Q & A with Jay Bouwmeester

Blues defenseman healthy again after groin 

injury hampered him for much of last season

By LOU KORAC
HAZELWOOD, Mo. -- Jay Bouwmeester saw his ironman streak come to an end at 737 regular season games last season following a groin injury Nov. 22 at Ottawa last season.

The Blues' defenseman never seemed to be himself again following the injury.

Bouwmeester has since returned to St. Louis and began his informal workouts with Blues teammates ahead of the opening of training camp and said he feels good again. He also touches on what went wrong with the Blues last season, among other topics:

Jay Bouwmeester

Do you have to think about what happened last season and learn from the experience or move on, turn the page?
You have to learn from it. I think you have to think about it. That's what we do. You can't just totally turn the page at the end of the year. It's one of those things where you try to sort out what you can get better at coming into next year and you need to prepare to make those things happen. At the same time, you do have to turn the page and you have to keep it exciting. If you're not excited or having fun, you're not going to keep doing it. It's a new year; it doesn't matter now what happened last year; it doesn't matter what happened two years ago. You start from scratch. You take all those lessons you learned and you incorporate it into everything you're doing now. You're going to play 82 games and hopefully you're in the playoffs.

Where are you at health-wise? Do you feel like you're back to feeling like yourself pre-injury?
I feel good. I've had a good summer training and doing all that. I've been skating a lot. Yeah, I don't have any worries or concerns. ... I think at the end of the year, it would just take some time. I had a lot of things going on at the end of the year last year. It was good to just kind of remove yourself and just kind of turn your mind off of hockey for a little bit. That refreshes you. As time goes on, you start getting excited and you know you're coming back here. Once you get back here, it's sort of back to business. Everything went well this summer. I'm in the same mode as everyone else; happy to be back.

How different is it going to be without some players that have been staples in this locker room (Barret Jackman, T.J. Oshie)?
Different for sure. I haven't been here for as long as some other guys that have been here with them, but those are two of the main guys. There is always change no matter where you are. There's always guys, whether it be significant guys like that ... we didn't have a lot of change but I think the two guys are guys that people are familiar with. It's all sort of the business. You get used to it. You play long enough where good friends move on, you move on and there's always fresh faces, I guess. That's the way it goes.

Did you expect more change after last year or was a tweak or two enough?
If you look back, we had a good year and then didn't do as well as we wanted in the playoffs. So yeah, for sure, we have to sit back and look at what went wrong and what you need to do to improve and all that individually as a team. I don't think you're at a point where you start tearing it apart and start from scratch because there's a pretty good foundation here. It's harder than ever to advance, to make the playoffs number one, and when you get there, it's more a situation ever now, I think, is as long as you get in, you've got a chance. Just as good a chance as anyone else. For us, hopefully we can take those experiences we've had and when the time comes and we get there ... it's a long season, hopefully put it into place.

How different will the defense be without two veterans and relying more on younger guys like Petteri Lindbohm and Robert Bortuzzo?
It'll be different. It's a couple younger guys I guess, but I think it's good. Nowadays, you look around and it's more than ever a young man's league. Both of those guys came in last year and showed they can play. They've got to be excited of course. It's good when you have fresh blood. That excitement kind of wears off on guys.

Q & A with David Backes

Blues captain wants to see group bind together and work towards 

making team not only strong regular season team but playoff team

By LOU KORAC
HAZELWOOD, Mo. -- Blues forward David Backes will be entering his 10th season in the NHL and fifth as captain.

He'll begin his first full season as a new father to a daughter, Stella.

Backes, who had 26 goals and 58 points in 80 games during the regular season, reflects on changes made by the team to improve this season, his feelings on where the team needs to go and embracing coach Ken Hitchcock behind the bench again.

See what he has to say here:

David Backes

Fans expected massive turnover after last season; what's your take on the changes that were made?
There were some big changes made. If you were expecting 23 new faces to be on the roster this year, I don't think that was realistic. You've seen two guys that were core parts of the leadership group that were core parts of building an awesome St. Louis Blues culture of hard work. A guy you thought was going to be a Blue for life in Barret Jackman and another guy that was the face of the franchise in T.J. Oshie that aren't here anymore. ... We expect Troy (Brouwer) to be a huge part of this thing going forward. We're going to miss those guys in the room and on the ice, but there has been some changeover and I think it's pretty significant. It's up to us as a group now to come together, bind together, become a unit of one and go out there and execute a game plan that's put in front of us and win games.

