CHL Prospect Pipeline – St. Louis Blues
Introducing the CHL Prospect Pipeline presented by Kubota, the premiere feature highlighting current CHL talent that has been drafted or signed by each of the National Hockey League’s 32 teams.
St. Louis Blues
Nikita Alexandrov
Originally chosen in the opening round of the 2017 CHL Import Draft, the Russian talent spent three seasons with the Charlottetown Islanders from 2017-20 in which he collected 146 points over 172 career contests. Posting a career-best 61 points in 2018-19, the 2000-born forward then followed up that performance the next year that saw him come up with 23 goals and 31 assists for a team-leading 54 points in 42 outings. Playing the past season on loan where he saw 28 appearances with KooKoo of the top professional Finnish league, the budding two-way centre posted three goals and six assists before later seeing a seven-game trial with the AHL’s Utica Comets in which he secured five points. Alexandrov has also seen success on the international stage, putting up eight points in seven games at the 2020 World Juniors to help Russia to a silver-medal finish. A second-round selection from the 2019 NHL Draft, Alexandrov reached an entry-level contract with the Blues that August.
The #stlblues have agreed to terms on a three-year, two-way entry-level contract with Nikita Alexandrov. https://t.co/NsA4qvvtRt
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) August 1, 2019
Will Cranley
A sizable goaltender who brings an athletic playing style, the Ottawa 67’s netminder is set to take on the top-job duties after playing the understudy for his first two campaigns. In all, in his most recent season, he found the win column in 18 of his 21 appearances coupled with a 2.81 goals-against average that ranked fifth-best league-wide. A 19-year-old native of Peterborough, Ont., the 2020 sixth-round selection has also earned opportunities internationally, highlighted by a two-game showing with Team Canada Red at the 2018 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.
📽️: Cranley "I was really happy to be drafted by St.Louis, it's a real honour"#NHLDraft | @StLouisBlues pic.twitter.com/09qRiNwl1J
— Ottawa 67’s (@Ottawa67sHockey) October 8, 2020
Tanner Dickinson
Skating a lone season with the Soo Greyhounds in 2019-20, the gifted playmaking left-wing made the most of it, providing the club with solid secondary scoring support to the tune of nine goals and 31 assists across 64 contests. Meanwhile, the past season saw the 2002-born forward try his hand at the pro ranks, making three appearances on loan with the AHL’s Utica Comets. An Ohio native, Dickinson was chosen by St. Louis in the fourth round of last summer’s NHL Draft.
Congrats to #OHL forward Tanner Dickinson (@TannerHKY97) of @OHLHoundPower, selected 119th overall by the @StLouisBlues in the 2020 #NHLDraft!#MeetTheFuture presented by @KubotaCanadaLtd 🏒 pic.twitter.com/6Ki8zrUVQN
— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) October 7, 2020
Colten Ellis
The 2020-21 campaign was a storybook season for Colten Ellis, a third-round selection from the 2019 NHL Draft whose 24 appearances with the Charlottetown Islanders saw him surrender a lone loss, while leading the league in both the goals-against average (1.78) and save percentage (.926) categories, ultimately helping him to earn a spot on the QMJHL First All-Star Team. In all, the year also saw Ellis come up with seven perfect games, giving him 18 career shutouts and moving him into sole possession of top spot in the category in league history. Joining the Islanders last offseason, Ellis’ previous four campaigns were split between the Cape Breton Eagles and Rimouski Oceanic, giving him a total of 103 career wins through 153 appearances, while his time in the junior ranks is also highlighted by a dazzling freshmen season in 2017-18 that saw him named to the QMJHL All-Rookie and Second All-Star Teams after winning 33 of 51 games. A 20-year-old Nova Scotia native, Ellis represented Canada at the 2018 IIHF U18 World Championship where he made a pair of appearances.
HISTORY MADE!
With today's shutout, Colten Ellis moves into sole possession of 1st in QMJHL history with 18 career shutouts!
