PAPILLION, NE – The St. Louis Blues have struggled for years to find a number one goaltender. Not since the departure of Curtis Joseph has the team been able to rely year in, year out on the same goalie. Within the last few years, the Blues have realized that the possibility of acquiring a solid netminder is going to have to come through player development from within the organization, not via free agency or trades. With some weak attempts at filling the position with Chris Osgood and Manny Legace, the Blues only placed temporary bandages on a situation commanding considerably more attention. While the NHL lockout caused turmoil for every team, St. Louis had acquired Patrick Lalime as their star player. Unfortunately, for many different reasons, the attempt at filling the hole did not work out, and Lalime found his way to Worchester in the AHL. With the struggles of acquiring a solid free agent and even less luck via the trade route, the St. Louis Blues have had better results to progress by way of the draft and player development. Over the last few years, the Blues have begun to stockpile some worthy players in goal. While the constant has been some very good young players, the Blues have shown a full commitment to each player having his opportunity to prove himself throughout his stages of development. Today we take a look at some of the top goaltending prospects in the Blues system. 1) Ben Bishop For St. Louis, the top goaltender right now is the monstrous Ben Bishop who fills the depth chart on his own with his 6’ 7″ frame. While he may be quite tall for a goaltender, he is not slow by any means. His ability to position himself has shown consistent improvement that leaves those observing his constant play optimistic. Bishop possesses solid puck handling ability, reflexes, and quick foot work. Bishop relies on his athleticism to make plays while giving shooters difficult shots due to his large frame. At current time, Bishop is serving as the number two goalie in St. Louis behind Chris Mason. 2) Jake Allen At the age of 19, Jake Allen has created some exciting scouting reports by showing excellent lateral movement and incredible focus with the ability to step up his game in clutch situations, Allen is considered by many to be the truest top prospect in the Blues system. Allen gives up very few rebounds and is very capable of controlling the puck after saves. His ability to move the puck makes him dangerous in an offensive sense as well. Jake Allen has shown to be a developing player and may be four years or so away from NHL play, but will challenge anyone in his way at every step of the journey. 3) Reto Berra The Swiss born Berra is already 22, and while his opportunity to become a number one goaltender may be a long shot to start at the NHL level, his ability to serve as a reliable competent back up earned him a spot on our list. Berra has shown competent play at every level of his career. He filled in when a starter became injured for a prolonged period of time as well as serving as the number one goaltender and was a bright spot in International play to a much overmatched Swiss team that still managed to put on a fair showing. Berra is an athletic acrobatic netminder who will make the difficult save but may make the easier saves look difficult. 4) Marek Schwarz It wasn’t but three years ago that Schwarz was the player of the future for the Blues. His minor league career showed moments of great play, mixed with some frustrating moments as well. His development proved to be solid and his play was consistent overall despite moments of inconsistency often seen in younger players. Somewhere along the way though, this once promising player has become derailed. While Schwarz still shows great promise, his most recent seasons have all shown a player that may be nearing the end of his professional career, at least in North America. Schwarz spent an off season with a sports psychologist but showed little improvement in his game and has earned him his way to Prague in the Czech Elite League. While spending a season or two overseas may be all that he needs in order to regain his game, but it may also be that this scar will never fully heal. Expect Schwarz to have one more opportunity to make an impression, otherwise he may be gone from North American hockey for good. Contact the author at: john.strathman@prohockeynews.com