31 Teams in 31 Days - St. Louis Blues

1. Tyler Tucker - Flint Firebirds
Splitting the year between Barrie and Flint, Tucker had another very solid season, improving his offensive production yet again (to over the point per game mark), while remaining a stabilizing, physical presence in his own end. He continues to get himself in better shape and continues to improve his footwork and overall mobility. Tucker's best offensive weapon is his heavy point shot, but he also shows well moving the puck in transition and gaining the offensive zone. Turnovers can sometimes be an issue in the defensive end if he's not able to evade the forecheck quick enough. His decision making will need to improve in this regard. But once he escapes the blueline, he has the vision and skill to create. Defensively, his best assets are his physicality and his positioning, especially as a shot blocker. He is one of the OHL's most feared hitters in open ice and is aggressive in denying zone entry. As mentioned last year, and further improved this year, I do think that his lateral and backwards footwork have improved when defending in transition. Sometimes, I find that he is too passive though, in these scenarios, as he is leaving too big of a gap to compensate for his mobility and forwards are allowed to dictate as they wish. Additionally, Tucker will have to improve his routes to dump ins and be a little more assertive with his size and stick in tight quarters. For a big kid, he should be winning more of those one on one battles, but sometimes his routes and transitions put him at a disadvantage. He will engage physically, but can fail to seal/pin after contact and players will maintain possession through these hits. To give you an idea, InStat Hockey has him among the lowest at percentage of challenges won and takeaways for NHL drafted defenders in the league. It's not the full story, as I do think Tucker is better than those numbers might suggest. But at the pro level, there are things that will need refinement. Heading into his first pro season, I would expect Tucker to be an everyday player. I think he should be able to be around that 5 goal, 20 point mark that is fairly common for players of his ilk in their initial seasons. He's probably going to need a few years in the AHL, but could eventually develop into a quality, all situations #4-6 defender for the Blues. 

2. Keean Washkurak - Mississauga Steelheads
A high energy center, Washkurak did well operating as the Steelheads second line pivot this year, especially considering that he didn't have a talented goal scoring winger flanking him like Cole Schwindt did (James Hardie). A nice uptick in production due to an increased role is definitely a good thing to see. Washkurak is definitely dangerous when he's pushing the pace and is aggressive in trying to push across the blueline to gain the zone as he is lightning quick. However, his vision and processing ability in these situations are still improving. When he's at full speed, sometimes passes fail to hit their mark or turnovers are an issue as he skates himself into a corner. I think, like last year, his vision and playmaking ability is best on display down low where he always seems to keep his feet moving and does well to identify passing lanes when the game slows down. I think his engagement level, two-way play, and physicality were all more consistent this year. In fact, he was among the league leaders for forwards in takeaways this year (according to InStat Hockey). Because of his speed, he really is effective on the forecheck. This is also something that makes him a great penalty killer. Next year, I expect the Steelheads to be better and Washkurak should be able to push even further across the point per game mark. A 30 goal, 45 assist season is well within reach and would likely be enough to earn him an ELC from the Blues. He definitely has the makeup and profile as an NHL checking line player.