With signing behind him, Hoffman turns focus to helping Blues win again

After PTO, forward motivated by Blues' 

ability to win, his thirst to win Cup, team concept

By LOU KORAC
MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- Now that Mike Hoffman is signed, sealed and delivered, the Blues' newest goal scoring threat is ready to roll.

The 31-year-old, after signing a one-year, $4 million contract on Sunday following a professional tryout contract signed Dec. 27, has put in the necessary work for all that a 10-day training camp can offer in a new conference and with new teammates.

(St. Louis Blues/Scott Rovak)

With contract signing done, new Blues forward Mike Hoffman is ready

to focus on helping team win again.

He'll play on a line with Jaden Schwartz and Robert Thomas and give the Blues another dynamic on a power-play that finished third in the NHL's regular-season last year.

The Blues, who open the 56-game regular season in Colorado on Wednesday against the Avalanche and one of the Stanley Cup favorites, will throw Hoffman right into the fire after getting him caught up to speed on the style they play.

"They're very structured," Hoffman said of the Blues. "It's pretty straightforward. It takes little bit obviously to get used to and knowing your routes so you're not thinking on the ice, you're just reacting, but it's coming. It's starting to feel good. I really like the group here. We're extremely deep, got a good back end and obviously good goaltending. You add all those things together and you should end up being pretty successful.

"It's pretty much been exactly what I planned on coming in, having a little more mature group, older group of guys, good team, hard-working team, very structured. It's exactly what it is, great guys on and off the ice. When we go on the ice, we're there to battle and compete and that's what makes this team so good."

Hoffman scored on a one-timer from Thomas in the scrimmage at Enterprise Center on Sunday and is grasping what the Blues want, and need, from him.

"He's gotten better and better," Blues coach Craig Berube said. "I thought today was his best practice. He can skate and shoot obviously and make plays. You can see that out there. I think it's just about him understanding how we play and him buying into how we play, handing onto pucks down low. When you don't have a puck, you work and track back. We're a working team and he'll get that."

Hoffman's teammates have done their best to give him a glimpse of what he'll be playing with and how to have success, something that's been different for him in the past. 

Not here, and he understands that, and his teammates see that he understands.

"Even for me playing in the East, I think you kind of talk to him a little bit and you can kind of see it's a completely different style over here (in the West)," Blues forward Brayden Schenn said. "It's not a whole lot of run-and-gun. As a team, we grind, we wear teams down, we cycle and that's kind of how we play. I think he's probably getting the grasp of it that some nights may be 2-1 or 1-0 hockey games or whatever they may be, but at the end of the day, I'm sure as you know, he's coming here to win. He's going to buy in. Obviously that's why he signed here and we're looking forward to having him on our team. The skill that he brings and the shot that he has obviously is a huge piece and adds depth to our team."

Hoffman is excited to get to play with the up-and-coming Thomas, who's in his third season that drew comparisons to another young center with potential Hoffman played with in Ottawa.

"He's probably one of the best I've had with the puck," Hoffman said of Thomas. "Another good righty that I played with when I was younger was (Mika) Zibanejad. Pretty similar tendencies. They can hold onto the puck, they can make plays, pretty big body coming up and down the ice. That's probably my comparable to him right now and I think he's impressed me a lot. I didn't really realize how good he actually was, but he's probably one of the best with the puck. He can make plays not very many people can do."

(St. Louis Blues/Scott Rovak)

After signing a PTO on Dec. 27, Mike Hoffman signed a one-year, $4

million contract to join the Blues.

Hoffman comes to St. Louis after spending his nine-year career in the Eastern Conference with the Ottawa Senators and the past two seasons with the Florida Panthers, have done their best to incorporate Hoffman into their fabric and vice versa, and it's gotten better with experience after finally putting pen to paper.

His 29 goals a season ago with the Panthers would have led the Blues.

"It's nice," Hoffman said. "You can just look ahead and have our mind in the right direction on the up-and-coming games in Colorado. I think everyone's really excited to get camp over with and now start with the real deal."