Blues select six players on second day of NHL Draft

After selecting forward Jake Neighbours with their first-round pick on Tuesday night, the St. Louis Blues continued adding reinforcements to their organization during the second day of the 2020 NHL Draft on Wednesday afternoon.

The Blues started their second day of selections by taking center Dylan Peterson in the third round at pick No. 86 overall. Peterson, a 6-foot-4, 192-pound Boston University commit, has spent the last two seasons representing the U.S. National Team, scoring seven goals with 15 assists in 50 games.

With their second selection of the third round, the Blues took defenseman Leo Loof from Karlstad, Sweden. Loof stands at 6-foot-1 and 179 pounds and is highly regarded for his physical presence and stickhandling skills.

In the fourth round, the Blues selected center Tanner Dickinson, a Perrysburg, Ohio native who spent last season playing for the Soo Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League. Over 64 games, the 6-foot, 189-pound Dickinson scored nine goals with 31 assists. He’s drawn praise for his speed and explosive skating ability.

With the No. 150 overall selection in Round 5, the Blues took defenseman Matthew Kessel from UMass-Amhert. Kessel, a 6-foot-3, 203-pound blueliner, led UMass d-men with seven goals and also contributed four assists over 34 games.

The Blues added to their goaltending depth in the sixth round, selecting 6-foot-4, 185-pound Will Cranley from the Ottawa 67’s of the OHL. After posting a 3.46 goals-against average and an .868 save percentage in 11 games with the 67’s in 2018-19, Cranley took a step forward in 2019-20, posting a 2.81 GAA with an .894 save percentage over 21 games. He had a a shutout streak of 159:36 in January.

With their final selection, the Blues took Noah Beck, a 6-foot-3, 192-pound defenseman who is committed to Clarkson University. Over 42 games for the Fargo Force of the USHL last season, Beck had four goals and 23 assists.