Blues draft Robert Thomas 20th overall
The St. Louis Blues selected forward Robert Thomas with the 20th overall pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft on Friday.
Robert Thomas
Position: Center
Height: 6-foot-0
Weight: 188 lbs
Age: 17
Club: London Knights (OHL)
Nationality: Canadian
| GP | G | A | P | ES GPG | ES PPG | ES GF% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 66 | 16 | 50 | 66 | 0.17 | 0.71 | 69 |
(Even-strength stats courtesy: prospect-stats.com)
Robert Thomas finished 22nd on the NHL's Central Scouting list of North American skaters after moving up six spots following the mid-term rankings.
Thomas sets up to be another in a long list of players out of the London Knights who is chock-full of talent. While at 6-feet, he doesn't come off as a very big body, he more than makes up for that with his smarts, vision, and nose for offense.
As per NHL Central Scouting:
"Excellent Hockey IQ. - Very smart and poised playmaker; the type that makes players around him better. Strong offensive hockey sense; very creative handling and moving the puck. Deceptive; can surprise you with a play that keeps team's puck possession alive or generates a scoring chance. Hard working and competitive. Capable of making a difference every time he's on the ice."
All these traits can easily be seen in highlights of a game this past December where Thomas notched five points against the Flint Firebirds, including an ever-rare goal with his team two men short.