Do you think the new guys are going to help you get where you want to be?
That's the trust in the management and the decisions they're making that they're making those for the better of the team. It's up to us in the room to find common ground and a connection with all 23 guys and probably a few more that are going to be in and out of town that that group of guys is cohesive and we're all on the same page and working together towards a common goal, and that's winning games each and every game that we're up against; whether that's regular season or postseason.

When you hear coach Ken Hitchcock talk about getting back to being reckless or playing faster, what does that tell you as players?
Reckless for a 63-year-old man might be different than reckless for some young bucks, but I think he's obviously a guy that still lives in the game and watches a ton of hockey. He's seen something that's going to be tweaked in our systems where we are more reckless and more on the move and playing a faster game rather than slowing it down. Not that we played slow but making that fast game our identity and trending in that direction and getting transition, capitalizing on odd-man rushes and being more dangerous off the rush. That makes us a better team. He puts the work in, he puts the game plan in along with the other coaches. It's up to us as the leadership group, as captains to sell that to the guys and lead by example and everyone else jump on board, follow it and when we do that, we're a helluva good team.

Were there too many ups and downs in last season's team game rather than individual players?
To think that we're going to be a perfect, consistent level all year I think is a fallacy for 82 games and six or seven months. When we have those downs and putting them behind us and bringing our best game the next day or when we have a great game, putting that behind us and preparing for the next game on a consistent basis and not dwelling on, 'Oh, we beat a good team by a large margin,' people start getting too ahead of themselves. Same thing when we lose to a team by a bigger margin, people get ahead of themselves and push the panic button. If we just think about the next game preparing for it, the team will level itself out. Players and individual games level themselves out and as a group we'll have a ton more success.

Did you reflect on being ousted from the playoffs last year? If so, how much? Or were you able to turn the page quickly?
If I was to tell you that we lose to Minnesota and I flipped a switch and was golfing all summer and didn't think another thought about it, that would be pretty disappointing and pretty shocking. You wouldn't want that. From me, it was long, individual reflection and then I was here for eight weeks after the season with meetings and conversations and a few beverages to try to talk out and try to solve problems. They've subsided a bit; they haven't completely gone away and we're focused on finding how we take a step forward in the playoffs and not status quo is definitely not acceptable around here. Reflecting on it, yes, and then after reflecting on what happened, you get to the next point and that's problem solutions. Bring me a problem; OK. Bring me a problem with a solution, that's what we're looking for and that's what we spent a ton of time on this summer. 

Do you think players are on board with Hitchcock coming back as coach?
He is our coach. Tough cookies if you don't like it. From my experience, he puts together one heck of a game plan. When it's followed, we have tons of success. Him and the rest of the coaching staff does a fantastic job. It's up to the leadership group, led by myself, to put that game plan into motion and sell it to the rest of the guys. The best way to sell it is to lead by example. We need that core leadership group of three, five, seven guys maybe to be the first bought in. After that, everyone else will tote along and we're going to have tons of success. In the playoffs, it's even more so. It's unselfish, it's team first and it's as a group. As a group, we have success. As individuals, we have plenty of failure.

Do you ever get caught up in the talk of you moving back to the right wing?
I never get caught up in it. It seems like every summer, these conversations happen. You're playing wing, you're playing center. If I told you I knew a concrete answer, I'd lie to you, but it seems as though through injury or through play or Hitch or whatever coach seems to like me playing center, that's where I end up. That being said, I'm open to whatever makes us more successful as a team. It may be a little back and forth depending on, but more than likely, I'll be in the middle and we'll see what happens.

As players wearing the 'A,' are those big shoes to fill replacing Barret Jackman and T.J. Oshie as leaders?
Really heart and soul guys. 'Osh' was a big, emotional leader. 'Jax' was a stalwart and steady guy for us and a huge presence in a room. I've never walked into a St. Louis Blues dressing room without Barret Jackman there. It's going to be something new for me this year. I didn't spend much time on the ice without T.J. Oshie out there. Big changes in my eyes and they'll be sorely missed. We need guys to step up and fill those voids. We need to turn the page as a group because you sit there and play boo-hoo, sorry for yourselves, you've got friends and good friends that have moved on and that have been moved on. That's not productive. They'll be missed, but they're not here and we've got to find ways to have success. Troy Brouwer's a heck of a player and we've got other guys from within to step up on defense and play big roles.

