By Brian Weidler, "Game Time" Prospect Department
SUMMER 2012 "GAME TIME" BLUES' PROSPECT RANKING CONTINUES:
The results are in for the "Fab Five," and the "St. Louis Game Time" Summer 2012 listing of the Blues' Top 20 prospects is now one-quarter complete.
There are no real surprises in the Top Five. Vladimir Tarasenko, Jaden Schwartz, and Ty Rattie are the consensus 1-3 prospects in the Blues' system on pretty much everyone's list, while Ian Cole and Jake Allen have had a spirited battle over the last week for the fourth and fifth seeds on the list.
The easy part is done; now the rankings become a little more subjective. Is Phil McRae a better prospect than, say, Sam Kurker, solely because McRae is further along in his development than Kurker? Is first-round pick Jordan Schmaltz a better defense prospect than the bigger and more experienced Jani Hakanpää, a fifth-round pick?
Chime in on the latest "Game Time" Prospect Poll, and in the Comments after the jump, where you'll also see the latest (and incomplete) listing of the Blues' Top 20 Prospects, as selected by the "Game Time" readership.
ST. LOUIS BLUES' TOP 20 PROSPECTS (1 THRU 5):
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1. | Vladimir TARASENKO | |||||||||
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| RW, shoots L. 5' 11, 210 lbs. Born 12-31-91, Novosibirsk, RUS. | STL 2nd pick (16th overall) in 2010 Entry Draft. |  |
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| 2011-12 | Sibir/SKA (KHL) | 54 GP, 23-24-47, plus-18, 15 PM, 7 PPG, 0 SHG, 6 GWG. 0.870 Pts/Gm. | |||||||||
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2. | Jaden SCHWARTZ | |||||||||
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| LW, shoots L. 5' 10, 180 lbs. Born 06-25-92, Melfort, SK. | STL 1st pick (14th overall) in 2010 Entry Draft. |  |
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| 2011-12 | Colorado College (WCHA) | 30 GP, 15-26-41, plus-6, 18 PM, 5 PPG, 0 SHG, 4 GWG. 1.367 Pts/Gm. | |||||||||
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3. | Ty RATTIE | |||||||||
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| RW, shoots R. 5' 11, 170 lbs. Born 02-05-93, Airdrie, AB. | STL 1st pick (32nd overall) in 2011 Entry Draft. | |
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| 2011-12 | Portland (WHL) | 69 GP, 57-64-121, plus-23, 54 PM, 26 PPG, 4 SHG, 9 GWG. 1.754 Pts/Gm. | |||||||||
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4. | Ian COLE | |||||||||
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| D, shoots L. 6' 01, 225 lbs. Born 02-21-89, Ann Arbor, MI. | STL 2nd pick (18th overall) in 2007 Entry Draft. |  |
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| 2011-12 | St. Louis (NHL) | 26 GP, 1-5-6, plus-7, 22 PM, 0 PPG, 0 SHG, 0 GWG. 0.231 Pts/Gm. | |||||||||
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5. | Jake ALLEN | |||||||||
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| G, catches L. 6' 02, 195 lbs. Born 08-07-90, Fredericton, NB. | STL 3rd pick (34nd overall) in 2008 Entry Draft. | |
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| 2011-12 | Peoria (AHL) | 37 GP, 2088 Mins, 99 GA, 1203 SA, 2.84 GAA, 13-19-2, 1 SO, 0.918 Sv %. | |||||||||