This year, Saint John has had to take on the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, Baie-Comeau Drakkar, Chicoutimi Sagueneens, and most recently, the Rimouski Oceanic to get back into the Memorial Cup finals as the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s representative.

Saint John is joined by the Ontario Hockey League’s champions, the London Knights, the Western Hockey League’s champions, the Edmonton Oil Kings, and the host team this year, the Shawinigan Cataractes as the four teams vying for the Memorial Cup.

Yannick Veilleux, forward for the Cataractes, Ryan Tesink and Stephen MacAulay both forwards for the Saint John’s club, are the three Blues prospects who are still pressing hard for this year’s championship.

I had the privilege to chat a big with Sea Dog’s forward, Stephen MacAulay to get an inside look at what these players go through during their run for the Memorial Cup.

Stephen MacAulay has an interesting future ahead of him but now, he focus' on winning. (image via Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

BlueNote Zone – You won the Memorial Cup last year with Saint John, and your club is charging back as the “favorite” to win it again this year, does being the favorite add to the pressure’s of winning, or do you try not to focus on it?

Stephen MacAualay - I think it may add a bit of pressure, but it’s not necessarily a bad thing in our eyes. The experience we gained from last year’s championship run is so valuable this time around and I think it will help us at this year’s Memorial Cup.

BNZ – Your team was bolstered this year with the addition of Charlie Coyle, who left Boston University to join the Sea Dogs earlier this year. What has the addition of Charlie done for your team down the stretch of the regular season and into the playoffs?

SM – Hes been a heck of a player for us. He is big, strong, fast, good hands and has an NHL shot. He was the playoff MVP this year and really stepped up at times we needed him the most. He plays in all situations for our team and one of the best prospects around so we’re glad he decided to come to Saint John for the second half of the year.

BNZ – Both yourself and teammate Ryan Tesink were both drafted by the St. Louis Blues. Both of you were six round picks, you being drafted in 2010, him in 2011. Has it helped knowing that you’re both in the same organizations with both Saint John and St. Louis?

SM – It’s definitely helped with us being together. We play on the same line here in Saint John for the most part and we play well together. We both play similar styles of game and hopefully we can be playing together again someday at the pro level.

BNZ – There seems to be something about playing in the post season that you love because your game always seems to improve, and your point totals always seem to jump in the playoffs. Do you believe your style of play is better fitted for the playoffs or does you believe you have another level of your game that you can reach during the playoffs?

SM – I believe I have another level to my game when we reach the playoffs. A lot of playoff games are tight checking and it isn’t easy to make things click all the time. I try to play a hard, simple game in the playoffs and it has really been paying off with big goals and games over the last few playoff runs we’ve had. I enjoy the higher intensity of playoff hockey.

BNZ – Over your playing career thus far in juniors, you’ve proved to be a reliable two way player who can add bit of offense when needed, do you think you can translate your game to the NHL level?

SM – I believe if I were to make it to the NHL I would play a similar role as I do in junior. I enjoy killing penalties and being hard to play against so I think my game could translate well at the next level.

BNZ – Almost every player and every fan can rattle off a list of players who have had an impact on their love of the game. Who were the players you admired growing up and watching hockey?

SM – I really admired Joe Sakic when I was growing up. His leadership, talent and the respect that other players had for him are the things I really admired about him.

BNZ – Last year was a great year for Saint John’s Gatineau to win the QJMHL President’s Cup and then going on and beating Missisauga to win the Memorial Cup, what as it like as a player to lift the Memorial Cup, knowing that you had won Junior hockey’s most prized trophy?

SM – It’s truly an incredible feeling that is hard to put into words. When you hoist that trophy over your head, you feel like it doesn’t weigh a pound because you’ve worked so hard to achieve your goal. Hopefully in a couple weeks I can say the same thing with another Memorial Cup win.

BNZ – Mathieu Corbeil-Theriault has been tremendous for the Sea Dogs, setting records for most wins and shutouts in team history, yet Nathan Beaulieu has set the team record for points by a defensemen. All the while, team captain Jonathan Huberdeau has been nothing short of phenomenal all year. If you had to pick your teams MVP, who would it be?

SM – We have so many talented players here in Saint John so it is hard to pick one MVP for the year. Huberdeau missed a couple months of the year with a foot injury and while he was at the World Juniors so he didn’t put up as many points as he could have. I would give the MVP to our goaltender Mathieu Corbeil and our overage forward Danick Gauthier. He is a guy that was very underrated in previous years. He played a bigger role with guys being injured and away at World Juniors. He set a team record for goals in a season with 47, which is incredible.