St. Louis among finalists for 2018 World Junior Championships

Buffalo and Pittsburgh chosen as final three 

cities, with one expected to be picked by end of year

By LOU KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- St. Louis was chosen as one of three finalists to host the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championships, USA Hockey announced on Tuesday.

Along with St. Louis, Buffalo and Pittsburgh were named as the other two finalists. Chicago and Tampa were originally among the top five.

The contingency that leads the charge for St. Louis' bid includes the Blues and the St. Louis Sports Commission. The local committee working to bring the tournament to St. Louis includes Blues president and CEO Chris Zimmerman, former Blue and Hockey Hall of Famer Brett Hull, former Blue and United States Hockey Hall of Famer Keith Tkachuk, and Total Hockey Founder Michael Benoit.

A final decision is expected to be announced by the end of the year, and USA Hockey will make a visit to each city in the next month to get final proposals.

"We look forward to this next step in our selection process," said Mike Bertsch, assistant executive director of marketing, communications and events for USA Hockey. "It was extremely difficult to get down to three. All five of the cities we were considering made a compelling case."

If St. Louis is selected, Scottrade Center and Family Arena in St. Charles would be the host sites. The event takes place in late December and into early January.

"The Blues and Scottrade Center, and our partners at the St. Louis Sports Commission, recognized this event would have a scope and the ability to touch our city and region at a level we really haven’t done since the 1904 Olympics," Zimmerman said. "St. Louis has demonstrated its love for sports on so many levels. If you look back to the 2007 Frozen Four, St. Louis had the highest attendance of any arena-based Frozen Four in the history of the event. St. Louis is a great city that really rises to the occasion for these great amateur events."

Buffalo was the most recent host city in the United States in 2011.

Along with hosting the Frozen Four in 2007 and NCAA Regional in 2011, St. Louis will host the 2017 Women's Frozen Four.

Q & A with Alexander Steen

Left wing wants to make his game more consistent across the board 

moving forward, talks of playing with new teammates, losing close ones

By LOU KORAC
HAZELWOOD, Mo. -- Blues left wing and assistant captain Alexander Steen rejoined his teammates last week for informal skates ahead of the start of training camp, which begins with on-ice workouts Friday at Scottrade Center.

Steen, who set career highs in points (64) and assists (40) last season, recently talked about about the Blues' offseason changes, putting last season's disappointment in the rear view mirror and moving on without close friends and how he can help improve his game moving forward:

Alexander Steen

What did you think of the offseason and coming back for the 2015-16 season?
I think we made some good moves. If you look at our team as a whole, we play in my opinion, one of the toughest if not the toughest division in the NHL and we've finished first or second in the last four years. So we have an extremely powerful team. We've gotten stuck in the first rounds the last three years (in the Stanley Cup Playoffs) and the year before that, it was just the second round, so there is obviously an emphasis on that. That's a huge point for us to get to that position again and find our way through that first round. But from a starting point right now, we've made some changes. The biggest thing is to get everybody included right off the bat and to make sure that we work on the details of our game that are going to make us successful throughout the season and then when that time comes, we've got to find that little extra to get past it, but we can't be too focused on that from the get-go. Right now, the focus is getting ready for the season and make sure we get ourselves off to a good start when Oct. 8 comes around.

What are your thoughts about not having T.J. Oshie and Barret Jackman as teammates anymore? And your early impressions of Troy Brouwer, Kyle Brodziak, Scott Gomez and Scottie Upshall?
It's different not seeing 'Osh' and 'Jax' around. Obviously they've been a huge part of our team and a huge part of the community for so many years. 'Jax' has been here for 13-14 years. He still has his family from here, so we'll still see him around, but it's very different not seeing him in the room all the time when you've been that close with guys for so many years. It's a bit of a change. We made some great changes. I just met the guys today. Gomer's very happy-go-lucky, walks around with a smile on his face all the time. Upshall's a very hard worker. Troy seems to be a terrific guy, an extremely hard worker, big body and then Brodziak ... it's funny my dad called me right after we signed Brody and I'd been complaining about him for a few years how hard he is to play against. It's nice to have him on your team.

Do the new guys bring something to the team you didn't have before?
I don't know if it's what we didn't have before. Obviously when you move players, you're going to get new guys in that are a little bit different in the way that they play. With the guys that we bring in, we've got big bodies, extremely hard workers. I don't think that's a huge difference to what the guys were that were leaving. It's so hard to compare when they're completely different players. We're not expecting Troy Brouwer to do things that 'Osh' was doing, but it's a different look and we're excited to see how his game rounds us out. It's a bit of a different look for our team.

