5. St. Louis Blues
Strengths: There are two major strengths for the Blues: elite talent at the forward position and a pair of high quality netminders. The duo of Tarasenko and Schwartz up front is among the best one-two punches on any club's prospect list. Both players had very impressive seasons and boast skill levels at the upper echelon of their peer group. Between the pipes both Jake Allen and Ben Bishop look to be NHL caliber netminders who are just starting to emerge. Both goalies were solid in the AHL this season and are helping to push each other in their development. Not to be overlooked is the depth of the Blues prospect pool either, as there are legitimate NHL prospects from top to bottom. Weaknesses: It may be somewhat unfair to point to the lack of elite blue line talent as a weakness considering this is a team that graduated both Alex Pietrangelo and Kevin Shattenkirk this year, but on the current prospect list it's the lone area that is lacking. Ian Cole, Jonas Junland, Brett Ponich and the like are solid prospects, but aren't top level talent. Top 5 Prospects: 1. Vladimir Tarasenko, RW, 2. Jaden Schwartz, C, 3. Jake Allen, G, 4. Ian Cole, D, 5. Philip McRae, C. Lost To Graduation: Alex Pietrangelo, Kevin Shattenkirk.
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