Compiled by Brian Weidler, "Game Time" Prospect Department

"Game Time" PROSPECT SUNDAYS.

This has been a week in the Blues' system where the forward prospects took center stage.

All of this week's upward trenders were forwards, with contributions ranging from Lars Eller's three goals in the week to Jori Lehtera's half-dozen assists.

Receiving honorable mention this week is -- who else -- goaltender Jake Allen, who is no longer just "trending" upward, but seems on a steady climb towards becoming the elite "home-grown" goaltnder Blues' fans have been craving since Curtis Joseph. Allen played only 72 minutes this past week, allowing just a single goal in a 9-1 thumping of Val-d'Or on Friday for an 0.83 GAA. Allen also stopped 16 of 17 shots against in limited playing time for a 94.1% save percentage.

See the Game Time Fab Five for this week, after the jump...

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Compiled by Brian Weidler, "Game Time" Prospect Department

St. Louis Game Time PROSPECT SUNDAYS

No less than eight forward prospects in the Blues' system -- even including tough guy Anthony Peluso -- were point-per-game producers or better in the past week.

Leading the way in points scored this week was veteran Pascal Pelletier in Peoria. The Labrador City, NF native scored twice on the power play and added five assists during four games played this week for a strong seven-point showing. Teammates Lars Eller (3-2-5, plus-4), Nick Drazenovic (2-2-4, plus 1, 1 PP, 1 SH, 1 GW), and Brett Sonne (1-3-4, 5 PM, 1 PPG) also had solid weeks for the Rivermen.

Across the pond, Finnish sensation Jori Lehtera continues to tear up the SM-Liiga, tallying six assists in three games over the last seven days. Lehtera has led the Finnish Elite League in scoring virtually since Day One of the current season, and speculation is that rather than come across at the end of Tappara's season as he did last year, Lehtera will instead be offered a position on Finland's World Championship entry.

Out in the wild, wild West, teammates Tyler Shattock and Ian Schultz of the Calgary Hitmen combined for seven points in three games during the last week. Both of Shattock's goals, and one of Schultz's, were power-play scores, and Schultz also chipped in the game-winning goal -- with an assist from Shattock -- in a 4-1 road win over the Edmonton Oil Kings on Mar. 10.

The Hitmen play their last game of the regular season this afternoon vs. Red Deer, and will open the WHL playoffs on Mar. 18 as the top seed in the WHL's Eastern Conference, against either Moose Jaw or Swift Current.

Finally, a little farther west and a lot farther north, rookie enforcer Anthony Peluso got his name on the scoresheet by using his hands for more than battering rams this week. In three games for the Alaska Aces (ECHL), Peluso tallied a pair of goals (including one on the power play) and an assist for three points. Peluso's power-play score came in the second period of a 5-4 shootout loss at home vs. the Ontario (CA) Reign.

Your Game Time weekly prospect statistics update after the jump...

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Compiled by Brian Weidler, "Game Time" Prospect Department

St. Louis Game Time PROSPECT SUNDAYS

C-minus 7 days and counting...

A week has passed since Notre Dame and 2007 first-round pick Ian Cole ended their 2009-10 season with a disappointing loss at Ohio State, and still there is no official word as to whether or not Cole will opt to leave school early and turn pro.

Peoria GM Kevin McDonald confirmed in the Peoria Journal-Star last week that the Blues have been talking to Cole, and that he is the only prospect that the Blues would be likely to bring to Peoria at this time.

Elsewhere in the system, Swedish blueline prospect Kristofer Berglund recorded a goal and an assist, and a plus-2 mark as well, in three games played last week for Luleå HF of the Elitserien, and 2008 first-round pick Alex Pietrangelo continues to dominate at the major junior level. Pietrangelo picked up a pair of goals this week -- including one on the power play -- and three points while racking up four minutes in penalty time and a plus-3 mark in three games for Barrie of the OHL.

College defenseman Cade Fairchild led the way for Blues' defense prospects this week with three assists in three games, but was a total minus-4 in those games as Minnesota ended their regular season with a 6-1 victory over Wisconsin before splitting the first two games of thr WCHA playoffs with rival North Dakota.

Your Game Time weekly prospect statistics update after the jump...

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It's that time of the year again... when the snow begins to melt, the buds start to appear on the trees, and the various college conferences are starting their own internal playoffs while counting down to the Frozen Four.

Several Blues' prospects are involved in college playoffs this season, at every position and in each of the four major conferences -- the CCHA, ECAC, Hockey East, and WCHA. Four of those prospects, however, have already seen their schools eliminated from playoff competition.