BNZ – With you likely turning pro next season and jumping into the American Hockey League, what is the best memory you have of playing for the Saint John Sea Dogs?

SM – I would say winning the President’s Cup twice and winning the Memorial Cup last year would be my best memories. Like I said, hopefully I can add this year’s Memorial Cup to that list as well. My entire time here in Saint John has been amazing and I’ve made friends that will last a lifetime.

Stephen MacAulay know’s what it takes to win, he’s done it all throughout his junior career and he’s on his way to another potential championship as well.

It’s very likely MacAulay makes the jump from juniors to the the pro level this summer.  Stephen will likely getting a bottom six role in Peoria next season, similar to the role Anthony Nigro has played for the Rivermen the last two seasons. A third/fourth line role with penalty killing role for with the club.

Now, however, we’ll be sitting back and watching MacAulay, Tesink, and Veilleux fight it out to be the last ones standing and have the chance to lift the Memorial Cup high over their heads as champions of the CHL and of all three junior leagues.

(45-18-8)

vs

Carolina Hurricanes

(26-29-15)

at

RBC Center

Game Time- 6:00 pm CT

TV- FS-MW(HD) Radio- KMOX

Blues Team Recap- What in the sam hell happened to this team in Chicago? Up 3-1 at the end of the first period the Blues let the Hawks crawl back into the game and eventually take the second point in a 4-3 shoot out victory. I am not really sure what happened to the disciplined, defense first, quick transition Blues but they sure as hell did not show up in the second and third period. I would imagine the tone after the game from Ken Hitchcock was that of disappointment and a fatherly ” I know you can do better.” David Backes, Captain of the St. Louis Blues, has said it in the past that Hitch doesn’t really yell he tells you that he’s disappointed which seems to motivate this team even more. Ok. I have been fairly critical so far, and when you expect so much more from your team it’s hard to watch games like this one. The Blues stroll in to Carolina tonight to face a semi-hot Hurricanes team. Scratching their way into a position for the 8th and final play off spot in the East, the Canes will not be a team the Blues can expect to walk all over. 60 minutes of hard-nosed, smart, disciplined hockey will have to be played to get back to the winning ways. The Blues look to continue their torrid pace of Penalty Killing as they had to hit the reset button on the number of kills in a row. Chicago snapped the streak at 50 Penalties killed. The Blues had better find “their game” back. The Blues can not get into a funk of letting go the site of their ability and expect to go very fall come April. Come on Blues… Get back to playing “I’m Gonna run you over, you no get the puck hockey!”

You can find the potential line up for tonight’s game right here.

Keep in mind this is not the official line up for tonight.

Carolina Hurricanes Team Recap- The Canes are 2-5 so far this month. While not a great record the Canes have also lost two of those 5 in Overtime which we all know anymore can be a crap shoot. Carolina is back home tonight to face a surging Blues team that seems to find ways to snatch a point or two even when they don’t deserve to win e.i. the Detroit Redwings. With young superstar Jeff Skinner and a cast of very capable NHL talent the Canes on any given night can make you look really bad. The Canes will have to find a way to keep puck possession time in their favor and funnel copious amounts of rubber at the net. The Blues are at their worst when they take repetitive penalties and are not allowed the chance to use their dominate 5 on 5 play against you. Carolina will look to exploit this weakness of the Blues and use it to their advantage. You might say well Tony, The Blues just killed off 50 in a row. Yes, you are correct. But what happened on number 51? Special teams can make you or break you. Can the Canes break the Blues tonight?

Schwartz Watch- Jaden Schwartz continues to travel with the team after signing his ELC on Monday. The Blues and GM Doug Armstrong felt it was necessary to sign Jaden and add some additional security to the Forward line up of the St. Louis Blues. At age 19 Jaden comes to the Big club having spent the last two seasons with the Colorado College of the NCAA. Jaden has a vision of the ice that few people who play the game of hockey have. Schwartz will need to once again be a student of the game and learn at a very quick pace just how fast plays and opportunities happen at the NHL level. A play that may appear there at the NCAA level will be there and gone in the flash of an eye. Can the young Melfort Saskatchewan native raise his game to meet the playing level that is the NHL? Schwartz will not get into the game against the Canes. It was reported by several of the Blues beat writers that it would most likely be the upcoming game against the Tampa Bay Lightning that Schwartz would see his first NHL action. If I had to guess, Crombeen sits Saturday and Schwartz gets into the game as a message to Beener. Crombeen has looked terrible in his last 2-3 games, taking bad penalties and putting the Blues in penalty kill situations that they didn’t need to be in.

