Blues general manager Doug Armstrong made two giant splashes during round one of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, trading forward Jori Lehtera in exchange for Brayden Schenn and trading Ryan Reaves to get back into the first round. With all of the excitement, Blues fans seemed to forget that the draft wasn’t over and that the Blues made another four draft picks on day two.

The Blues selected Robert Thomas of the London Knights with the 20th overall pick in the draft before trading Lehtera, their 27th pick (obtained from Washington in the Kevin Shattenkirk trade) and a conditional pick in 2018 for Brayden Schenn.

Then the Blues traded Reaves and their lone second-round draft pick for pick 31 and forward Oskar Sundqvist. With the 31st pick, they selected Russian prospect Klim Kostin of the Dynamo Moskva and may have landed themselves the steal of the draft. Had Kostin not had shoulder problems last season he likely would have been a top-10 draft choice. Kostin was NHL’s Central Scouting’s number one rated European prospect.

So, in case you missed it, and even if you didn’t, let’s take a look at the rest of St. Louis’ 2017 draft choices.

Round 4, Pick 113 – Alexei Toropchenko

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Position: Right wing

Shoots: Left

Height / Weight: 6-foot-3, 187 pounds

Age: 18

Nation: Russia

After trading their second-round draft pick to Pittsburgh, the Blues would have to wait until Round 4 to make their next selection. With the 113th pick, they selected Alexei Toropchenko.

The 18-year-old was not a highly-regarded prospect for most of the 2016-17 season but as the draft closed in, Toropchenko’s stock began to rise. TheDraftAnalyst.com ranked him at 208 pre-September, but Toropchenko ended up at 62 in their final rankings. His stock improved due to his breakout season with HK MVD Balashikha of the MHL, where he tallied 31 points in 42 games.

Toropchenko fits the mold of a Blues forward. He is a two-way player with size that is still growing into his 6-foot-3, 187-pound frame. He is known for his ability to change speeds and has an accelerating burst in breakaway situations. Nicknamed the “garbage man” by his teammates for his uncanny ability to wreak havoc in front of the net and put rebounds home. Okay, not really, but he is great in front of the net. Toropchenko will only improve as he continues to grow into his already big frame.

He also has a connection with Kostin, the Blues 31st overall pick. They were teammates during the Ivan Hlinka tournament in 2016-17 and they played together for Dynamo Moscow’s U-17 team. Toropchenko had 13 goals and 11 assists in 30 games, while Kostin had 10 goals and five assists in 10 games.

Round 5, Pick 130 – David Noël

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