The St. Louis Blues didn’t have a first-round pick in 2019, so their first pick in round one since winning the Stanley Cup came in 2020 with Jake Neighbours. It was an important decision after the organization failed in 2018 with first-round pick Dominik Bokk. In the era of general manager Doug Armstrong, the Blues have been hit or miss in first-round picks with the best being Jaden Schwartz and Vladimir Tarasenko in 2010, and Robert Thomas in 2017. Failures include Bokk in 2018 and Jordan Schmaltz in 2012 with others being mostly neutral. The club has a knack for finding quality players outside of the top 10 in most drafts under the guidance of Armstrong.
There is no doubt that Neighbours has already made a major impact in a short period with the club. Let’s get into why Armstrong nailed it with this 2020 selection.
Neighbours Breaking Out This Season
The 2023-24 season has been one of major growth for Neighbours. He has been a versatile forward for the club with stints on several forward lines throughout the season. They have given him every opportunity to grow and it has worked out.
In 51 games this season, Neighbours has 18 goals and 23 points. He’s also gotten nearly three more minutes of average ice time from last season. He’s going to easily eclipse 20 goals and could threaten 30 with his role on the second line and top power-play unit. He has a shooting percentage of 19.4, but that will likely come down a little bit over time. However, it’s encouraging that he has nearly reached 20 goals in fewer than 60 games before developing into a consistent stud. On top of scoring production, he’s also thrown 90 hits, has 22 takeaways, and just seven giveaways.
The ability to switch him between any of the top three lines is a great thing for interim head coach Drew Bannister to have in his back pocket. The versatility and disruptive style that Neighbours brings is what a lot of coaches should want in their young players. I think the club has done a great job in developing him.
Neighbours Will Be a Staple for a Long Time
Neighbours is the type of player that the Blues will want to keep around for a long time. He’s a future two-way staple with a lot of ability in all three zones. He has shown a lot of promise of what he will become as a complete player for many seasons to come. It’s a credit to Armstrong and the Blues’ front office. Taking Neighbours with the 26th overall pick wasn’t the most obvious pick either, so the scouting staff did a great job.
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Neighbours is the first wave of post-Cup first-round picks with the Blues making five first-round selections since adding him. It remains to be seen what the other five first-round picks will become. Currently, 2021 first-round pick Zachary Bolduc is down in the American Hockey League (AHL), 2022 first-round pick Jimmy Snuggerud is tearing it up at the University of Minnesota, and the three 2023 first-rounders are overseas or playing in juniors. There’s a lot of promise within the future of the franchise with how the front office has approached the last few drafts.
Regardless of what happens with the others, Neighbours has been a joy to watch this season. He will continue to be a major part of the organization moving forward. It’ll be interesting to see whether he can reach 30 goals this season with 31 games to go. The Blues got it right in the first round of the 2020 Draft.
