{"id":555251,"date":"2026-04-18T12:45:15","date_gmt":"2026-04-18T12:45:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/555251\/"},"modified":"2026-04-18T12:45:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-18T12:45:15","slug":"three-players-the-blues-could-target-with-the-11th-overall-pick","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/555251\/","title":{"rendered":"Three Players the Blues Could Target With the 11th Overall Pick"},"content":{"rendered":"

As the Blues sit today, they\u2019re projected to make their first selection of the 2025 NHL Draft at 11th overall. The May 5 lottery could shift that reality or not at all, but the range itself is beginning to take shape. If the Blues remain in this window, the board offers a mix of skill, projection, and identity fits that align with where the organization is headed.<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t a prediction, rather more of a preparation exercise. It\u2019s a look at three players who reasonably project to be available in the 10\u201314 range and who fit the Blues\u2019 development timeline, organizational needs, and stylistic preferences. Each brings something different. Each fills a different lane. And each represents a version of what the Blues could become.<\/p>\n

Here are three players who could be on the board when St. Louis steps to the podium.<\/p>\n

Bj\u00f6rck is one of those prospects whose stat line doesn\u2019t tell the whole story until you place it in context. Six goals and 15 points in 42 SHL games won\u2019t jump off the page, but the SHL is a league where teenagers rarely get minutes, let alone produce. Bj\u00f6rck finished ninth in scoring on a Djurg\u00e5rdens team that finished ninth of 14 teams in the league, and more importantly, he finished fourth in scoring among all U18 players in the SHL. <\/p>\n

Listed at 5\u201910\u201d and 172 pounds, Bj\u00f6rck plays with the kind of pace and interior competitiveness that translates. He\u2019s a right\u2011shot forward who can play center or wing, and his postseason run with Djurg\u00e5rdens\u2019 U20 team where he put together seven goals and 16 points in eight games showed exactly what he looks like when he\u2019s playing against his own age group. He drives play, he attacks seams, and he has the kind of dual\u2011threat profile the Blues have leaned toward in recent drafts.<\/p>\n

If the Blues want a forward who blends skill with pace and projects as a long\u2011term middle\u2011six driver, Bj\u00f6rck is the kind of player who fits the identity they\u2019ve been building.<\/p>\n

Rudolph is the kind of defenseman who forces his way into the conversation. His 28 goals and 78 points in 68 WHL games is an absurd number for a defenseman, let alone one who just turned 18. He finished third in scoring among all WHL defensemen and led his entire team in points. At 6\u20192\u201d and 203 pounds, he\u2019s not doing this as an undersized rover, he\u2019s doing it as a physically mature, right\u2011shot defender who controls games with the puck.<\/p>\n

\"Prince<\/a>Prince Albert Raiders defenceman Daxon Rudolph, (Mark Peterson\/Prince Albert Raiders)<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a confidence to Rudolph\u2019s game that stands out immediately. He activates, he drives offense, and he plays with a level of assertiveness that NHL teams covet in modern top\u2011four defensemen. His shot is a real weapon. His transition game is clean. And his production isn\u2019t empty calories, but the byproduct of a player who touches the puck constantly and dictates pace.<\/p>\n

If the Blues want a right\u2011shot defenseman with legitimate top\u2011four upside, Rudolph is one of the most compelling options who could realistically be available at 11. He fits the organizational need, the timeline, and the stylistic shift toward defenders who can move the puck with purpose.<\/p>\n

Share Blue Notes Rising<\/a><\/p>\n

Belchetz is one of the most fascinating players in this range because his profile is built on both dominance and projection. At 6\u20195\u201d and 227 pounds, he\u2019s one of the most physically imposing forwards in the draft, but his game isn\u2019t built on size alone. He scored 34 goals and 59 points in 57 games for Windsor, finishing fourth on his team in scoring and 15th among all U18 players in the OHL.<\/p>\n

His season was cut short on March 4 after suffering a broken left clavicle, but before the injury he had become one of the fastest\u2011rising players in the class. His combination of size, touch, and scoring instincts is rare. He plays inside contact, he finishes plays, and he has the kind of frame that NHL teams dream about developing. Windsor finished as the second\u2011best team in the Western Conference and is undefeated in the postseason after sweeping Guelph and Flint \u2014 and Belchetz was a major part of his teams identity before going down.<\/p>\n

If the Blues want a power winger with real scoring upside and long\u2011term top\u2011six potential, Belchetz is the kind of swing that could pay off in a big way. He\u2019s the archetype of a player who could go earlier than expected or fall right into St. Louis\u2019 lap.<\/p>\n

The Blues\u2019 draft position could change with the May 5 Draft Lottery, but the range they occupy today offers a mix of skill, projection, and identity fits that align with where the organization is headed. Bj\u00f6rck brings pace and play\u2011driving. Rudolph brings offense from the blue line and legitimate top\u2011four potential. Belchetz brings size, scoring, and long\u2011term upside.<\/p>\n

If the Blues remain at 11, these are three players who could define the conversation.<\/p>\n

And once the lottery settles the board, the picture becomes clearer and that\u2019s when the real work begins.<\/p>\n

Leave a comment<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As the Blues sit today, they\u2019re projected to make their first selection of the 2025 NHL Draft at…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":555252,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5120],"tags":[71,5,4,534,84,5285,5284],"class_list":{"0":"post-555251","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-st-louis-blues","8":"tag-blues","9":"tag-hockey","10":"tag-nhl","11":"tag-st-louis","12":"tag-st-louis-blues","13":"tag-stlouis","14":"tag-stlouisblues"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/555251","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=555251"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/555251\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/555252"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=555251"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=555251"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=555251"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}