Ownership- I wanted to take a quick moment to point out that every Blues fan from 1 month old to 101 years old is begging someone to take this team and give it the rock solid foundation that the community of St. Louis deserves. For 45 years the Blue Bleeding faithful have made their way to the confines of the Blues home and supported their team without fail. When the Blues need the support the most each and every fan has been there to lift up their boys in blue and carry them on their shoulders. In business passion and heart are two things that are never found. Life is all about the numbers in the business world. It is hard for fans of sporting teams to identifying with this lack of heart and passion. The Blues are first overall in the NHL and fans just can not see why someone wouldn’t jump at the opportunity to own a team in such a lofty place. With ticket prices in the bottom 5 of the NHL and a still uncertain economy the Blues are a small market team that do not generate enough positive cash flow to excite many investors. As an avid fan of this hockey team I want nothing more than solid ownership with bucket loads of cash money. The reality is, there just are not many investors out there with the cash flow available to own a hockey team and keep it in the black. Let us all pray that Tom Stillman can put together a group that has enough financial backing to sustain the Blues until they can win over enough sponsorship, TV deal money, and more fans to bring this team into the financially stable animal that it can be.

Blues fans: it is time once again to put on the Blue Note gear and cheer your team on to another two points! This team needs to get over the century mark in points and tonight is a prime opportunity to do just that. Let’s Go Blues!!!!!!!

Well, it’s finally official. Blues fans can welcome Jaden Schwartz to the family.

The Colorado College sophomore called it a NCAA career and is moving on to the next challenge. The NHL. A decision made official today when he signed a three year ELC and joined his new team in Chicago.

If you’re looking for a formal write up on the news, please check out my piece on Hockeybuzz because what’s written below is not formal.

I’m a Jaden Schwartz fan. I have been since they drafted him. No further proof needed than my Twitter wallpaper.

Not really because I knew he was a very talented hockey player, but because he wasn’t the Russian drafted two picks later. Nothing against Vladimir Tarasenko, but I’m not a big believer in hockey players from that country. Chalk it up to my formative years spent despising the Red Wings and Sergei Fedorov. Blame the nonsense Evgeni Malkin went through. Blame it on the Pens being my second favorite team and therefore meant to dislike Alex Ovechkin. Blame it on the KHL and the possibility of wasting a draft pick.

What I learned shortly after the draft is that Schwartz IS a very talented hockey player. He chose a US college over the WHL because his brother Rylan went there. His sister Mandi was a hockey player as well and was battling cancer (long time readers of BNZ know about my families history with cancer…). It felt good to have real reasons to feel connected to and like a future part of the St. Louis Blues.

Then I actually got to see him play. My research was affirmed. He agreed to do an email interview with a little Blues fan blog. Suspicions confirmed of his good nature. He lost his sister. The hockey community as a whole reached out and lent it’s support. He persevered.

Fast forward to today and the signing. My initial reaction was laden with apprehension.

Why waste a year of his ELC?
Didn’t they learn anything from rushing Erik Johnson?
Why throw him straight to the fire?
Give him time to adapt to the pro game in Peoria.

The more I thought about the situation I realized I was concerned when I shouldn’t be.

How many times have I said, ” Have faith in Army”?

Sure, the possibility of both Alex Steen and Matt D’Agostini not returning likely tilted the cost/benefit analysis towards bringing him to the NHL. But if the savvy minds in the Blues hockey ops brain trust didn’t think he could not only handle the pressure of being a contributor on a top team, but excel and continue to grow, they simply wouldn’t have run the risk.

They could be wrong, but something else tells me they aren’t. Schwartz wouldn’t have been made the captain of the Canadian U-20 squad at the last WJC if he couldn’t withstand extreme pressure. Grant it, the WJC doesnt compared to the  final month of the NHL season and the playoffs. But one thing you learn as you get older is that pressure is pressure. If you have the capacity to deal with it at one level, you have the ability to deal with it at others. It’s just having the right mental makeup to realize that and adapt. It’s a safe bet Schwartz has the right mental makeup.

