Previously, I covered the Blues drafts from 2003-2006 under former director of amateur scouting Jarmo Kekalainen. Now, a look forward at the most recent years - starting with 2007 and 2008, which are the last two that can reasonably be graded so far.

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2007 – the draft where the Blues had three (3) 1st-round picks, tried to trade all of them to get the 1st overall pick, and then swapped picks more than once before the first night was through.

13. Lars Eller, C, Vastra Frolunda Jr. (SWE). Eller was not the original target here. The Blues originally sat at 9, but tried desperately to trade up to get Jakub Voracek; when Voracek went off the board at 7 to Columbus, the Blues had a trade offer from the Sharks (who desperately wanted Logan Couture) and the Blues traded down and picked up a couple more picks in the process. Still, it’s not like Eller was considered chopped liver coming in – he was the #3 ranked European skater, behind Alexei Cherepanov and Mikael Backlund.

While Eller didn’t set the world on fire in his first full year in the NHL (just 7-10-17 in 77 games in Montreal), he also spent a chunk of that time on the 3rd and 4th lines; last year, he improved to 16-12-28 highlighted by a 4-goal outburst vs. Winnipeg on January 4. This year, he’s 3-11-14 in 24 games despite still playing 3rd-line minutes. More telling is that other teams have interest in him if the Canadiens ever want to trade.

How to score this pick is still a bit uncertain. On the critical side, the Blues traded down (and missed on Couture) and then passed on a guy like Max Pacioretty to take Eller; on the other hand, Lars had shoulder and wrist issues after being drafted, so that set his development back a little bit. He was also traded to the Habs for Jaroslav Halak, giving the Blues a starting goalie (such that he currently fits that bill) – and that value can’t be discounted. We probably won’t know how this turns out for a few more years.

18. Ian Cole, D, USNTDP-18. The second of the Blues 1st-round picks, Cole has semi-legendary status in Blues draft history because of the attention given to him during the Blues 2007 draft special. He also has become a lightning rod at times for his perceived lack of development because “it’s 6 years after the draft, and he still hasn’t cracked the starting lineup.” Throw in the fact that he was ranked #81 among NA skaters, and you can hear the “overrated, taken way too early” chant getting louder.

I’ve covered this previously when discussing Cole. While we are in fact almost 6 full years from when he was drafted, this is only his 3rd full year in the pros – and he only has a grand total of 177 pro games of experience (including playoffs). More importantly, Cole has never spent a full season in either the NHL or the AHL. For comparison, Jonathan Blum (#23, Nashville) had logged 261 pro games coming into this season, the first in which he secured a top-6 spot for the Predators – and spent all of 2009-10 and most of 2010-11 at Milwaukee before getting called up. Brendan Smith (#27, Detroit) currently has 149 pro games under his belt, spent his 1st full season at Grand Rapids, and has struggled at times through his 29 NHL game career. Even P.K. Subban (#45, Montreal) played virtually all of his first pro season at Hamilton, only getting to the NHL for a pair of games in mid-February, 2009 before getting sent back to finish the season in the AHL.

Cole is not a top-2 defenseman. Never will be. He’s got upside as a #4, a physical defensive guy. However, he’s still got time to develop into an NHL-ready defenseman; he may just have to do it in the NHL under the spotlight, where fans can (and will) point out every mistake he makes along the way.

24. David Perron, LW, Lewiston (QMJHL). For all the flak that Kekalainen might get about taking Cole or Eller, he absolutely nailed this pick. At 19 years old, Perron was a overager but still ranked #10 in the final Central Scouting ranking of NA skaters – and for good reason. His skill is unquestionable. In the last 82 games, he’s put up 29 goals and 32 assists – and part of that was coming off a concussion that sidelined him for just over a full year. He’s also shown a penchant for playing undisciplined hockey and being selfish with the puck; if that improves, he only gets that much better.

Even with missing a full season, Perron currently ranks 3rd in goals, 4th in points, and 6th in points-per-game in the 2007 draft class; the only player taken after Perron with a higher points-per-game average is Jamie Benn (#129, Dallas). If he can become more consistent and rely more on his teammates (which he’s shown all kinds of ability to do at times), Perron could make this pick even better than it currently looks.

39. Simon Hjalmarsson, RW, Vastra Frolunda Jr. (SWE). Eller’s running mate and ranked #6 among European skaters, Hjalmarsson has put up points in the Elitseiren (43 points in each of the last 2 seasons) but has still not made the jump to North America. Whether or not he will remains to be seen.

