MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. — Last year for Will Cranley, going into Minnesota at the Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase, it was a case of overcoming some mental adversity.
Or was it?
After all the St. Louis Blues goalie, a sixth-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, wasn’t just facing shots from anyone. It was the prize of the 2023 NHL Draft: Connor Bedard.
Bedard scored three goals and had an assist in his Chicago Blackhawks debut, but 364 days later at the USA Rink inside Centene Community Ice Center, the 22-year-old Cranley put on his best version of a Velcro.
Cranley stopped 26 shots, and the Blues completed an unbeaten run in the showcase by running away from the Minnesota Wild, 6-2, on Sunday afternoon.
The Blues, who downed the Blackhawks 4-3 in overtime on Friday before the Blackhawks topped the Wild 4-2 on Saturday, finished 2-0-0 in tourney play and had some outstanding performances along the way.
Some of the solid performances included:
* Will Cranley — The goalie turned last year’s prospect game — and Bedard — into a distant memory with a solid performance on Sunday.
“Compared to the last year when I came in, it’s a little different and it’s a little nicer,” Cranley said. “I’m hoping just to build on the momentum going into exhibition games here.
“It’s a pretty good player. He made some good shots, but I wasn’t very sharp either.”
Cranley was much sharper on Sunday. His rebound control was nearly impeccable, angles were tight, puck control was steady and after the Blues opened the game with a flurry of activity at one end against Minnesota goalie Riley Mercer, when the ice was tilted, Cranley was called into action.
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He had 11 saves in the first period and never really was fighting the puck.
“He’s been good for a few days, whether it’s practice or whatever,” Springfield coach and Blues prospect coach Steve Konowalchuk said. “He looks like he can play. It’s a short sample size, but he was certainly steady out there and made the saves he needed to. Good game for him.”
Cranley, who was a combined 9-15-4 with Utah and Reading of the ECHL last season, hopes to make it a real goalie competition with the Thunderbirds, who have Vadim Zherenko and Colten Ellis, this season.
“I’ve worked a with Dan [Stewart] this summer, the Springfield goalie coach,” Cranley said. “Everything from top to bottom just sharpening up my game and tonight I think that was a good aspect to my…