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…