Notre Dame and 2007 first-round pick (18th overall) Ian Cole saw a disappointing 2009-10 season come to an unhappy conclusion last weekend, as the Fighting Irish were swept by Ohio State in 3-1 and 8-2 decisions.

The losses meant that Notre Dame, which was a game over .500 in late January, limped down the stretch with a 2-7-1 record and were outscored 41-21 in their last ten games. Cole, for his part, missed eight games in mid-season due to concussion issues, and finished the season a disappointing minus-16.

The early end to Cole's season has fueled talk of him leaving Notre Dame and turning pro, as reported by Peoria Rivermen beat writer Dave Eminian in the Peoria Journal-Star. With Peoria fighting for their playoff lives, Cole's size and skill on the blueline would be of enormous help to them down the stretch.

In the ECAC, the Clarkson Golden Knights and goalie prospect Paul Karpowich were eliminated by St. Lawrence in a three-game series last weekend, as reported here at Game Time.

After suffering an 11-2 blowout at the hands of Union College (featuring 2009 Orientation Camp attendee Keith Kinkaid in goal) on Feb. 5, Karpowich picked up the Golden Knights and carried them on his back into the ECAC playoffs. Clarkson managed just a 4-5-1 record in their last ten games, but outscored their opponents 28-27 in that span, with Karpowich playing every minute in the net.

In Clarkson's last ten games, Karpowich played 623:46, and allowed 27 goals on 346 shots for a 2.60 GAA and a 92.2% save percentage down the stretch.

After the jump, get caught up with the other two prospects who have seen the 2009-10 season come to an end this weekend, as well as the three who are down to a winner-take-all game this evening.

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Compiled by Brian Weidler, "Game Time" Prospect Department

"Game Time" PROSPECT SUNDAYS.

Your "Game Time" Prospect Department is looking for feedback from the Blues' fanbase on various issues and topics from the world of prospect development.

Last week, we asked you to tell us which current minor pro prospect was most likely to leave a long-term impression on the Blues' organization. Here's how you responded:

This week, we're asking you to cast your vote on which of five current prospects in the Canadian major junior ranks (Ontario, Quebec, and Western Leagues) will have the greatest impact on the Blues in the future. The junior ranks are where over half of the best players in the NHL got their start as world-class players, and we'd like you all to look into the crystal ball this week and tell us which teenager is most likely to be an impact NHLer in 2020... or sooner.

Take a closer look at the candidates for your consideration for this week, after the jump...

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Compiled by Brian Weidler, "Game Time" Prospect Department

"Game Time" PROSPECT SUNDAYS.

With a 2-0-0 record, a 1.50 GAA, and a 95.6% save percentage in the last week, Jake Allen would normally be right at the top of the "Fab Five" list... but Allen has been so good, and so dominant, over the last month or so, that we at the Game Time Prospect Department have opted to forego his now-customary weekly selection to this feature, and give Jake The Snake his own spotlight. Look for that feature later today.

Don't worry, there are still five worthy candidates for selection to the list of prospects "Trending Up" this week, and one honorable mention as well. Tyson Strachan, despite being a few months beyond the "prospect age" cutoff of 25 years, is still a prospect in this organization, and he had a solid week with three assists and four PM in three games. Strachan has seen NHL time with the Blues this year, and should be right in the mix to win a full-time NHL job in next fall's training camp.

See the Game Time Fab Five for this week, after the jump...

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Compiled by Brian Weidler, "Game Time" Prospect Department

St. Louis Game Time PROSPECT SUNDAYS

2007 first-round picks took the spotlight in the Blues' system this week. Up front, 13th-overall pick Lars Eller had a five-point week in Peoria, and on the blueline, 18th-overall selection Ian Cole saw a disappointing 2009-10 season -- and perhaps his NCAA career -- come to an end on Saturday night.

Cole and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish dropped the first two games of a best-of-three CCHA playoff series against Ohio State over the weekend, losing 3-1 on Mar. 5 and being blown out 8-2 on Saturday, both games at the OSU Ice Rink in Columbus. Cole finished the season with a pair of assists in the two playoff games, and put up a 3-16-19 scoring line in 30 games for the season, but injuries cost Cole a quarter of his junior season and poor team play by the Irish contributed to a wretched minus-16 mark for the big defenseman this year.

