With their final pick of the 2022 NHL Draft, the St. Louis Blues chose forward Landon Sim. They chose Sim in the sixth round, with the 184th pick overall.
Landon Sim, Right Wing (Pick No. 184) (5-foot-11, 174 pounds)
Central Scouting Ranking (North America): 215th / THW Ranking: Not Ranked (NR)
The last sixth-round pick to make it and play key minutes for the Blues was Sammy Blais in 2014, who they chose with the 176th pick. Other than that, it’s a hard round to find players that work out. Before Blais, the Blues got defenseman Roman Polak in 2004, and he played 806 NHL games.
Related: 2022 NHL Draft Guide
It’s likely a shot in the dark with Sim, but it’s not that surprising of a pick. Landon’s father Jon Sim, who played 469 NHL games, is a part-time amateur scout in the Blues organization. His father was a third-round pick by the Dallas Stars and won a Stanley Cup with them in 1999.
Overview: What Sim Does Well
Sim is a gritty player, who isn’t afraid to mix it up with the opponent despite his frame. He scored 12 goals in 64 games for the London Knights in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) in the 2021-22 season. He is a classic goalscorer and pest, an ideal player for any team that wants a bottom-six forward that will mix it up.
As this video above shows, he jumps into the rush and scores goals if he’s set up by a teammate. He may not score a lot of goals on his own, but he will be good in the dirty areas to score. He compared his play style to Brendan Gallagher, who has had a lot of NHL success as an undersized forward.
Another season with the Knights should help him develop his game, but there are definite traits in his game that could make him a useful player in the Blues’ system. The comparison that he made for himself with Gallagher makes a ton of sense, he is similar to his father in his play style, but the Gallagher comparison is even closer.
Overview: What Sim Needs to Work On
As is the case with most late-round prospects, he has plenty of upgrades to make within his game. Becoming a more responsible defensive forward would help his case to rise up the ranks in the Blues’ system. I’m not looking for him to be a two-way forward by any means, but having that ability to frustrate the opponent and score dirty goals would be more than ideal for Sim’s development.
The work ethic and in-your-face style of play can work in spurts at the NHL level, and that would be the most ideal scenario for Sim. I believe that if he develops and has a good season for London, he’ll be on the radar for the Springfield Thunderbirds of the American Hockey League (AHL), the Blues’ affiliate.
Scout and Draft Analyst Thoughts
“I like getting into it with guys,” the 17-year-old from New Glasgow, N.S., said with a grin. “I have a couple of fights (this year) so I’m not scared to get in the mix and in the middle of stuff. I put (Lockhart) off his game and he didn’t do much after that. People like to see that you’re doing more than just scoring.”
– Landon Sim (from, ‘Landon Sim loves to get under skin of Knights’ opponents,’ The London Free Press, Feb. 4, 2022)
Sim’s Overall Upside
I’m going to shoot it straight here, the upside for Sim is likely a low-level fourth-line winger, and not on an every-night basis. I obviously hope to be wrong here, but I don’t know if he will be able to reach the NHL. He has a quality bloodline with his father, but that can only take you so far.
I hope he can become like Gallagher, and the upcoming season in the OHL could be a sign of how far he can go. He’s most definitely the type of player that the Blues fans would love if he makes it here, a player that the opponents hate to play against, but would love to have. That’s the best way I can describe Sim’s game and upside.