If you’re a Blues fan who is not already familiar with 19-year-old forward Jordan Kyrou, it’s time for that to change. Kyrou, the 35th overall pick by the Blues back in the 2016 NHL Draft, made a lot of noise for Team Canada during the recent World Junior Summer Showcase and his strong play earned some national attention.
Following the Showcase, NHL.com listed “10 players who impressed at World Junior Summer Showcase” and Kyrou made the cut.
Here’s what the NHL article had to say:
He brought speed and energy to almost every shift. His best game was Friday, when he had two goals and an assist against Sweden. He finished camp with four goals in three games.
“He’s got really good habits,” Canada coach Dominick Ducharme said. “He’s doing little things that provokes turnovers. He’s got the speed and the skills to be making the most of them.”
Speaking of goals, here’s one from Kyrou during the Showcase:
https://twitter.com/ryanbiech/status/893981389158088704
Kyrou has already been praised for his two-way abilities and his overall awareness on the ice. As mentioned in the NHL article, Kyrou is able to read plays on the ice which help win the puck back from the opponent. He’s been labeled as an “all-around forward” who has the skill to succeed in just about every situation on the ice.
Kyrou still has a ton of room to grow and evolve at this stage of his career, so it’s difficult to forecast exactly what kind of player he might be. That being said, the early returns have been extremely positive (which the league has noticed) and it’s fun to fantasize about the player he may become.
During the 2016 Draft, a couple scouts pegged Kyrou as a player worthy of a first-round selection. It’s way too early to determine if that was accurate or if the Blues got a steal in the second round, but he’s been pretty awesome of late. In 2016-17, he skated in 66 OHL games and scored 30 goals and 64 assists with the Sarnia Sting. He did suit up in one AHL game, but he didn’t contribute offensively.
Those are some impressive totals, though it’s worth noting that the OHL is a pretty terrible barometer. His World Showcase play is far more exciting than the gaudy OHL numbers as the level of competition should’ve been a bit more stiff.
Long story short, there are several Blues prospects you should be following and Kyrou should definitely be on that list.
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