Are you a guy that sits back after the season and reflects on what you could have done better or do you park it and move on quickly?
You analyze every year whether it was good or bad. Personally, I think looking back at my year, it was a little bit too much up and down. I had the most points I've ever had in the league, but to me, those things aren't what matters. It's how you feel during the course of the year. For me, I almost want to have a boring style where you're always accountable, you're always the same. You bring the same thing every night. I felt like I was a little too up and down individually last year. I never set goals as numbers ... I want to hit 20 goals or 30 goals or anything like that. It's more of a feeling what you're contributing to the team. That was an emphasis that I put on myself coming into the year. I didn't really change too much of my approach. 

Were the ups and downs reflective more of the team as a whole more?
I don't think it's because of it; I think we had that a little bit. There were times during the year where we were spectacular and then there were times where we couldn't find that same edge on a nightly basis. Those are things we're going to have to adjust a little bit. This dwelling and trying to over-analyze and bring up old situations constantly all the time, it's not a great use of your energy. Obviously you have to learn from it and almost get fueled by it. You are a little pissed off that we do have such a powerful team and can't get past the first opponent that we've had in the last three seasons in the playoffs. That's something that gnaws at you. At the same time, I don't go and dwell on losing the Olympic final, but that's something that always is gonna bother me that we didn't win that game. You've got to use your energy wisely and be positive and from here on, it's about getting everybody in the group and making sure that we're ready for Oct. 8th, getting a really good start to the season and from there, you continue to work on your team throughout the year. If you start the season with your focus on the first round of the playoffs, you're not going to have the right mindset for that game, that night.

Paajarvi focused on finding fit with Blues

Left wing looking to prove he belongs in NHL after successful stint in Chicago

By LOU KORAC
HAZELWOOD, Mo. -- When Magnus Paajarvi played a mere 9 minutes, 20 seconds with the Blues last season on Dec. 16, 2014 against the Los Angeles Kings, it didn't seem that way at the time but 13 days later, it appeared to signal the beginning of the end.

Paajarvi, the enigmatic left wing that came to the Blues via trade July 10, 2013 from the Edmonton Oilers along with a 2014 second-round pick (Ivan Barbashev) for the popular David Perron and a 2015 third-round pick, came to St. Louis the same way be came to Alberta when the Oilers selected him with the 10th pick in the 2009 NHL Draft: with plenty of promise and a lot of hype.

(St. Louis Blues photo)

Magnus Paajarvi (pictured) will vie for a roster spot when the

Blues open training camp Friday.

But in two seasons with the Blues, Paajarvi found himself in a similar situation that he found himself in with the Oilers: on the outside looking in. Cracking the lineup, particularly playing in a top-six role, quickly became an aberration. So in the Blues' situation, they needed roster space to carry three goalies at the time after the signing of Martin Brodeur and with Brian Elliott returning from a knee injury.

On Dec. 29, the Blues placed Paajarvi on waivers, a move that appeared to signal the end of his tenure in St. Louis. But after clearing waivers, Paajarvi was sent to the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League, where he would spend the remainder of the season. 

It wasn't something the 24-year-old expected; it wasn't something Paajarvi wanted. But instead of pouting, instead of fretting over being cast aside by a second NHL franchise, Paajarvi made the most of a challenging situation at the time in hopes of one day earning the trust of the Blues and one day giving himself a shot of being on their radar again.

"It was something new for me. I haven't experienced it before, so I was waiting for somebody to pick me up or I was going to Chicago and I went to Chicago," Paajarvi said. "Honestly, it was great for me. (Wolves coach) John Anderson and the guys down there, they were great with me. They just said, 'Hey, you're going to play a lot. Let's do this together.' It took me about a week or two to get into it, but after that, I felt like my confidence came back. It showed on the ice and it showed in the playoffs, too, and I felt like we should have gone longer than we did. It was great for me to get going, at least because I hadn't been playing that much."

When Paajarvi, who played in 10 games last season (one assist), was put on waivers, there was a brief thought that he could be done in St. Louis. However, that quickly turned to motivation.

"If somebody picked me up, yeah, I'm probably done with this team," he said. "That's how fast it goes. I didn't really think, 'OK, this is it for the Blues,' but I was ready for it. I didn't think, 'OK, I'm done with (the) Blues; I'm never going to play here again.' That's never what I thought, but sure, it was there in the back of my mind that it could happen, but I never thought, 'OK, I'm going to leave this, I don't want to play here.' That never really crossed my mind. It goes so fast, you're kind of open for everything here. It really is (a) special (place)."

