Al MacInnis’ scouting report from the WJC

Blues vice president of hockey operations Al MacInnis returned late Sunday night from the Czech Republic. He was assigned to watch the Blues’ prospects at the recent World Junior Championships, which were won by Canada.

I spoke with MacInnis at Blues practice Monday and he gave me these assessments of Patrik Berglund, Cade Fairchild, Ian Cole and Lars Eller. (He saw each player at least three times and some more than others).

Berglund

Country: Sweden

Drafted: First round (25th overall) 2006

Ht, Wt: 6-3, 187

WJC stats: 6 games, 3 goals, 4 assists, 26 shots, 14 PIM, +3

MacInnis: “He had a great tournament. He’s got a great feel for the game. He’s got good hockey sense. He’s a big kid who’s getting stronger. You could see that his intensity level is improving. He’s playing I would say a little bit more of a North American style, where you’re battling for loose pucks, protecting the puck . . . he was good on the cycles. He’s got one on one ability to beat a defenseman. He’s only going to continue to improve. Definitely a real good prospect. Him being here last year with the development camp and the training camp, he sees what it’s all about and what it’s going to take. It’s up to him how much he wants to do this summer, giving him the best chance possible to make our lineup next September. He’s got the ability; he just needs to be a little stronger, and again, that’s up to him. If he wants to put the work in and the time in, he’s got a chance.”

Fairchild

Country: USA

Drafted: Fourth round (96th overall) 2007

Ht, Wt: 5-11, 186

WJC stats: 6 games, 0 goals, 1 assist, 12 shots, 4 PIM, +3

MacInnis: “He had a good tournament as well. He’s got a great feel for the game. He’s not a big guy, but he’s positionally sound, he’s mobile, he’s good on the power play, sees the ice real well. For an 18-year-old to play that well in a tournament (was good to see). To get to the next level, he’s going to have to get stronger because he’s not a big guy. But there’s some smaller defensemen that play in the National Hockey League that are pretty good defensemen. Some of the things that he has, you really can’t teach. He makes a good first pass, he sees the ice and he’s got some ability.”

Cole

Country: USA

Drafted: First round (18th overall) in 2007

Ht, Wt: 6-1, 215

WJC stats: 6 games, 0 goals, 0 assists, 5 shots, 0 PIM, even plus-minus

MacInnis: “Cole . . . it seemed like he got a little bit more ice time as the tournament went on. He’s a strong defensive defenseman. For a bigger guy, he’s mobile. He’s over 200 pounds. I didn’t see skating as an issue at all. He makes a good first pass, defensively he’s real strong in his own end. He plays with a little bit of an edge like he did last year. You look at the defensemen and those guys that play that role. They’re strong, they’re mobile and they play with an edge. He’s a guy that is really sound defensively and had a good tournament.”

Eller

Country: Denmark

Drafted: First round (13th overall) 2007

Ht, Wt: 6-0, 198

WJC stats: 6 games, 3 goals, 3 assists, 19 shots, 37 PIM, -5

MacInnis: “This guy, that’s why I went over to the tournament as early as I did, knowing that Denmark probably wouldn’t advance. I wanted to see him play and I got to see him play three games. He’s got a lot of skill. He’s a competitor. Obviously he didn’t play on a real good team, and sometimes it was hard to get a read with the guys he was playing with. But he’s a competitive kid. We knew his skill level was high and it is. He likes to be that give-and-go-type-of-guy. He likes to dish the puck off. But at the same time, he scored three or four goals. He plays the half boards on the power play, has a good shot . . . he scored a real nice goal on the top-hand corner. He’s got good vision. And again, he’s a guy at 18 years old that has to get stronger and play with the intensity. But he’s a good player.”

Here’s more from MacInnis:

On the overall tournament experience:  ”A lot of hockey. A lot of good games. The intensity level . . . the speed of the game. You get a good read on players when they play in those situations. I thought it was a great experience great tournament.”

On  the Blues’  evaluation of a player at the WJC and what that means for  a career in the NHL: “They’re competing against most of their peers at that age group. You can look at past tournaments . . . guys that have played in it as an 18-year-old and a 19-year-old and (gone on to do well). They’re competing against the best 18 and 19 year olds from 10 countries. You can also see what they have to work on when they get to that level. It’s a good tournament and a good measuring stick for your players.”

On seeing the Blues’ prospects first-hand and how that helps in decision making: “You certainly get to know them a lot more when you watch them for or five times in a 10-day span. You get to see their tendencies . . . you’re not just seeing them one time. If you see them one time, they could be real good or not so good. But when you see them over and over again, it helps. That’s why you really appreciate the scouting department and what they do. When you see a kid play over and over again, you really get a good feel and a good read about what he’s all about.”

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