Those Rivermen fans reading this may not be too happy. They’ve lost Ben Bishop, Ian Cole, Brett Sterling and were denied Schwartz. Just keep in mind that the more depth St. Louis has, the fewer recalls from Peoria there will be. As evident with TJ Hensick‘s return today. Unlike in economics, the positives at the higher level will trickle down and impact the lower level. As long as Schwarts decided to make the jump, it was a win-win for both franchises.

Schwarts will ear No. 9 and will not play tomorrow. But he will very soon. For that, I am very happy.

Decision Time Draws Near for Jaden Schwartz

According to Brian Gomez of the Colorado Springs Gazette, the Blues’ top draft pick in 2010, Jaden Schwartz, will sign a pro contract as soon as tomorrow. The deal would pay $700,000 in the NHL and $250,000 in the AHL. It would be prorated based on the number of games he plays this season.

It’s interesting that the Blues do not seem to believe that burning a year of Schwartz’s ELC on a partial season is a negative. If they did, an ATO contract and time with the Rivermen makes so much more sense and also fits in with the general manner in which the organization has handled prospects in the Dave Checketts era.

Back with more information as it becomes available.

Who will Jaden Schwartz choose? The Rivermen, Blues or Tigers?

As I wrote on Hockeybuzz this morning, the time has come for Blues prospect Jaden Schwartz to make a decision on his future.

He can sign an Athletic Tryout Contract (ATO) and join the Peoria Rivermen, sign an ELC and join the St. Louis Blues or stay at Colorado College.

My gut feeling is that he goes the same route as Backes and Cole. Signs an ATO and heads to Peoria… and that’s the best place for him.

What do you all think? Should he head to Peoria or do the Blues need the offensive skill added to their lineup?

These campaigns will not come without their talking points as all debates go when trying to win the heart of their target. Some thought he may have been sporting the Blue Note as early as this season. Unlike this year, there were not multiple pros and multiple cons that came with his decision to stay in Sibir.

There was one.

Pro, making an NHL team out of camp. Con, not making an NHL team out of camp.

Deciding to stay in Russia was a smart move that allowed him to develop his game for another season. This move also saved the Blues from burning the first year of his contract.

The decision this summer will have much more on the table then last season. Tarasenko will make the Blues roster if he comes over so last year’s dilemma is not an issue. The decision this summer can be broken down more in depth as former player Alexander Khavanov has discussed here. This is where the campaigning gains heat.

Reasons to stay in Russia are many. Tarasenko is bound to make more money there than in St. Louis – for now. The collective bargaining dispute cannot be predicted but the NHL was almost torn apart by the last lockout and that is not likely to happen again. But the Blues’ history with Russians and Ken Hitchcock’s history with Russians should not be a factor.

Evgeny Grachev is the only Blues Russian player after trading Nikita Nikitin early in the season. Grachev is not on the NHL roster. This is not because of where he was born and not because of the language he speaks. Having had twenty four NHL games already with the big club – compared to eight with his former New York Rangers – Grachev was sent to the AHL for lack of space with a forward deep St. Louis Blues. Likewise, Nikitin, while Russian, could not keep a spot on St. Louis’ blue line because of the defensive depth of the club. His nationality played no part of his trade.

Hitchcock has developed a misunderstood reputation when it comes to Russian players. Yes, everyone can quickly find examples of poor results between the two parties. But such examples will follow the same pattern of other immature players squaring off with other hot headed coaches. Also, Russians are not the only players that leave the NHL over disputes. To gloss over the whole picture of his prior relationships that went sour is misleading. But then again, that is how campaigns work.

Another non factor that is being campaigned as a hot issue is being part of the national team. With out a doubt Tarasenko will be noticed if he is playing on a top club in Russia  and would likely make team Russia for the Olympics. However, a player of this caliber is going to be noticed wherever he plays. He will likely make the national team if he is in St. Louis as well. If he is cut from the team it will not be because of where he plays professionally. Unless Russia has hurt feelings about leaving the homeland.

To even mention cultural and language barriers as a reason to stay in Russia is laughable. Tarasenko has a grasp of the English language evidenced by interviews. Culturally, it is not hard to find reasons to prefer crossing the ocean over facing the horrors of playing in the KHL.

As most young hockey players go, the ultimate prize to be won is the Stanley Cup. While an Olympic gold medal usually follows a close second, Lord Stanley’s award to the champions of the NHL is the most desired. Many hockey players have expressed this same sentiment. On the contrary, how often does an aspiring professional hockey player mention the Gagarin Cup?

The campaigning continues with Decision 2012.

Sticktap to Sean Leahy of Yahoo’s Puck Daddy blog.