Paajarvi went to Chicago with a grain of salt but quickly embraced his role. He was an important player for the Wolves an got top-line minutes and top-player responsibilities. He led the Wolves with three goals in five Calder Cup Playoff games after 11 goals and 29 points in 36 regular season games.

"Honestly, it sucks to go down a level, obviously," Paajarvi said. "I don't want to be there when you're up in the NHL. That's how everybody thinks, but once I got down there, the organization is so great and I felt from the get-go and I told myself I can either cry or I can get stronger and be better and focused on what's good for me in the future. That's what I tried to do. It was definitely in the beginning a transition and all that, but everybody helped me a whole lot. I grew from it, I think. Especially in the playoffs, I felt awesome."

The scouting report on Paajarvi has always included a player with tremendous speed but what's held him back is his willingness, or lack thereof, to engage physically. The Blues have always loved the talent potential -- so did the Oilers for that matter -- but coaches found it challenging and at times frustrating getting him to engage physically.

Coach Ken Hitchcock spoke highly of Paajarvi's skill set but always indicated that they needed him to be more physically noticeable on the ice, and that would help determine whether he was a top six or bottom six forward. More times than not, he was a bottom six forward, many times playing on the fourth line, which wasn't his strong suit. Dmitrij Jaskin passed Paajarvi on the depth chart, making him more expendable last season.

"Honestly, I wish I knew. Surely I needed to play better," Paajarvi said. "I needed to take more opportunities that I got. Sure, I haven't been good enough, but I feel like I am good enough so I have to prove it. That's how I feel.

"... You need to find your role and do that better than anybody else. That's what I'm going to try and do this year; find the role for me. Obviously it's the growing part of it, but I need to find something."

Paajarvi, who was a restricted free agent this past summer and signed a one-year, $700,000 contract after being qualified by the Blues, spoke multiple times with general manager Doug Armstrong over the summer on what his role could be. Thinking about his game and how he played in St. Louis was something that crossed his mind many times ad why things didn't seem to work out previously.

"I feel like we're on the same page at least and now it's really up to me if I want it," Paajarvi said. "Communication is there and I'm just going to go out there and take that shot.

"... Absolutely. You think about (your game) every time you're not playing. You think about, 'OK, what is wrong here; what do I have to do; what am I not doing?' You reflect every day almost."

Despite the positive communication with Armstrong, it would have been only natural for Paajarvi, a Swedish native, to entertain thoughts of playing in Europe.

"No. I had a lot of teams calling, wondering what's going to happen with me," Paajarvi said. "... My mind was North America 100 percent. Sure, if nothing was going to happen, you've got to look (at it). My mind was to play here. I want to play here for 10 more years. That's my mindset. If that doesn't happen, then I'll think about (Europe), but right now, my mindset is 100 percent here."

Armstrong spoke of Paajarvi following the Blues' playoff ouster last season and talked about the positive reports they received from the Wolves on Paajarvi's progress. Armstrong said Paajarvi worked his way back "into the picture" for the upcoming season and Paajarvi will come to camp with likely his best opportunity at not only making the Blues but making his biggest impact.

"I've been here for two years now. I know how we play," Paajarvi said. "Every year, it's more in your backbone and you can just hope it's on your own and your ability and what you need to do. My first year, I kind of needed to get into the system. Now it's just better and better. The opportunity is there and I need to grab it."

His teammates are rooting for him as well.

"He's such a good kid," fellow Swede Alexander Steen said of Paajarvi. "He's a guy that you constantly root for. You want him to do so well. It bothers you that he hasn't been able to secure his spot in the lineup; you're really rooting for him. He goes about himself perfectly, he never gets angry or in the wrong way or negative angry. He just gets fueled and he tries to do everything the right way. He's a great guy for the guys to be around. He's always happy and positive. Everybody's rooting for 'Mags' to have a terrific season."

(Chicago Wolves photo)

Magnus Paajarvi (right) scored 11 goals and had 18 assists in 36 games

after being assigned to the Chicago Wolves of the AHL last season.

And by grabbing the opportunity, Paajarvi, who has reported ahead of training camp leaner than last season, can solidify his place by embracing Hitchcock's "reckless" mentality.