44. Aaron Palushaj, RW, Des Moines (USHL). Ranked 101st among NA skaters by Central Scouting, Palushaj was considered to be a small but gifted playmaker and some Blues fans had high hopes for him – only to see him get traded to Montreal for Matt D’Agostini (and then go on to have a strong playoff run at Hamilton that spring). Despite that, Palushaj struggled to stick on a bad Canadiens team in 2011-12 and was waived earlier this year, getting claimed by Colorado where he’s currently 2-4-6 through 11 games.

85. Brett Sonne, C/LW, Calgary (WHL). Ranked #94 among NA skaters by Central Scouting, Sonne is a classic lesson in why not to get caught up with stats. Sonne had a decent start in the 2007-08 season before breaking his ankle about midway through; he returned the next year to put up 48-52-100 in 62 games, earn a spot on the Canada WJC team, and win WHL Player of the Year honors – causing some Blues fans to think of him as a top-6 forward down the line.

The reality is, Sonne was never projected to be more than a 3rd line guy at best – and that career season happened at the age of 20, not back at 17 or 18. That became evident when he went to Peoria and struggled – and each season has been worse than the prior one, culminating in the current season where he’s playing at Evansville in the ECHL. It’s not likely that Sonne ever makes the NHL (or even sticks around in the Blues organization much longer) unless he magically figures things out soon.

96. Cade Fairchild, D, USNTDP U-18. Ranked #189 by Central Scouting, Fairchild spent 4 years at the University of Minnesota before going pro. He’s had an appearance in the NHL and didn’t look totally out of place – but he’s probably still at least another year away from being ready to draw a full-time NHL shift, and even then where he’ll slot in is an open question.

100. Travis Erstad, C/RW, Lincoln (USHL). Ranked #97 by Central Scouting, Erstad was 6’4” but only 182 lbs, meaning he had room to bulk up and assert his size even more than he did in high school when he led Stevens Point to the Wisconsin state tournament and was a force game in and game out. That following year, Erstad showed a nasty streak to his game in the USHL and gave hope that he could become a power forward-type of player … and then Erstad went to U-W to play hockey. Not U-W Madison, where he had given a commitment his senior year, but U-W Stevens Point, a D-3 school. At UWSP, he didn’t show the same flash and intensity he had in prior years, and after a couple of serious injuries he was forced out of the game for good.

160. Anthony Peluso, RW, Erie (OHL). Ranked 183rd by Central Scouting, Peluso was a fighter who could also play defense if needed and contribute occasionally on the score sheet. Anthony spent 2 years in Peoria, but at the start of the 2012-13 season the Blues were forced to waive him; he was subsequently picked up by Winnipeg, where he’s played 5 games and picked up a pair of assists (both on 2/26 vs. NYR). He’s currently on IR with a broken hand. Still, making the NHL from this late in the draft is something.

190. Trevor Nill, C, Detroit Compuware (MWEHL). The son of Red Wings executive Jim Nill, Trevor was a longshot pick from the start. Currently in the ECHL with Toledo, it’s unlikely he ever gets to the NHL unless he buys a ticket or goes with his dad.

Grade: A. Currently, Blues draft picks have 627 GP, the 2nd most of all teams behind only Montreal (660) and they rank 2nd in goals, 4th in assists, 4th in points, and 9th in points-per-game; throw out the first 8 picks (so no Kane, JVR, or Voracek – but including Couture) and the Blues rank 2nd, 1st, 2nd, 2nd, and 6th respectively. With 6 of the 10 picks hitting the NHL and still the possibility of a 7th in Hjalmarsson, that’s a pretty good draft – and if Eller, Cole, and Palushaj improve, it only gets that much better.

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2008 - the class where everyone knew Stamkos was going #1, and then there were 4 defensemen that would go in some order.

4. Alex Pietrangelo, D, Niagara (OHL). Did you realize that Pietrangelo was not ranked in the top-4 in the final Central Scouting ranking of NA skaters? Seriously, he was 6th – but every major scouting service (ISS, McKeen’s, etc.) had him generally 3-5, with Stamkos 1 and Doughty 2. Pietrangelo was also considered the highest boom/bust pick – which made it perfect for Kekalainen.

