ST. LOUIS -- The news trickled out of Europe in the wee hours of the morning in North America, news on Dalibor Dvorsky that seemed rather inevitable pretty fast.
The 10th pick in the 2023 NHL Draft was heading to North America a lot sooner than anyone expected when Swedish Hockey League club IK Oskarshamn and the Blues agreed to terminate the St. Louis Blues' first-round pick's contract immediately so the 18-year-old can seek a new start elsewhere.
It was not long after the Blues announced that Dvorsky would be re-assigned from the IK Oskarshamn to the Sudbury Wolves of the Ontario Hockey League.
Dvorsky, who signed a three-year, entry-level contract on July 13, was to spend the season in the SHL and reassess his options after, but after just 10 games there, it was apparent that it was time to move on.
Dvorsky appeared in 10 games with IK Oskarshamn and did not register a point, was a minus-6 and was relegated to being the 13th forward and played in just 1:35 and 0:44 seconds in his past two games.
So what does all this mean?
Blues fans have already taken to 'X' and displayed their panic that the team has drafted a bust.
Hold on. Pump the brakes. Lock those tires up.
This isn't the first time this has happened to a young prospect that is trying to develop overseas. You have to understand that in most of these leagues in Europe, they're less inclined to develop someone else's prospects and more focused on the product at hand, and that means winning and losing, and if they feel your guy that was loaned to them isn't part of the solution, they'll cast him off the island. It's pretty simple.
There was a clip of him I watched recently where he took a big open ice hit to his back side in a game and nobody came to his defense, and I kept thinking, 'What the heck is going on? Is it every man for himself on this squad?' Well, the answer to this apparently is an unequivocal yes.
By no means am I taking a shot at the SHL. It is a great professional league, one of the best outside North America. I can compare it to the AHL. That doesn't mean all their clubs follow the model of the league itself.
Dvorsky was the youngest member of the squad at IK Oskarshamn, and there is only one other player in his teens (19-year-old defenseman Oskar Asplund) on the roster. The average age of the roster is 27.04 and the idea is to win.
Well, for IK Oskarshamn, they flat-out stink. They're in last place in the 14-team league with five points in 10 games and at this rate, would be relegated out of the SHL if they finish in last or second-to-last, which already seems quite likely. They have not scored more than two goals in each of their games, and Dvorsky never saw more than 15:22 in any game thus far.
The Blues not only wanted him to play as a boy among men, but they wanted him to get top minutes, which was clearly not happening.
Dvorsky was eligible to get assigned to Springfield of the American Hockey League, but with the Blues' history of grooming draft picks, there was no way that was happening, and the Wolves owned his rights after drafting Dvorsky in 2022, so the natural fit was there.
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"Definitely," Blues coach Craig Berube said on Wednesday. "Playing his own age bracket (and) juniors competitively, it's a good league, so it will be very good for him."
That's the key. Dvorsky will get the chance to not only play big minutes but he will do so among his own peers. We all witnessed what he could do when he came to St. Louis for the prospect camp in early July. He dazzled with his skill and work ethic, and he should be more comfortable developing around his own peers, including Quentin Musty, who was also picked in the first round this year (26th overall) by the San Jose Sharks, so kudos to J.P. Berry, Dvorsky's agent, and his representatives and the Blues for recognizing this situation was leading to a wasted year of development.
And to those who have called this a bust of a pick already and that the Blues missed out on Zach Benson, who was taken 13th by the Buffalo Sabres who opened on their opening night roster, let's wait and see if the Sabres don't make this a nine-game trial run and not send the left wing back to the WHL for one more year. And let's face it, if the Blues had taken Benson, there's slim to no chance he would have started in the NHL. That's how they do this. Some players develop at a different pace than others. Remember, Dvorsky has already played among men with AIK of the Swedish First Division, so he already has a leg up there.
The Blues have been transparent with their prospects in the past, let's allow this one to play out and see the results before passing judgment.
In simpler terms: calm down.
