Being the son of a Hockey Hall of Fame player can open doors for a young player, but it can also create higher expectations.
For U.S. National Team Development Program winger Ryan St. Louis, he has unquestionably established himself as a pro hockey prospect with his speed and playmaking abilities. However, where that will lead him with the 2021 NHL Entry Draft rapidly approaching on July 23-24 is still to be determined.
The Riverside, Conn., native and former Brunswick School star is New England Hockey Journal’s fifth-ranked draft prospect after a solid two years in Plymouth, Mich., with Team USA. At 5-foot-10, 161 pounds, he lacks ideal pro hockey size but is a smart, creative, playmaking forward. The Northeastern recruit brings some of the attributes that his father, Martin, used to become the Tampa Bay Lightning’s all-time franchise leader in scoring, with a Stanley Cup championship and Hart Trophy as league MVP as part of his legacy.
“Ryan is a very smart, cerebral player,” one NHL scout with a Western Conference team told New England Hockey Journal. “His intelligence is what jumps out right away. He’s not the biggest, not the fastest guy — there’s physical limitations there — but he’s still a very good player in his own right.”
His skating is fine — he might not have classic breakaway speed in open ice, but gets off the mark quickly and has impressive small area agility/balance. He is able to absorb contact and slip away from would-be checkers to maintain possession of the puck and make plays without much time or space. He relies on his vision and slick hands to create scoring chances and set up teammates for grade-A opportunities. At 18, he has come a long way in his development since making the national team out of prep hockey two years ago.
St. Louis, who also honed his skills with the Mid Fairfield Rangers AAA program, is not simply a scorer, either. He is defensively aware and emerged as a top penalty killer for the NTDP 18 team this past season. He uses his stick effectively to break up passes and reads/reacts to put himself in position to fill lanes and clear the defensive zone on the PK or start the transition at even strength from his own end.
At the same time, St. Louis faces a challenge that many smaller players deal with, especially at draft time. NHL clubs are looking for a consistency and high-level performances to mitigate the concerns that arise when grading him against peers who are bigger, stronger and longer. Down the stretch, he struggled to generate the kind of offense and production he put up through much of the 2020-21 season with Team USA. The question on many observers’ minds is this: Will the slowdown in production later on and at the World Under-18 Championship tournament in Dallas hurt him at the draft?
“I think this year was just a complicated year for all of those guys,” the scout said of the NTDP team’s injury woes and COVID-related disruptions. “There was a lot of stop and pause, and I think that team was only full-go in terms of health for only one or a handful of games this year, honestly. So, I just think it’s hard to put too much in this one season, and he still proved to be a valuable player even if it wasn’t offensively. He still played a key role defensively and as a penalty killer.”
While his 125th final ranking by the NHL’s Central Scouting Service is lower than projected at the the start of the season, St. Louis has enough talent and long-term potential to be worth a draft selection. At Northeastern, St. Louis is heading to a top program in the Hockey East where he will be able to patiently develop and build his overall game. Like his father, who played four years of college hockey at the University of Vermont before turning pro with the Calgary Flames after graduating in 1998, the younger St. Louis might benefit from taking the same kind of patient approach.
Granted, trying to break into the NHL was much different for smaller players in the late 1990s than it is today, but given the bloodlines and St. Louis’ intelligence and skill level, he has legitimate pro potential.
New England Hockey Journal draft prediction: St. Louis looks like a solid mid-round draft project as a bottom-six/two-way forward after the fourth round. Even though some of the public scouting lists rankings have him lower than that, this is a player who brings a lot to the table and will probably figure out a way to get himself to the NHL at some point. He’s going to be able to take his time at Northeastern, and with his intelligence and skill, the Huskies will be able to employ him in a variety of roles.
