The St. Louis Blues preseason and training camp has officially come to a close. As the team prepares for their first official practice of the 2023-24 season, let’s take a look back at what has happened over the past week.
Here’s a look at all of the latest Blues news, notes, and rumors.
Blues Wrap on Preseason
The Blues concluded their preseason action with a satisfying 4-2-2 record. Forward Robert Thomas tied for the NHL leader in goals scoring five over the course of four exhibition games. He concluded his preseason with five goals and six points in four games. Thomas’ linemate Jordan Kyrou also got in on the scoring action tying for third across the league in assists with five. He finished the preseason with one goal and six points through four games.
Looking to the rest of the team, here are a few of the standout performances from the preseason:
- Jakub Vrana – three goals and five points in five games
- Scott Perunovich – three assists in five games
- Pavel Buchnevich – one goal and four points in four games
- Kevin Hayes – four assists in four games
- Torey Krug – four assists in three games
The skaters were not the only ones that made a strong impression during the preseason. Starting goaltender Jordan Binnington captured three wins through four preseason appearances allowing five goals on 62 shots. He finished the preseason with a 1.88 goals-against average (GAA) and a .919 save percentage (SV%).
Joel Hofer through four games allowed five goals on 66 shots against. He recorded three wins along with a 2.16 GAA, and a .924 SV%. Binnington and Hofer were also two of only eight goaltenders to appear in four preseason games. Of that group, both netminders ranked as the number one and two in each of the GAA and SV% categories, respectively.
Blues Make Final Roster Cuts
The Blues finalized their roster after announcing forwards Zachary Bolduc, Zach Dean, Mathias Laferriere, and defenseman Matthew Kessel to the Springfield Thunderbirds. Additionally, it was announced that the Blues would be placing forwards MacKenzie MacEachern, Nathan Walker, defenseman Calle Rosen, and goaltender Malcolm Subban all on waivers. The team appears set to move forward carrying one extra forward and two extra defensemen on their roster.
With the announcement of the team complete, the Blues will also be moving forward with defenseman Scott Perunovich and forward Nikita Alexandrov on the roster after an impressive last few games of the preseason. The decision to keep Perunovich and the young, gritty defenseman Tyler Tucker in the NHL secured the fate of Rosen. While Rosen (29) has played well for the Blues in the past, scoring 10 goals and 25 points while recording a plus-17 rating through 67 regular season games over the past two seasons, the long-term upside of Tucker and Perunovich remains too great to risk either player to be claimed on the waiver wire.
In Case You Missed It
ACHA National Championship returns to St. Louis
On Oct. 2, the American Collegiate Hockey Association, the governing body for non-varsity collegiate hockey in the United States, announced that it has selected St. Louis as the site for the ACHA National Championships presented by FloHockey in 2025, 2027, and 2028. The ACHA will also have an option to bring the event to St. Louis in 2026. The games are set to be played at Centene Community Ice Center, the site of the Blues’ practice facility. The tournaments are all scheduled to be played in mid-March.
“Based on discussions with team representatives at the recent ACHA Annual Meeting regarding locations for our National Championships for 2025 and beyond, our members clearly enjoyed the hospitality and convenience afforded by St. Louis,” said ACHA Executive Director Craig Barnett. “Knowing that, it just made perfect sense to seek a longer-term commitment in St. Louis at the Centene Community Ice Center. The St. Louis Sports Commission and the St. Louis Blues are committed to hosting the ACHA’s marquee event, and we trust ACHA student-athletes, coaches, and fans will have a tremendous experience on and off the ice in the Heartland of Hockey.”
2024 Blues Hall of Fame To Be Announced on Oct. 19
The Blues announced their second Hall of Fame class will be announced later this month at their Oct. 19 game against the Arizona Coyotes. The Blues Hall of Fame was established in 2023 to commemorate the players, coaches, broadcasters, and management who have made outstanding contributions to the franchise.
The inaugural class featured 11 former players – Red Berenson, Bernie Federko, Bob Gassoff, Glenn Hall, Brett Hull, Al MacInnis, Barclay Plager, Bob Plager, Chris Pronger, Brian Sutter and Garry Unger – alongside legendary coach Scotty Bowman, longtime broadcaster Dan Kelly and original Blues owners Sid Salomon Jr. and Sid Salomon III.
The Blues will open the regular season on Oct. 12 in Dallas before returning to St. Louis for the home opener on Oct. 14 vs. the Seattle Kraken.