"I think it's more in my mind how I approach things in the game," Paajarvi said. "Sure, you come into camp every year and you feel like you're better than you've ever been, but the difference is I need to change a lot in my mind rather than my body, I think. Sure, I need my speed and I need my strength and all that, but I need to get more reckless in my mind.

"... Speed is my weapon. It's always been. I think this team needs it. I need to be more reckless, I need to be winning more battles. That's what I'm focusing on and I know I can play offensively. I've shown it in this league, I've shown it in Chicago and that's what I want to do. ... They need speed; I've got speed, but I know I need to do a whole lot more than just speed. It's a good foundation for me to bring to the table."

Blues prospects ready for Traverse City

2014 first-round pick Fabbri not taking opportunity to make NHL for granted

By LOU KORAC
HAZELWOOD, Mo. -- Robby Fabbri departed St. Louis Thursday along with the rest of the Blues' prospects for another opportunity to try and impress management at the NHL Prospect Tournament in Traverse City, Mich.

But when Fabbri returns and gets ready for his second training camp when the Blues open Sept. 18, the stakes will have a lot more meaning for the 2014 first round pick.

The 19-year-old Fabbri will look to build off an impressive first camp last season and attempt to make the opening night roster when the Blues open the regular season Oct. 8.

(St. Louis Blues photo)

Robbi Fabbri and Colton Payarko listen as Chicago Wolves coach John

Anderson instructs at practice Thursday before Blues prospects departed

for Traverse City, Mich. to take part in the Prospect Tournament. 

Whether Fabbri makes it with a nine-game trial, he impresses so much that the center iceman stays in the NHL for good or he returns to the Ontario Hockey League is yet to be determined, but with recent surgeries to centers Jori Lehtera (ankle) and Patrik Berglund (shoulder), Fabbri has a golden chance at making the most favorable impression to those that matter.

"Doors could be opened, but there's a lot of of people trying to fill them," Fabbri said. "I'm just going to go out there and control what I can control, and that's how I play the game, how I act on and off the ice and the effort I put into it. 

"I'm not trying to think about it too much; just stay level-headed."

Staying level-headed means living in the moment for the 24 players that will compete in the four-game, five-day event, which opens Friday and concludes on Tuesday.

For Fabbri, who played for the Guelph Storm last season, it's the first step in building his resume.

"Last year, it was a great look at the competition and a lot of stuff like that," Fabbri said. "I had a lot of fun there. It's good to bond with the prospects that are all up and coming because we're hoping to all play together some day. Last year, I learned a lot here. I want to use that for the new guys and also for myself to build upside and keep working.

"I enjoy it. I'm a competitive kid. I like to play games like that. They're high-tempo and they get you into shape and ready for games when you come up here."

Defenseman Colton Parayko, a third-round pick in 2012, was bestowed the honor of being captain of the Blues in his first tournament. His ascension continues to be the story within the organization.

"Obviously exciting," said Parayko, who played collegiate at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks last season. "It's a good way to get to know the guys and bond a little bit and a good way to start off training camp for sure.

"... For me, I'm not sure how this matches up with (NHL training) camp. I think for sure it's going to be a good start. Playing four games in five days. Get a lot of conditioning in, get some hockey playing and get into some game situations."

Chicago Wolves coach John Anderson, who will guide the Blues' prospects, said the eight-team tournament, which also features the Columbus Blue Jackets, New York Rangers, Minnesota Wild, Detroit Red Wings, Dallas Stars, Chicago Blackhawks and Carolina Hurricanes, is a good tool for the players looking to make their mark.

"It's a great tournament up in Traverse City and it's a good chance to really come to measure where you are with your young guys," Anderson said. "Certainly we've got some tremendous players this year. I think we have a chance to win it.

"... You're putting on a St. Louis uniform. It's very NHL-like in the way everyone conducts themselves. It's a good steppingstone. It's not the media cramming on you. It's a little more relaxed."

Along with Fabbri and Parayko, some of the names heading to the tournament include 2014 second-round pick Ivan Barbashev, 2015 second-round pick Vince Dunn and 2015 fifth-round pick Luke Opilka, an Effingham, Ill. native who grew up in St. Louis, 2012 first-round pick Jordan Schmaltz and 2013 second-round pick Thomas Vannelli.

Anderson spoke highly of all involved. Fabbri has NHL tools to his game after getting a small sample size in the AHL last season.

"He's just so natural," Anderson said of Fabbri. "You don't see that a lot. He might have a chance to make this (Blues) team this year."

