Day one of the Traverse City prospect tournament is in the books and it was not
 a pretty day for the St. Louis Blues. For the most part, the team';s prospects
 looked lifeless and uncoordinated. The Carolina Hurricanes and second-overall
pick Andrei Svechnikov manhandled them and Blues fans are hoping that the skies
 will clear on Saturday.A Familiar Feeling for the Blues

Inattentive viewers of today';s game might have believed they were watching a
replay from the Blues'; 2017-18 season. All the calling cards were there: the
lack of energy or effort, the absence of team chemistry and communication, even
 an anaemic power play. In fact, the only thing that was different from any
game last season were the names on the jerseys.Centre Ice Arena, where the
prospect tournament is held.

It would, of course, be foolish to read anything into the state of the Blues';
future off of one rookie game, or even to draw conclusions about the rest of
the tournament. But it was not the result that anyone who made the trek to
Traverse City were hoping for.Svechnikov Stands Out

The Hurricanes used their second-overall pick in this year';s draft to select
Svechnikov, the big Russian winger who had a dominant season with the Barrie
Colts of the OHL. Today was, in some ways, his first taste of NHL competition
and he did not disappoint. He recorded a goal and an assist and his final goal
(which initially looked like an assist) was the result of a beautiful play that
 solidified the Hurricanes'; advantage and win.

The @NHLCanes go back up by 3 on Andrei Svechnikov's first goal of the
tournament. 4-1 Canes over Blues. Goal was a snipe top corner.

- Mike Maniscalco (@mikemaniscalco) September 7, 2018

Svechnikov is going to be one of the players to watch this tournament, along
with the Dallas Stars'; Miro Heiskanen and the Detroit Red Wings'; Filip
Zadina, both of whom scored goals today. They will be bright stars at the
highest level for years to come.Jeremy "Stonewall" Helvig

The Blues might have had better luck if it wasn';t for a red-hot goalie,
Jeremy Helvig. A former fifth-round pick in 2016, Helvig has played the past
four seasons for the Kingston Frontenacs of the OHL. He is not a high-ranked
prospect but no one would have known that from today';s performance.

At least twice, Helvig turned away a shot on a wide open net where he seemed
completely out of position. All told, he faced over 20 shots (there was a
discrepancy between the scorekeeping in the arena and the box scores posted
later on) and stopped all but one.

Blues'; head coach Mike Yeo, who was in attendance, took a moment to praise
Helvig';s performance: "They capitalized on their chances early and we didn';t.
 In the second period, we started to carry the play again but just couldn';t
finish. Their goalie played really well. It was just one of those games."Blues
Bright Spots

It wasn';t all bad for the Blues. Though the team never really gelled, many
players performed well as individuals. Top prospects Robert Thomas, Jordan
Kyrou, and Slim Kostin each had a good game. Behind them, Tanner Kaspick and
Adam Musil also gave energetic performances for the Blues on Friday. Both
Kaspick and Musil were captains of their WHL team last season (the Brandon
Wheat Kings and the Red Deer Rebels, respectively), and they brought their
leadership to Traverse City.Adam Musil (Rob Wallator/WHL)

The Blues have a great core of young leaders, including today';s three
captains: Nolan Stevens, who was captain of the Northeastern University squad
last year, was named the captain of the Blues'; prospect team and his
alternates were Robert Thomas and Niko Mikkola. Though it wasn';t Stevens';
strongest performance, the Blues have a bevy of young talent with leadership
experience in the pipeline.What';s On Tap?

Both the Hurricanes and Blues took defeats in the first half of Saturday's
action, which is ongoing. The Blues lost 5-3 to the Blue Jackets (look for more
 on this game later), while the Blackhawks bested the Hurricanes 5-2. There are
 no games scheduled for Sunday, so each team will practice and look to rebound
on Monday, when the Blues face the Blackhawks and the Hurricanes take on the
Blue Jackets.

The Hockey Writers will report from Traverse City throughout the tournament,
and remember that fans who cannot attend in person can stream the games through
 the Fox Sports Go app and through the Red Wings website. Check back daily for
more info on the tournament.

The post Svechnikov Shines Against Blues in Traverse City appeared first on The
 Hockey Writers.

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