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During Saturday's 8-3 Blues victory over the Chicago Blackhawks the 20,000 plus fans at Kiel Center saw more than just a one-sided hockey game, they saw a glimpse into the Blues bright future in the form of four young, up-and-coming forward prospects. Each of the four contributed a great deal to the victory. Here is a profile of each player:
Jochen Hecht, LW: This guy changes the way his last name is pronounced by the week, but if he keeps playing as well as he has no one will care. Hecht was born in Germany, and after thriving in international compeition over there, he came to North America last season with something to prove. The Blues were only lukewarm to the kid when he arrived last year at training camp. Hecht had a fine season at Worcester with 21 goals and 56 points in 74 games. In the playoffs against Dallas last spring Hecht was inserted into the lineup to provide the team a spark and chipped in with two goals in that series. The Blues doubts were quickly erased. Hecht handles the puck very well and has terrific vision of the ice. He needs to work a little more on his upper body strength and wrist shot, but all indications are that Hecht will be a solid player in the NHL for a long time.
Michal Handzus, C: Last season Handzus only scored 4 goals for the Blues as a rookie. Many felt that his offensive game would never come around. It didn't matter all that much if it ever did since Handzus had Selke Trophy type defensive skills. This season has seen his offense blossom while his defense has remained rock solid. Handzus centers the second line and is on the ice in all key situations. His sense of anticipation in the defensive end is uncanny and he is starting to put that skill to use in the offensive zone as well. With 10 goals already Handzus is having the type of two-way season that have made guys like Mike Peca and Jere Lehtinen stars in the NHL. The best is yet to come.
Lubos Bartecko, LW: It's not often that undrafted free agents make it in the NHL but Bartecko is certainly close to sticking permanently in St. Louis. He did appear in 32 games with the team last season, recording 5 goals and 16 points. After being called up recently from Worcester and being put on a line with fellow Slovakian's Pavol Demitra and Handzus, Bartecko started to find consistency in his game and already has 5 goals and 10 points in only 12 games. His excellent stickhandling puts him in better position to use his sneaky shot and set up his linemates. As Bartecko has developed more confidence in himself, coach Joel Quenneville has gotten more confident in him as well. He is so close to a full time NHL job he can taste it. Now he just has to sustain his shift-to-shift intensity and he's home free.
Ladislav Nagy, RW: Considered by The Hockey News to be the Blues top prospect coming into this season, Nagy disappointed Blues brass with an unimpressive training camp. He reported out of shape and earned a ticket to Worcester. By gradually improving and playing himself into shape in the minors, Nagy earned a recall by the Blues when injuries struck to Terry Yake and Pierre Turgeon. After an ordinary debut on Nov. 22 against Nashville, Nagy started to find a groove by playing on the fourth line with Mike Eastwood and Tyson Nash. A pretty power play assist in Detroit last Wednesday was a sign of better things to come. Nagy assisted on Eastwood's game winner in Buffalo on Friday, and scored his first career NHL goal against the Hawks Saturday night setup on a nice feed from Hecht. Nagy has great moves and is extremely dangerous in open ice. He uses his body very well to ward off a defender which will help him counter his lack of size. Nagy has razor sharp passing skills and his offensive awareness will make him a sure fire second line player when he fully develops. He might have to get sent back to Worcester a time or two before he sticks in St. Louis full time, but it won't be long before he's here for good.
These four players are the result of the Blues recent commitment to player development. That commitment should provide a lot of winning and excitement in St. Louis for years to come. This is not all of the young talent that exists in the Blues system. More is on the way.
Finally.
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