Speculation has flared again that Cole will opt to forego his senior year at Notre Dame and sign with the Blues this week, with an assignment to Peoria to follow immediately thereafter. The Rivermen are still short on the blueline, and only Jonas Junland, T.J. Fast, and newly-acquired Daryl Boyle are below the "prospect age" cutoff of 25 years.

Junland, for his part, rebounded from an ankle injury suffered in Rockford on Feb. 27 that caused him to miss the 4-0 whitewashing at the hands of the Milwaukee Admirals on the 28th. Junland shook of the injury and played two solid games for Peoria this week, picking up a power-play goal, two assists, four minutes in penalty time, and a solid plus-2 mark in a pair of wins for the Rivermen.

In the junior ranks, Mark Cundari of the powerhouse Windsor Spitfires had a rare week in which he didn't record a single point in two games, but was a plus-7 for the week in victories over Sudbury (6-0 on Feb. 28) and Saginaw (7-1 on Mar. 4). Cundari is already signed to an entry-level contract by the Blues, and could also find himself in Peoria yet this season if the Spits are upset early in the OHL playoffs. The 5-10, 200-pound bulldog on skates should be a regular for Peoria in 2010-11.

In the nets, after the departure of Hannu Toivonen from Peoria, Ben Bishop has played all three games for the Rivermen this past week, winning two of them and posting a 2.67 GAA and 90.9% save percentage in the last seven days.

Newly-acquired Joe Fallon, the all-time goaltending leader at the University of Vermont with 136 games played, a 63-51-17 record, and a 2.05 career GAA and 91.6% career save percentage for the Catamounts, has yet to see action for Peoria since the trade deadline deal that brought him over from the Blackhawks' organization.

Jake Allen continues to dominate in the Quebec League, with two wins, a 1.50 GAA and 95.6% save percentage for the week. More details to follow on Allen's stunning rise to the elite level of QMJHL goaltenders with les Voltigeurs de Drummondville later today.

In college, Paul Karpowich and the Clarkson Golden Knights split a pair of games with St. Lawrence over the weekend in the first round of the ECAC playoffs. After a 44-save effort on Friday night in a 3-2 OT loss to the Saints, Karpowich rebounded by turning aside 28 of 31 shots on Saturday to lead the Golden Knights to a 4-3 victory. The rubber game of the first-round series will be played tonight at 7:00 Eastern at the Appleton Arena on the campus of SLU in Canton, NY.

Your Game Time weekly prospect statistics update after the jump...

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Compiled by Brian Weidler, "Game Time" Prospect Department

St. Louis Game Time PROSPECT SUNDAYS

2007 first-round pick (12th overall) Lars Eller leads the pack among Blues' forward prospects for the first week of March 2010.

In three games this week, Peoria posted a 2-1-0 mark and scored seven goals as a team. Eller had two of them, against Grand Rapids on Mar. 4 and against Lake Erie on Mar. 6. The Rodovre, Denmark native also added three assists to rack up a total of five points for the week.

Out in the wild, wild West, teammates Tyler Shattock and Ian Schultz of the Calgary Hitmen combined for eight points in three games during which the Hitmen outscored their opponents 13-0. Schultz notched a pair, including a power-play tally in a 5-0 whitewashing of Prince Albert on Mar. 2, and Shattock also scored with the man advantage in the same game. Last night, Shattock chipped in three helpers (two on power-play goals) to help lead Calgary to a 6-0 win over Kootenay.

Calgary has four games left in the regular season, and the chances are good that both 20-year-olds, will find their way to Peoria this season if the Hitmen make an early exit from the WHL playoffs. Schultz and Shattock both should be locks for the Rivermen roster in 2010-11.

Across the pond, Simon Hjalmarsson was a point-per-game player for the week, with two goals and an assist in three games for Rögle BK of the Swedish Elite League. One of Hjalmarsson's tallies was a power-play goal on Mar. 6 against Frölunda HC in a 7-3 win for Rögle BK. Hjalmarsson, at age 21, is eligible to play in the AHL next season, but has one season remaining on his Swedish contract.

Newly-acquired young power forward Pierre-Cedric Labrie hasn't scored often this season -- just five goals total so far -- but when he does score, his goals have been big... especially here in the last two weeks. On Feb. 25 at Houston, Labrie tallied the game-winning goal at 16:37 of the third period in a 3-2 win by Manitoba over the Aeros, and on Mar. 2, Labrie's goal at 11:23 of the second period was the game-winner as the Moose took a 3-1 decision from the Worcester Sharks in Winnipeg.

Your Game Time weekly prospect statistics update after the jump...

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