Breaking down new Canucks prospect Josh Bloom’s game

The Canucks made a small potatoes trade in the grand scheme of things, but picking up Josh Bloom in exchange for Riley Stillman is good business in terms of value gained.

We all know what Stillman was on this roster. He was a depth defenceman who severely struggled with the Canucks. At five-on-five, Stillman was on the ice for 17 goals scored and 31 goals against — that’s a 35.4% control of the goal share, which is not good. He is also on the books for $1,350,000 for this season and next. In terms of shedding a small salary, this is good news for the Canucks, and on top of it, they got themselves a 19-year-old prospect who is a top-tier penalty killer in the OHL.

Josh Bloom was selected in the third round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft after going a full year without playing a game in the OHL. The OHL had his draft year cancelled due to COVID and not many OHLers saw their name called in the first three rounds of the 2021 draft due to the lost season. Bloom was one of the 12 OHLers selected in the opening three rounds of the 2021 draft and has produced well since his return to play. Bloom scored 30 goals and added 31 assists in his 2021-22 season with the Saginaw Spirit. Seven of his 30 goals game while shorthanded — which is a spot where he shows extremely well.

Bloom is a 6’2″ winger who has good pace, and the ability to finish. Bloom was the captain of the Spirit before being dealt to the North Bay Battalion earlier this season.

We caught up with Austin Broad of The Charging Buffalo to hear more about a prospect who Broad has followed for a couple of years and really seems to like.

“He’s a good skater. He’s not going to blow the doors off anybody, but he can keep up with the pace of play. He’s got a good shot. Obviously, when you watch him on the penalty kill. You see that he’s got great instincts. He reads the game well. You don’t score that many shorthanded goals without an aggressive mindset and being able to capitalize on some plays. I like that he is very versatile. He’s not an open-ice hitter, but he understands how to use his frame to his advantage.”

Broad said that he had Bloom in the 10-8 range of the Sabres’ prospects before the deal.

Bloom got a chance to skate with Buffalo’s AHL team last year at the conclusion of his OHL season. He learned from former Canuck, and now assistant coach of the Rochester Americans, Michael Peca.

It’s still too early to decide where Bloom fits in on the Canucks’ prospect pipeline but he is certainly intriguing and will be one to follow. There was a 10-game stretch in December where Bloom had 13 goals. That will be nice for our Blackfish Prospects Report, which runs every Tuesday here at CanucksArmy.

Overall, we love the move and it’s nice to see another prospect added to the system.

It feels like an added bonus to not only get Stillman’s money off the books but also sneak in a prospect to the system.

Bloom already has an NHL contract, so, we expect to see him report to Abbotsford at the conclusion of his OHL season, or at least be at development camp this summer. Bloom is still young enough to go back to the OHL next season. We will work on finding out what his intentions are past this season.

Expect to see Bloom pop up in our Blackfish articles in the near future!

Join us on March 3rd for the Daily Faceoff Live: Trade Deadline edition as Frank Seravalli and the panel break down all of the latest rumours, news, and rumblings from around the NHL. The show will be live on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter from 9 AM-1 PM PT to keep you up to date on all things trade deadline no matter where you’re watching from.