1 and 201 pounds that is originally from Slovakia but has played the last five seasons in Sweden. Next year, he will make the jump to the SHL with IK Oskarshamn. He makes a living in the interior and pairs that with playmaking ability.
Dvorsky would fill a need at center, and would do so with some size.
Colby Barlow: Out of Owen Sound in the Ontario Hockey League, Barlow has a little bit of everything in his 6-1, 187-pound package. His shot garners a lot of attention, and for good reason after scoring 46 goals in 59 games during his draft year. Barlow’s curl-and-drag release can be deceptive, and he was the youngest captain in Owen Sound history when he wore the “C” last season.
Barlow would be the fifth straight winger the Blues have picked in the first round.
Nate Danielson: Danielson is an exciting center with two-way potential who created offense off the rush for Brandon in the Western Hockey League. Like Barlow, Danielson is the captain of his junior team, and posted 78 points in 68 games.
Quentin Musty: Musty has the pedigree of a top prospect after he was selected first in the OHL draft in 2021, and he is one of the youngest players in this draft that doesn’t turn 18 until July 6. A left winger, Musty has the 6-2 size that could play in the NHL, and possesses a power forward skillset that helped him to 78 points in 53 games with Sudbury last season.