/* ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI – After coming off a surprising season in which the St. Louis Blues barely made it into the playoffs, hope springs eternal in the Gateway City. With the NHL Entry draft fast approaching, the Blues are sitting in the middle of the pack come draft day. When looking back at how the Blues did during the regular season, the Blues finished 19th in scoring, and 12th in team defense. They were 8th on the power play, and third on the penalty kill. The Blues had 10 players with 12 or more goals, and were led by Brad Boyes with 33. In terms of the current roster, on offense, the team is solid down the middle at center and at right wing. Left Winger David Perron was third on the team in scoring but could use some help. In terms of prospects, Perron should get some help on the left side from fellow Left Winger Lars Eller who was the 13th overall pick in 2007, regardless of Keith Tkachuk’s situation (he is a UFA and made $4million last season). Center T.J. Oshie made an impression once he came into the lineup and will be counted on for years to come.
Right Winger Scott Glennie (photo courtesy of the NHL)
The Blues would love to draft another quality winger and they should get their opportunity to do so one draft day. Do not be surprised in the coming weeks to see the St. Louis Blues choose Scott Glennie as their first pick in the 2009 NHL Draft. Glennie has shown this season that he can play multi-faceted styles of hockey and will develop his game to improve the team and himself. While there have been some questions regarding an injured elbow, one must not hold a player accountable for one lone injury. Glennie has shown strong upside and determination to becoming an exciting NHL player. This is a young man with the appropriate mentality for the Blues as an all around aggressive hockey player. Scott Glennie has been labeled as a Jonathan Cheechoo/Jonathan Toews type of player that can not only score, but can also develop plays as a power forward. His upside falls somewhere around a solid physical player who skates well and can score from multiple locations. Glennie was recently quoted on the NHL’s website as saying “I like to use my speed and use my shot to my advantage out there. I like to score goals. I work on my shot the most. I work on it a lot in the summer actually just shooting out back. I’d probably say my shot is probably my best attribute.” Glennie’s scoring mentality may fit very well into the Blues future. St. Louis has done well compiling a solid group of exciting players who are going to assure the fans in St. Louis that they will be entertained for years to come. Beyond being a scoring minded player however, Glennie is also an individual who can play physical hockey and has sown elements of being a great teammate and an exceptional line mate. The bottom line here is, you can expect John Davidson to make the following announcement come draft day. “With the 17th pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, the St. Louis Blues select, from the Brandon Wheat Kings, Scott Glennie.” You may contact the author at: john.strathman@prohockeynews.com
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