St. Louis Blues 2011 NHL Entry Draft Selections
Even without a first round pick the St. Louis Blues still made out with a pretty decent stock of draft picks in the 2011 Entry Draft. The Blues made 8 selections and also used a pick as a trade chip to bring in a struggling Russian forward who could play in Peoria this season. Starting in the 2nd round let’s take a quick look at the Blues 8 selections.
Ty Rattie: The Blues first pick in the second round is the 18 year old out of Portland of the Western Hockey League. Rattie was the 17th ranked skater in North America and helped lead the Winterhawks to a solid season.
The Winterhawks finished atop the Western Confernce for the first time since 2001 thanks in part to Rattie. His 12 powerplay goals ranked second on the team while his 79 points were fourth best. Portland made a valiant run in the playoffs and Rattie’s contributions did not fall on the wayside.
In 22 playoff games, Rattie racked up 9 goals and 13 assists, good for a point a game average. Alas, the Winterhawks fell short of a championship but not for lack of trying on Rattie’s part.
Dmitrij Jaskin: The second pick of the second round was used on the big Russian-born Jaskin. Jaskin holds dual citizenship being as he moved to the Czech Republic when he was 8 months old and represents the Czechs in international play.
Jaskin spent 33 games with Slavia Praha of the Czech League totaling 3 goals and 9 assists. Jaskin also played for the U-18 Czech team this past year and had a team high 4 goals in 6 games played.
The big winger was ranked 5th among skaters in Europe and many scouts believe his game is ready to transition to North America. The Blues see this as well and are very keen on him moving to the Calagry Hitman of the WHL, a team which has produced Blues prospects such as Brett Sonne.
Joel Edmundson: Edmundson is a hulking defensemen who manned the blue line in Moose Jaw in the WHL. Edmundson will never be confused for a high scoring defensemen but will be the gritty, back alley brawler every team needs.
Edmundson played in 71 games for Moose Jaw and managed to score 2 goals and have 18 assists, but it was a +3 rating that shows his real value. Being defensiviely responsible at a young age like 17 is paramount to a young defesemens development.
Edmundson does have a heavy shot as eveident by the fact that he won the Hardest Shot Competition on the team. Edmundson was ranked 33rd among North American skaters and he was the last of the three second round selections by the Blues.
Jordan Binnington: After trading their first thrid round pick for the Russian prospect, the Blues turned their attention to restocking their goalie cupboard. Binnington, the 3rd ranked goalie in North America, was regarded as a sleeper due to his regular season numbers.
With Owen Sound, Binnington posted a 27-12-1-4 record with an average 3.05 goals against average and a .899 save percentage. In the Memorial Cup playoffs he was Owen Sounds third goaltender used but saved the best for last.
In the final two elimination games Binnington stopped 41 shots, including 14 in the third, game six and then turned aside 25 shots in a 3-2 overtime game seven win. The Attack would finish fourth in the Memorial Cup Tournamnet Standings but Binningtons play in those two games must have cught the attention of the Blues.
Yannik Veilleux: Veilluex is an 18 year old left winger out of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. In 48 games with Shawinigaw, Veilluex netted 19 goals and 29 assists. Veilluex was the 130th ranked skater in North America.
Veilluex will benefit of another few seasons major junior, along with most of these prospects drafted and will use that time to grow and build up his skills with little pressure.
Niklas Lundstrom: In the 5th round, the Blues went back to the goalie well and drafted a towering specimen in Lundstrom. Lundstrom spent his year in the Swedish Junior League with Aik Jr, spending time with the U-18, U-20 and the Elitserian teams.
Lundstrom played in 22 games with the U-20 team, recording a shut out and posting a 3.05 goals against and an.890 save percentage. Lundstrom also spent some time with the U-18 Unga Kromur team that won the silver medal. Lundstrom backstopped the team allowing only 13 goals on 146 shot attempts.
Ryan Tesink: This 18 year old center was the Blues 6th round pick, also out of the QMJHL. Tesink played for St. Johns and was one of the driving forces behind the team’s Memorial Cup win.
Tesink led all St. John’s rookies in scoring with 35 points (8 goals and 27 assists) in 59 games played. His play helped St. John’s to a team tying best 58 wins and an undefeated record at home in regulation.
Tesink helped end the longest game on President’s Cup Finals history, tallying the winning goal late in the 2nd overtime. While limitied in playing time due to the immense talent on St. John, Tesink proved himself in short stints and is thought by teammates as one of the most underrated players in the draft.
Teemu Eronen: The last pick by St. Louis was used on an unranked player from their former scouting directors team. Eronen played for Jokerit in the Finnish Elite League and put up decent numbers. In 48 games for Jokerit, Eronen posted 2 goals and 11 assists.
Eronen played for Finland in the 2010 U-20 WJC and showed promise with a power play goal and 2 assists in 6 games. Eronen is contracted to play in the Elite League for another season but may come to North America at the conclusion of their season.
Most of these players may never see time with the Blues but in their first draft after Jarmo they could have done a lot worse. Time will tell if any of these players make an impact but the feeling is good around the team and from scouts who know these players.
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