As much as a handful of Blues fans thought this was a completely busted pick when Petro was sent back to juniors twice, last year showed exactly why he was highly touted with a season that was touted as being Norris Trophy-caliber by a lot of the hockey media. Not as flashy and high-offense as classmate Erik Karlsson (#15, Ottawa), Petro can play a very efficient and controlling game and still has lots of upside to grow into. Even considering the current season’s struggles, this was an outstanding pick.

33. Philip McRae, C, London (OHL). The son of former NHL’er Basil McRae, a handful of Blues fans think the only reason Kekalainen made this pick here was as a favor to McRae (who was a Blues scout at the time). While McRae was ranked #56 among NA skaters, a lot of teams had him ranked higher – and he was even ranked higher pre-2008 due to his all-around game. After a decent first two seasons at Peoria, he’s regressed in ’12-13 – though injuries may have something to do with it. His long-term future is as a 3rd liner, but it may take another year and change for him to be ready to fill that spot in the NHL.

34. Jake Allen, G, St. John’s (QMJHL). Ranked #8 among NA goalies by Central Scouting, Allen was considered a late 1st / early 2nd round pick by most pundits and was coming off backstopping Canada to the U-18 gold medal along with being named top goaltender of the tournament. Some of the luster disappeared when he was blamed for Canada’s loss at the WJC’s in 2010, but he rebounded with a solid QMJHL season. He has struggled at Peoria since going pro, but has gone 5-1-0 in the NHL this season. If he continues to play well enough to give the Blues W’s and can improve on his play, this may look like an outstanding pick.

65. Jori Lehtera, C, Tappara (FIN). Ranked #23 among European skaters by Central Scouting, Lehtera has piled up points in the KHL but has resisted making the jump to North America – though there’s reports that he may do so for the 2013-14 season. A former linemate of 2010 draftee Vladimir Tarasenko, if Lehtera can show the same skill he has elsewhere, he may be in the NHL quickly – and on the same line as Tarasenko.

70. James Livingston, RW, Sault Ste. Marie (OHL). Ranked 53rd among NA skaters, Livingston didn’t develop as expected and the Blues didn’t offer him a contract. He currently plays for Worcester (AHL), and a cup of coffee in the NHL still isn’t out of the question.

87. Ian Schultz, RW, Calgary (WHL). Ranked 92nd among NA skaters, Schultz was a guy who had a scoring touch and would also drop the gloves – but he’s most noteworthy so far for being the other guy traded with Lars Eller to get Jaroslav Halak from Montreal. Currently hanging on in the ECHL, it’s unlikely Schultz makes it to the NHL … but that doesn’t mean this was a bad pick. Again, draft picks aren’t just for your team’s roster – sometimes they’re trade chips to get other guys.

95. David Warsofsky, D, USNTDP U-18. Ranked 81st among NA skaters, Warsofsky was traded to Boston to get Vladimir Sobotka, who has become a heart-and-soul guy for the Blues. While David had 3 pretty decent season at Boston U. and has done reasonably OK at Providence (including earning a call-up to Boston where he didn’t play), the only way this doesn’t work out in the Blues favor is if Warsofsky suddenly becomes a top-4 defenseman. At 5’9”, that’s not likely to happen.

125. Kristofer Berglund, D, Bjorkloven (SWE-2). Central Scouting had Berglund ranked #24 among European skaters, and the overage Berglund was a trendy pick among draftniks for “who to lob a late round pick at.” While he made progress in the next 2 seasons with Bjorkloven and Lulea, he’s not shown the same polish in the last few years – and maybe more importantly, he’s not shown a ton of interest in coming to North America.

155. Anthony Nigro, C, Guelph (OHL). Ranked 72nd among NA skaters, Nigro has shown progress at Peoria since turning pro – but even so, any NHL appearance is likely to be not much more than spot appearance on the back two lines. Still, I wouldn’t rule that out from happening.

185. Paul Karpowich, G, Wellington (OPJHL). The Blues traded a 7th in 2009 to draft Karpowich here; whether he makes the NHL for even one backup appearance remains to be seen. He’s spent much of the 2012-13 season in Evansville (ECHL) on a lowly IceMen club, but with the recall of Allen he’s in Peoria and has played 1 game there, a 4-1 loss.

Grade: A-. In all honesty, it’s probably still too soon to judge this draft – but thus far, the Blues have had 3 guys drafted make it, and used 2 guys to get current roster players, with the possibility that up to 5 more guys eventually make it down the road. Much will depend on how guys taken after Pietrangelo turn out, and that we won’t know for probably 3-4 more years.

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