His seven shutouts this season are also tied for the QMJHL single-season high! pic.twitter.com/ByX36lAJOm
— Charlottetown Islanders (@IslandersHKY) March 21, 2021
Mathias Laferriere
A creative point producer with a desirable willingness to shoot the puck, the 2000-born Blainville-Boisbriand Armada centre recently closed out his QMJHL career with 238 total appearances to his name in which he collected 82 goals and 132 assists for 214 points. Originally chosen by the Armada with the seventh pick in the 2016 QMJHL Entry Draft, Laferriere’s time in the junior ranks was bookended by stints with the Armada following parts of four seasons with the Cape Breton Eagles. In all, his most successful showing came in 2018-19 when he finished second in team scoring with Cape Breton, coming up with 28 goals and 46 assists through 68 appearances before adding another 10 points in 11 playoff contests. The Montreal native then wrapped up his final season in the league by tally 39 points through 30 games with Blainville-Boisbriand. A late-round selection from the 2018 NHL Draft, Laferriere’s success at the junior level helped him ink an entry-level contract with St. Louis the following October.
The Blues have agreed to terms on a three-year entry-level contract with 2018 draft pick Mathias Laferriere. https://t.co/Z6070pMN5w #stlblues
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) October 17, 2019
Jake Neighbours
A high-energy, competitive forward, the talented left-wing also brings it offensively as demonstrated by his part of four seasons with the Edmonton Oil Kings, underscored by the 2019-20 campaign in which he recorded north of a point per game in collecting 23 goals and 47 assists through 64 appearances to finish second in team scoring. The 2002-born forward then carried that success forward to the WHL’s recently completed campaign as he headlined the Oil Kings with 33 points over 19 games. Called fourth overall in the 2017 WHL Draft, Neighbours has spent 141 career contests in the league in which he has registered 43 goals and 88 assists for 131 points. Chosen in the first round of last summer’s NHL Draft, the native of Airdrie, Alta., has also been on the radar with Hockey Canada as he competed with the national program at the 2018 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge as well as the 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
The #OilKings have announced their team award winners for this season, led by Sebastian Cossa selected as Most Valuable Player & Jake Neighbours winning Top Scorer plus the Kristians Pelss Memorial Award.
📰 https://t.co/u5yVdcsUSZ pic.twitter.com/czDFOYporB
— Edmonton Oil Kings (@EdmOilKings) May 14, 2021
Tyler Tucker
A balanced blue-liner whose offensive game continues to blossom, the talented rearguard put up back-to-back 50-plus point seasons while splitting time between the Barrie Colts and Flint Firebirds over the last two OHL campaigns. Originally called upon in the first round of the league’s 2016 Priority Selection, Tucker has since amassed 152 points counting 35 goals and 117 assists through 244 career contests. Playing on loan for the past season with the AHL’s Utica Comets, Tucker posted seven points in 27 games and gained noteworthy experience as he looks to adjust to the pro ranks full time for the coming year. A late-round selection from the 2018 NHL Draft, the product of Longlac, Ont., agreed to terms on a first contract with the Blues last March.
We know that shot!! Congrats to Tyler Tucker (@TylerTukr19) for picking up his first career pro hockey goal! #ThisIsFlint #GatewayToTheNHL https://t.co/qNzdfBl3wM
— Flint Firebirds (@FlintFirebirds) May 9, 2021
Keean Washkurak
Despite his smaller stature, the Mississauga Steelheads centre finds a way to get on the scoresheet as evidenced by his most recent season in which he scored north of a point per game in producing 22 goals and 30 assists over 49 contests, good for a career-high 52 points and fourth spot in team scoring. In all, Washkurak’s time with the Steelheads has counted three seasons that has seen him total 44 goals and 70 assists for 114 points over 176 games. A 2019 fifth-round selection by St. Louis, Washkurak played the past season on loan with HK Levice of the tier-two Slovakian league where he had a successful showing in tallying 19 points through 21 appearances before ending the year on a three-game trial with the AHL’s Utica Comets. A 19-year-old native of Waterloo, Ont., Washkurak has also twice represented the Great White North in international competition, highlighted by a silver-medal finish with Team Canada Red at the 2017 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge where he posted two points over six games.
“I take a lot of pride in developing my 200-foot game. There are a lot of great leaders on our team…to have a letter on my jersey is really special".
Washkurak talks about the growth of his game and decision to go overseas.
Full Story ➡️: https://t.co/fr178y4yU4 pic.twitter.com/n4ug6OPlPE
— Mississauga Steelheads (@OHLSteelheads) February 16, 2021