AHL: Blues Fishing for Rivermen

The AHL's Peoria Rivermen currently sit third in the competitive West Division. McKeen's correspondent Max Giese looks at several Rivermen, such as Chris Porter that are eager to make an impact to get a shot with the St. Louis Blues.

Nikolai Lemtyugov (StL), RW, Peoria Rivermen

This much-underrated prospect is highly skilled a goal scorer .. fluid skater with a compact stride that finds another gear if a scoring opportunity presents itself .. possesses velvety hands with great in-close puck control to evade defenders in tight .. dangerous goal scorer around the net with the accuracy of a pure sniper and great patience in scoring areas .. his shot is an absolute cannon that he releases instantly and never hesitates to unload .. more of a finisher than a playmaker, however he can also create with the occasional nice pass that displays his adequate vision and creativity .. blessed with a healthy-sized frame and sturdiness on his feet that he uses well to be strong on the puck and a slippery task to defend one-on-one .. offensively instinctive, as he can find the open seams near the net .. does not use his size enough in defensive scrums, as he would rather use his quick stick more than physical force to come out with the loose puck .. defensive game is the Achilles heel, as his bad defensive reads leave him chasing the play and he selfishly will leave the zone too early .. should be scoring goals in the NHL once he shores up his defensive play.

Chris Porter (StL), LW, Peoria Rivermen

Passionate and hard-working-two-way player that was a shrewd pick up by the Blues after he could not come to terms with Chicago .. his strong legs and edge work make him a deceptively quick skater that possesses the burst to get around a defender .. not a natural finisher, Porter generates his offense through hard work and his ability to see the ice well before making good decisions distributing the puck .. owns the hand-eye coordination to catch a pass in his feet while moving at full speed without losing a step .. very smart,as he is always in position and does all of the little things .. uses his stocky frame and sturdy feet to emerge as an effective player in traffic that wins the majority of one-on-one battles he takes on along the wall and to cover the puck in traffic .. defensively mature player that plays on the penalty kill .. already has the fortitude of an NHL player, as he is the hardest-working guy on his line every shift with a great motor in pursuit .. not a top-line scorer but he looks ready for the NHL soon and projects to have a future on a checking line.

Marek Schwarz (StL), G, Peoria Rivermen

Has struggled through a disappointing sophomore season after making the AHL All-Star game last year as a rookie .. mechanics need to be coached up, as he tends to hold his blocker to low leaving him susceptible to being beaten high blocker side with too much regularity .. athletically gifted as any goaltender out there with phenomenal flexibility and reactionary quickness, however he needs to control his lateral movement, as he's guilty of over pursuing when following the shooter side-to-side and in turn, giving the shooter too much net to look at short side .. Schwarz was expected to be ready to carry a heavy workload this season but has only started every other game and his confidence has been hurt because of it, as he struggles to recover after a poor goal .. he remains a key prospect for the Blues, as he possesses the elite athleticism that simply cannot be taught, however he is still allowing too many weak goals and has yet to prove he is capable of being a night in night out starter in the AHL.

Nicholas Drazenovic (StL), C, Peoria Rivermen

Cerebral two-way center with a mature defensive game .. shifty skater but not a top-gear guy, as his skating mechanics is loose .. has some tricky stickhandling moves as well as the quick shot that he can really pick corners with if given the chance in tight .. his best asset is his ability to read the game, as he is always in position and is responsible defensively .. displays impressive work in the defensive zone, as he is a natural on this side of the puck by taking away the proper lanes and working hand-in-hand with his defensive partners taking deep-lying-defensive-zone positions .. diminutive but he will pay the price to make the play such as taking a big hit after winning the foot race to beat the icing call .. potential NHL checker if he adds some strength and continues to work on his mobility.

Alexander Hellstrom (StL), D, Peoria Rivermen

It is difficult to get a good read on Hellstrom because of the limited minutes he plays, as he is not trusted on either special teams unit .. not a pretty skater but his quick feet help mask his skating deficiencies .. the type of stay-at-home defenseman that is most useful when partnered with an offensive-minded defenseman, as he can be counted on to stay back and always be in position .. defends well off the rush and does an effective job taking away passing lanes when faced with being the only man back on the odd-man rush .. not all stones while handling the puck, as he makes safe decisions and displays adequate poise while making the first pass coming out of his own end .. big kid with good size and strength that has plenty of untapped potential left to keep him a prospect worthy of keeping an eye on.

Steve Wagner (StL), D, Peoria Rivermen

This free agent signing out of Minnesota Mankato State started the season off by dressing in 23 games for the St .Louis Blues .. at his best when the puck is on his stick, as he owns the skill to skate the puck up the ice on his own or make a crisp first pass .. displays good puck and foot movement while making creative passes from the point .. owns a great release and heavy shot, although he needs to be careful about forcing it into the oppositions feet .. a hit and miss-type-of skater for a player of his size .. strong backwards skater and an okay straight-line one thanks to his long stride, however he can be beaten by speed in transition .. for the most part, he does a nice job keeping the play in front of him while defending off the rush, however he can fail to identify his man at times .. has the height but not yet the weight, as he can be beaten one-on-one by strength .. solid prospect that is still refining his game.

Chris Beckford-Tseu (StL), G, Peoria Rivermen

Hybrid goaltender that relies on reflexes and not positioning to make saves .. his fast feet are his best asset, as he is quick laterally with overall impressive athleticism .. uses paddle-down techniques to cover the lower portion of the net well when guarding against shooters that are in tight .. technically needs refinement, as he is guilty of allowing some soft goals because his style has him leaving open holes that he should not .. does not play as big in the net as his size would indicate .. the type of goalie that struggles with consistency, as he can make some brilliant saves but also let in some weak goals .. AHL-caliber goaltender that could fill in as a backup in the NHL if only in a pinch.