Ponich signed

[stlbluz]

St. Louis Blues President John Davidson announced Tuesday the club has signed defenseman Brett Ponich.

Ponich will remain with his junior team, the Portland Winterhawks throughout the Western Hockey League’s (WHL) playoffs.

Ponich, 19, has spent the past four seasons with the Winterhawks of the WHL.

This season, the 6’7”, 215-pound defenseman has played in 66 games for the Winterhawks, tallying a goal and 13 assists for 14 points while serving 87 penalty minutes. Ponich is currently in the postseason with Portland and has registered one goal and two penalty minutes in five games played.

Overall, the Edmonton, Alberta native has made 204 appearances for Portland, amassing 35 points on two goals and 33 assists while collecting 267 penalty minutes.

Ponich was the Blues’ second round selection (48th overall) in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

also of note: the Blues have offered a contract to Russian Evgeny Skachkov, who they drafted in the 7th round of the 2003 draft.

[glen a richter]

[northwest dave]

Saw the kid play last night in game 6 of the 1st round.

He is project...a big project. He has the size and plays well positionally, but he needs to get a little more aggressive. He can be a little frustrating to watch because you want him to hit because of his size. To note, he hardly plays an offensive game...rarely is he on the PP. He is on the #1 PK unit though.

Another note. Kyle Beach is going to one player you will love to hate for the Blackhawks (plays for Spokane who the winterhawks are playing in the 1st round). The dude is good but is a ticking time bomb. He still hasn't figured out how to manage his emotions.

Oh...and Nino Niederreiter wouldn't be a bad sneaker pick on the Winterhawks.

[stlbluz]

How's his skating? I've heard mixed reviews.

[northwest dave]

How's his skating? I've heard mixed reviews.

Average to less than. But his size and positioning make up for it. And he has patience with the puck and when defending. He's more willing to use the poke check in the corner than lay someone out. Although he has some good fights (you can google them), I wish he would use his size more and play with an edge. There were moments last night when he could have goaded Beach into something stupid, but he didn't.

His stick handling also needs some work. He's not horrible, but if he wants to be a steady NHL player and not another Todd Reirden, he'll need to improve. He's decent at passing, but he isn't the best to skate it out of the zone with the puck.

He's a project and it will be a couple years before we see if he's the real deal. He could develop into quite a nice player and he's improved ALOT in the pass 2 years...especially this year.

[WaukeeBlues]

Good to hear NW Dave, thanks for the input!

[stlbluz]

Thanks for the info Dave, keep it coming.

[richtedm]

This will be a fun prospect to watch so long as people don't start projecting him into NHL lineups anytime soon. Years from now we could be happy about this pick.

He's back in the WHL next season, right? Or will he be eligible for the AHL?

[stlbluz]

I would guess that the earliest that we'd see him is 4 years. A lot can happen in that time, good or bad.

[Robb_K]

I read that they expect him back with The Winterhawks next season, and he'll come to Peoria in 2011-12. The signing was just to take the pressure off Blues' management to have him signed within the 2-year limit. They don't want to leave it to the last minute and possibly lose him.

[glen a richter]

The real question will soon be, when are we expected to see A. Nigro in the note?

[stlbluz]

The real question will soon be, when are we expected to see A. Nigro in the note?

I miss Mayers too but I don't think he'll be back.

[northwest dave]

The Winterhawks won game 7 last night in overtime.


Now they go on to round two against Vancouver. Which means I'll get to see Ponich more.

[glen a richter]

The real question will soon be, when are we expected to see A. Nigro in the note?

I miss Mayers too but I don't think he'll be back.

I actually meant Fred Brathwaite

[northwest dave]

Ponich Update: Game 1 Conference Semi-Finals

Watching the WinterHawks is kind of like watching the Blues. The boys lost 9-6 last night in Game 1. They spent the entire game trying to catch up to Vancouver and when they did tie it, the Giants scored 2 mins later.

As for Ponich. An OK night. He had 2 assist and was a -1. One of the assist was a nice pass on the PK that sprung Stefan Schneider. Unfortunately, Ponich had a couple of goals on him that were tough. One 2 on 1 that he failed to stop a pass or a shot. And another where he couldn't get a handle on a bouncing puck. However, he made some good defensive plays during the game. Plays that don't get noticed, but are effective in slowing a fast, puck-possession team like Vancouver. And that sums up Ponich...he makes good defensive plays routinely, but they aren't flashing. I'm thinking he's a cross between Finley and Salvador...but obviously bigger and a little gawky still.

Ponich also had 10 PIM after a melee with 5 minutes left. It was a cheap hit from behind on a Hawks player. Ponich came flying in a yanked two Giants off the pile and basically held both of them all the while throwing a few shots when he could. It was nice to see him fired up.

Other notes. Ryan Johansen and Nino Niederreiter are really gaining some stock for this year's draft. Really hope the Blues can snag one of them. Both really shifty with the puck and have decent size.

Game 2 is tonight. I'll be there hoping the boys can play more of a consistent game and even the series. Hope to have another report.

[stlbluz]

Thanks for the update. If he's anything close to Salvy the I'll be happy.