In the Copycat NHL, It Pays to Be Different Michael Pelts | August 24, 2019 When it comes to building an NHL roster through free agency, it does not pay to copy the blueprint of the reigning Stanley Cup champions. There is a tendency for…
St. Louis Blues 2019-20 Breakout Candidates Michael Pelts | July 28, 2019 The Stanley Cup Champion St. Louis Blues are largely bringing back the same roster, with just Ivan Barbashev and Joel Edmundson left as restricted free-agents to sign. This continuity allows…
3 Takeaways From the Blues’ Stanley Cup Victory Michael Pelts | June 25, 2019 The St. Louis Blues ended a season, in which they found themselves in last place in early January, by winning their first Stanley Cup in franchise history. With that sort…
Blues Must Exploit Strengths to Win the Stanley Cup Michael Pelts | May 29, 2019 The St. Louis Blues are playing in their first Stanley Cup Final in 49 years, and Game 1 did not go according to plan. The Boston Bruins were significantly better…
Blues’ Dunn & Parayko Pairing Could Pay Dividends Michael Pelts | May 17, 2019 With the drama of Game 3 between the St. Louis Blues and San Jose Sharks in the Western Conference Final taking most of the conversation over the last day, I…
Maroon Is Earning His Place in Blues’ History Michael Pelts | May 1, 2019 Patrick Maroon scored the game-winning goal with under two minutes to go in the St. Louis Blues’ Game 3 victory over the Dallas Stars. The hometown kid from Oakville, Missouri…
Depth is the Blues’ Biggest Asset Against the Stars Michael Pelts | April 27, 2019 The St. Louis Blues’ primary asset is depth. Their roster is full of players who create offensive chances while they are on the ice. As I mentioned in a previous…
Blues’ First Round Victory by the Numbers Michael Pelts | April 22, 2019 On Saturday, the St. Louis Blues clinched a first round playoff series victory over the Winnipeg Jets by winning game six. Jaden Schwartz led the Blues to a 3-2 victory,…
Blues’ Success Hinges on Analytics & Matchups Michael Pelts | April 9, 2019 As the NHL season heads into the playoffs and the St. Louis Blues prepare to take on the Winnipeg Jets in the first round, I had the opportunity to take…
Are the St. Louis Blues for Real? Michael Pelts | March 29, 2019 The St. Louis Blues have had a strange season. General manager Doug Armstrong made waves over the summer by acquiring star center Ryan O’Reilly on the same day he picked…
Blues Need Dunn on the Ice Michael Pelts | March 24, 2019 This season Vince Dunn has set a career high in both goals and points with 11 and 33, respectively, but it is his advanced stats that have been truly outstanding.…
Hockey Analytics & Advanced Stats Can Take out the Guesswork Michael Pelts | March 20, 2019 Dylan Strome is tearing it up for the Chicago Blackhawks after putting up paltry numbers the last two seasons for the Arizona Coyotes, the team that drafted him third overall…
Michael Pelts 
