Who to Watch at Traverse City

The Traverse City Prospects Tournament will take place from Sept. 16-20 in Traverse City, Michigan. The Blues’ division also includes Chicago, Columbus and Detroit – it’s a round-robin format with the winners of each division facing off in the championship game on Sept. 20.

For many of these players, it will be the first time they have played in front of so many NHL scouts and executives, and it’s a big chance for them to make a good first impression.

Here’s a list of who to watch:

Jordan Schmaltz – Defenseman Schmaltz, a North Dakota alum, is the lone first round draft pick on the team (2012). Schmaltz was one of the leaders of last year’s Traverse team and led the Chicago Wolves defense with 36 points in his first pro season in 2015-16. Schmaltz will be facing off against his brother, Nick, who was the Blackhawks’ first round pick in 2014

Ivan Barbashev – Forward Barbashev was taken with the 2nd round draft pick that the Blues originally acquired when they traded David Perron to Edmonton for Magnus Paajarvi. Now the trade has come full …

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