Editor’s note: This is the second of 10 installments analyzing questions facing the Blues entering the 2024-25 season.
9. Can any of the prospects impress enough to make the NHL roster?
If there is one thing that Blues general manager Doug Armstrong made clear this summer, it’s that he expects a competitive training camp.
There are a dozen and a half forwards vying for NHL jobs. There are double-digit defensemen who think they should begin the season in ºüÀêÊÓƵ. There will be battles for jobs and placements and playing time and paychecks when Blues camp opens later this month.
But the players with the most to gain from camp?
Well, that would be the young prospects who could earn a spot out of training camp for the first time in their careers. That includes Dalibor Dvorsky, Zack Bolduc and Zach Dean.
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“I think training camp is going to be a great opportunity for these young guys,†Armstrong said in August. “I look at a guy like Bolduc. He played really well for us last year, and he wants to push for a top-six role on our team. I think he can do it. The veterans that have been here for a while usually come into training camp just to get their rhythm. I’m not sure that’s the best course of action for them this year because the competition is going to be really strong.â€
It won’t be an easy path for those three former first-round forwards, not with veteran depth in the Blues bottom six and not with all the bodies in front of them. But they should be given a chance and could look to become the latest young player (like Jake Neighbours has done multiple times before) to crack the opening night roster.
Each of them will have a chance to make a first impression next week when the Blues host the Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase at Centene Community Ice Center in Maryland Heights. It’s a three-day event including Blackhawks and Wild prospects, with Blues games on Sept. 13 (7 p.m. vs. Chicago) and Sept. 15 (3 p.m. vs. Minnesota).
Dvorsky will play in a prospect tournament for the first time, while Bolduc and Dean will be in the minority having already played a full season professionally. Combined, Bolduc and Dean even played 34 games in the NHL and are the only prospects on the Blues showcase roster with NHL experience.
After that, it’ll be about preseason practices and exhibition games as they fight for roles.
For Dvorsky, 19, he knows what kind of expectations there are for him. He’s the jewel of the Blues retool, a No. 10 pick in 2023 who opened eyes with a prolific season with Sudbury of the Ontario Hockey League last season. After coming over from Europe last season, he now has a chance this season to battle for a roster spot. It was something he conceded during development camp in July.
“It sounds great, and it’s all up to me,†Dvorsky said. “I’ll do my absolute best every time I’m on the ice to prove (to) the coaches that I belong on the team. Sounds great, but it’s all up to me and I’ll do my best every time I’m on the ice.â€
In the long run, Dvorsky profiles as the No. 2 center behind Robert Thomas and could potentially play there at some point this season.
Bolduc, 21, came on late in the season for the Blues and had five points in the team’s final five games after they fell further from the playoff race. He logged top-six minutes. He played on the power play, and he received praise from the coaching staff for his play away from the puck, too.
To win a spot in training camp, Bolduc will likely have to push a forward like Brandon Saad or Brayden Schenn to the third line.
Dean, 21, played limited minutes during his nine games in the NHL and will have to show more physicality and bite in order to earn a spot this fall.