Notes From Prospect Camp, Day One

Welcome to the first day of news from the inside on Blues’ Development Camp.

I’ve got tons of video to edit, and some interviews to transcribe, all of which will be done over the next few days... right now, I’m getting ready to go have a few beers with my uncles and cousin at Fast Eddie’s in Alton...

Just a few quick observations from today’s action:

• Klim Kostin doesn't speak any English at all, apparently... but his skills on the ice are speaking pretty loudly for him already.
• Alexei Toropchenko does speak a little English, but not great.
• Tage Thompson is bigger in person than he looks on the ice. Same with Niko Mikkola...
• Speaking of Mikkola, for a guy who does not score a lot of points, he’s pretty darn good at carrying the puck into the offensive zone and setting up the play, and he was going to the front of the net in the 4-on-3 drills.
• In another of the drills, 2016 pick Nolan Stevens got a clean break-in from center after a turnover, and went in alone on Luke Opilka, who robbed him with a pad stack.
• The new kid from Pittsburgh, Oskar Sundqvist, is not present at this cap, but according to Mike Yeo, he’s a legitimate prospect and could compete for a bottom six role with the big club this year.

Here’s a quick taste of the videos I got... a still of an interview with 2016 first-rounder Tage Thompson. Much more of this kind of stuff to come...

Brian Weidler / St. Louis Game Time