And what makes Fabbri NHL-ready despite his smaller 5-foot-10, 178-pound frame despite putting on roughly eight pounds this off-season?

"His quickness with his stick," Anderson said. "He makes plays when plays aren't there. Very (Patrick) Kane-ish type of savvy with the puck and that. I'm not sure whether he's ready right this year but very close.

"... (Fabbri's size) hasn't hurt him in any aspect of his career so far. It's like going from peewee to maybe bantam hockey. It's just a natural progression, and he's good enough and sees the ice well enough and has enough skill that it'll be just a natural progression for him. He won't even think about his size."

Anderson was really impressed with Parayko, who had a dress rehearsal with the Wolves in the American Hockey League last season after arriving from college with 17 regular season games and another five in the AHL playoffs.

"What an awesome kid. He's so polite," Anderson said of the 6-5, 214-pound Parayko. "He almost embarrasses me, he's so polite, but a big, strong kid, knows the game well, want to do anything he can to make it. You might be looking at him knocking on the door, too. 

"You don't really see the young guys, and you're always a little skeptical. He came up and played for us, we were short a guy so he had to step right in. He became our best defenseman, like within two games. When you see that natural ability, that natural want, you get excited."

Barbashev, recalled to the Wolves but didn't see any action late last season after playing in Moncton with the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, will also get his second stint at Traverse City.

"I didn't want to throw him to the lions right off the bat, but when I saw him at Traverse City last year, I wasn't that impressed," Anderson said of Barbashev, who had 45 goals and 50 assists in 57 regular season games last season. "When he came back, if we would have won another round, I would have put him in. He improved that much. ... I think we're going to see a real good player in Traverse City."

And as for Schmaltz and Vannelli, both defensemen, Anderson is eager to see what they have to offer.

Vannelli spent last season with Medicine Hat of the Western Hockey League; Schmaltz left after his junior season at the University of North Dakota and signed a three-year entry-level contract.

"Vannelli was really good in Traverse City last year, probably one of our best defensemen back there," Anderson said. "I have not seen Schmaltz play. He looked good in the little mini camp they had (earlier in the summer), so we're really excited to see how he does. We're excited to see how he does in the big camp, too."

Prospect Tournament Schedule

Sept. 11: vs. Columbus Blue Jackets, 3 p.m. 

Sept. 12: vs. New York Rangers, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 14: at Minnesota Wild, 2 p.m.
Sept. 15: TBD, time TBD

Blues Prospect Roster
FORWARDS
Ivan Barbashev (2nd, 2014)
Samuel Blais (6th, 2014)
Noah Bushnell (amateur tryout)
Jaedon Descheneau (5th, 2014)
Liam Dunda (6th, 2015)
Robby Fabbri (1st, 2014)
Gabriel Fontaine (amateur tryout)
Trent Fox (amateur tryout)
Glenn Gawdin (4th, 2015)
Mathieu Lemay (amateur tryout)
Adam Musil (4th, 2015)
Zach Pochiro (4th, 2013)
Carson Stadnyk (amateur tryout)
C.J. Yakimowicz (6th, 2014)

DEFENSE
Vince Dunn (2nd, 2015)
Macoy Erkamps (amateur tryout)
Liam Murray (amateur tryout)
Colton Parayko (3rd, 2012)
Darren Raddysh (amateur tryout)
Jordan Schmaltz (1st, 2012)
Dmitrii Sergeev (free agent signee)
Thomas Vannelli (2nd, 2013)

GOALIES
Niklas Lundstrom (5th, 2011)
Luke Opilka (5th, 2015)

Q & A with Alex Pietrangelo

Blues defenseman addresses start of 2015-16 season, 

past teammates, willingness to take necessary steps

By LOU KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- The Blues' Alex Pietrangelo recently answered questions about a variety of topics. 

The 25-year-old is entering his eighth NHL season, sixth full one. See what the defenseman had to say about another disappointing Stanley Cup Playoff exit, moving on without T.J. Oshie and Barret Jackman and coach Ken Hitchcock: 

Alex Pietrangelo

Guys have come in early to prepare for following season; is it tiresome trying to put frustrations of the previous season behind you and always working on fixing things?
That's why everyone gets here and we start practicing as a team and get to things early. I think the most important thing is you bring in few faces, guys like Troy and he's been here for a couple weeks. It's important to kind of develop a relationship with each other going into training camp, going into the season. You want to feel comfortable with one another.

