The St. Louis Blues have officially kicked off their 2023-24 season preparation this past week with training camp officially underway. With news of a new team captain and a veteran member of the roster skating after an off-ice injury, there’s plenty of news to talk about ahead of the season.
Here’s a look at all of the latest Blues news, notes, and rumors..
Blues Name Schenn 24th Team Captain in Franchise History
The Blues officially named forward Brayden Schenn their newest team captain on Tuesday, Sept. 19th. The move officially fills the vacancy left by former captain Ryan O’Reilly after his trade to the Toronto Maple Leafs ahead of the 2023 NHL trade deadline.
Schenn, 32, is entering his seventh season with the Blues and has been a key component to the Blues success over his time in St. Louis, including the club’s 2019 championship season. Last season he skated in all 82 games, posting 21 goals and 65 points. He has amassed 341 points (131 goals, 210 assists) in 425 regular season games with the Blues.
Krug Could Return for Season Opener
While he was not on the ice for the official practice with his teammates, Blues defenseman Torey Krug was on the ice for the first two days of training camp taking shots against the goalies. When asked about his potential return, Blues general manager Doug Armstrong stated:
“My understanding is he’s doing very well. Yes, I think he’ll get some exhibition games in. I’m not a doctor, but I’m hoping that he gets back (for the regular season opener). It was on-ice stuff.”
While it may have been expected Krug would be moved ahead of the start of training camp after he blocked a trade to the Philadelphia Flyers, he appears to be among the group of defensemen competing for ice time at the beginning of the season. With the return of defenseman Scott Perunovich, it is yet to be seen how Blues head coach Craig Berube will utilize the two in tandem as they both offer a relatively similar offensive skill set and style of play.
Training Camp Under Way
The Blues have kicked off their preseason exhibition matches with a split-squad set of games against the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday. With the Coyotes also playing an international series against the Los Angeles Kings in Australia, the Blues got the deeper side of their prospect pool as they split the day with a 1-1 record.
Among the standouts on the ice during the first game of the day, Perunovich finished the game registering an assist on the goal by forward Oskar Sundqvist, one shot on goal, a blocked shot, and a plus-three rating through 25:15 of time on ice. After the game, he said:
“It went good, I felt pretty good. The team was moving. It’s nice being out there with Parayko. He makes it a lot easier. He talks out on the ice and kind of helps me through it, especially early on. It was a good start for the team. Each game you get more and more confident about your game and you’re healthy. Just one after another, try and take it slow and keep a positive mindset.”
Perunovich will be among a group of several players with hopes to make the opening night roster. With long-term injuries over the past two seasons, he has only had the opportunity to appear in 19 regular season games and seven playoff games.
Fighting For Roster Spots
While there may not be many roster spots up for discussion, forwards Nick Ritchie and Isaac Ratcliffe saw their first games today as they continue to push for a contract with the club beyond their current professional tryouts. Both forwards were in Witchita for the team’s 5-1 loss to the Coyotes.
Ritchie split the 2022-23 season with the Coyotes and Calgary Flames collecting 26 points (13 goals) in 74 games. Drafted 10th overall in 2014 by the Anaheim Ducks, Ritchie has not lived up to the hype of a top 10 draft choice playing for four different squads over the last three seasons. Should he earn a contract with the Blues, the 6-foot-3, 236-pound forward will likely fit in on the fourth line.
In the case of Ratcliffe, the 24-year-old drafted 35th overall in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft by the Philadelphia Flyers, split last season between the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms and Milwaukee Admirals, collecting 20 points (six goals, 14 assists) and 68 penalty minutes in 47 regular-season games. It is unclear where he would fit in with the Blues’ current roster and could be destined for a spot in the AHL on the Springfield Thunderbirds roster.
The Blues will return to action Tuesday, Sept. 26 against the Columbus Blue Jackets at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis at 7 pm CST as they kick off a three-game week against the Chicago Blackhawks and Dallas Stars as well.