Has last season's sting gone away?
The more you keep bringing it up, the more I gotta think about it (laughing). ... We're all disappointed. Everybody can agree on that. It's not a good feeling. Basically about a month or so, you feel like you can move on and start moving on. The best way to do it is you've got to kind of change your thought process to get ready for next year. Summers are so important now in a sense of training and getting ready for next season. It gives you an opportunity to focus and move forward. It's a lot of wasted energy now that we're sitting here dwelling on last year; we can go out and learn from it, but the ultimate goal is to get better. To get better, you learn from mistakes. We all had time to sit back and reflect. It was uncomfortable. It's never easy to kind of think about your failures, but we grow every time it happens. Training camp's the first step in that direction.

Is there talk within the team, conversations with leadership on how last season ended?
Yeah, it's been like that every year. Between the coaching staff and management and players, that's how you've got to do it. The important thing is we're all on the same page. We've all got to make sure we've got the same thought process here. We've all kind of flipped the switch here and generated for next year. We're that close to training camp. We don't really have a choice but to prepare ourselves.

Hitchcock spoke of going back to playing reckless, team was being too careful with its play last season. What does he mean by playing reckless?
We've got a lot of dynamic players up front and on the back end. I think there's opportunities for us to let those guys go, to let those guys create advantages with their skill set. Hitch is a fantastic coach. He's going to create a good base with a system to follow. It's up to us to follow it, but to have the same amount of recklessness, the freedom -- whichever way you want to put it -- to create things and to get the opportunity.

On Hitchcock coming back?
All the players are on board. We all think Hitch is a great coach. His track record speaks for itself. We've said that from the day he got here. Obviously at the end of the season, start of the summer, we didn't know what was going to happen. It's never easy for players to go through that, especially when you've been with a coach for so many years and you've developed a relationship. But we're to have him back, we're happy to have all of them back. We learned a lot from each other last year; last year wasn't easy. Hitch will have a great mindset going into this year. He always does. Hopefully we can execute everything they come up with.

What was that uncertainty like among the team whether you'd stay in tact or not?
You kept a lot of the same group together. We've had a lot of success obviously by what we do in the regular season. We know the results have not been the way we've wanted in the playoffs, but I think we're at that point now where myself and the leaders, we know if we're going to get better with the group that's here, it starts with us leaders. Myself, David (Backes), 'Steener' (Alexander Steen), Vladi (Tarasenko), we're the group that's going to carry the team. We need to perform better in the playoffs so that we can get to that next level.

Where does your game need to go now?
Start better than I did last year. I think getting off on the right foot is always a good thing. It builds your confidence starting into the season. Like I say every year, I make improvements as much as I can in every area. My goal is to always contribute at both ends of the ice. I know the coaches believe that I'm capable in doing that. My goal is to do that to the best of my abilities. You've got to make sure you're working on everything.

Does Tarasenko have to be more a leader with new contract?
Vladi was a leader last year, especially on the ice. As he gets more comfortable off the ice, he's going to become a better leader. His play speaks for itself. We know having Vladi, he's a rare breed and we're lucky to have a guy like that. Army did a great job obviously locking him up. He's an important piece to this franchise moving forward. The older he gets, the more success he has. He's obviously going to build on that. In talking to him this summer, you can already see the maturity and how he's changed his life. It happens to all of us. At some point, we all take that next step off the ice to be a leader. 

Moving on without Jackman?
I think if you went around the dressing room, anybody that's been here when 'Jax' was here, he's had an influence on everybody. It's always been in a positive way. It's tough to see a guy go; he's been here for so many years. It's a long time in one spot. The important thing about 'Jax' is you go around the community and talk to people and you see the impact that he had. Not only on the hockey community but outside of that as well. On the hockey side of things, you're going to miss a guy like 'Jax.' He's a leader. He brought a lot to the table night in, night out. He touched on me; he was such an important part on me. He started when he was young, I started when I was young. I owe a lot to him today to where I am. It's going to be tough to see him go, but lucky enough, he still resides in St. Louis. 

And moving on without Oshie?
'Osh' is another guy that I grew in this organization with. We started at the same time. You kind of develop and you mature, not only in hockey but in life together. You go through a lot of different things. A week after he was traded, I was at his wedding. It still hasn't really sunk in that he got traded. It's an unfortunate part of the business, but you try and keep those friendships even if we're on a different team. It's tough to see a guy like that go, but we have some new pieces that can help us move forward here.