The first debate people seem to bring up is: “Why did the Blues trade away home town tough guy Cam Janssen.?” If the Blues wanted an enforcer type to get underneath the skin of the opposition and to protect the team when playing those in the league who tend to take cheap shots, why on earth would you trade away Janssen? Folks, without offending you too much, let me lay it out in a plain and simple way. Ryan Reaves can skate better, has better hands, has more offensive ability, and is better defensively in his own zone then Cam Janssen could ever dream of being. Not to mention Ryan is 6’1″ 230 lbs and matches up better with most of the remaining tough guys in the NHL than Cam ever could. That is not to say Cam was afraid or would ever back down from a fight against anyone, but when you lock up with the likes of Chicago’s John Scott who stands 6’8 and weighs in at 270 pounds you need to have at least some sort of frame to match him. Cam will be more suited to fill a role similar to Kelly Chase. Chaser is one hell of a media guy for the St. Louis Blues and I think that Cam would be very comfortable bringing it to the people in some sort of role close to what Chaser does.

Now that we have covered the “why Reaves and not Janssen angle,” lets look at a few other key notes to clue in on. Going forward the Blues will look to add more skill to their line up. With the strong possibility of Blues prospects Jaden Schwartz and Vladimir Tarasenko making the team out of camp next season the Blues have some decisions to make. The Blues 4th line is the current home of the Blues tough guy, and will most undoubtedly be his home for the tenure of his career here in St Louis. When you peek in on the possible line ups including those players and the current roster of the Blues you start to notice that there are a good amount of guys that fall in the bottom 9 role. Forwards Chris Porter, Scott Nichol, BJ Crombeen, Evgeny Grachev and Ryan Reaves all compete for time on that line. Of those forwards, Scott Nichol and Chris Porter are unrestricted free agents at the end of this season. BJ Crombeen has 1 year after this season, good for 1,000,000 dollars.  Evgeny Grachev is still on his entry-level deal through the 2012-2013 season, after which he becomes a restricted free agent.  It would seem that St. Louis has a bit of a log jam at the bottom of the order and the Blues have taken a interesting path with the signing of Reaves. Will the Blues look to not re-sign Chris Porter in the off-season? I am willing to bet that they may take Porter back on a 2 way 1 year deal if he agrees to it, but I would look for Porter to end up on a 3rd or 4th line some where else in the NHL, likely with a team whom might be looking for an energy guy with some offensive skill. As for Scott Nichol, the Blues will need to evaluate the need for Nichol at the end of the season. In my opinion, if Scott Nichol continues to play the way he has for the Blues up to this point, I want him to retire as a Blue. No one on the team has a better face off percentage than Nichol, and he brings a feistiness to his game that is refreshing considering he is all of  5’9 and 180 pounds. Nichol has become one of my favorite players to watch on this St. Louis Blues team. With Jason Arnott being a UFA after this season along with Jamie Langenbrunner, Nichol may be the guy the Blues fore sure want to look at holding on to.

Onto the subject of BJ Crombeen… It is hard for me to come to say this because I am a very big BJ Crombeen fan…. I find it hard for the Blues to keep BJ if the trend is for the new kids on the block to come calling next season. I think there are enough teams out there at the deadline who are looking for someone to fill a fourth line role that could use BJ that the Blues may look to send him out. I know that in and of himself Crombeen does not bring much in the way of trade value but he does bring the possibility to be a player you can add to a package that may put it over the top (think Jay McClement-ish). Reaves gives you everything BJ Crombeen offers and at a lower price with less miles on the tires. What package and what deal possibly sends BJ packing is above my pay grade to speculate upon.

No matter how things fall, the Blues and Doug Armstrong have made it clear that they are not only in the business of winning right now, but they also want to be in the business of winning for many years to come. Locking up Ryan Reaves for a 2 year one way deal at $600,000 is a cost effective and smart way to fill a role the Blues will need to stay team tough and competitive in a Western Conference that is loaded with players that need to be kept in check. To not leave the fans who love a good knock down wanting more out of this article here is a little tasty treat from last season. What will the face of the St. Louis Blues look like after this season? Time will tell my friends but along the way let the speculation and water cooler trash talking commence !

From Russian hockey blogger Alessandro Seren Rosso:

So, in Russia they say Tarasenko was traded to Dynamo Moscow. Truth or not? #StlBlues If he gets traded I think he’ll go to NHL this summer

From DmitryChesnokov of the Puck Daddy blog on Yahoo Sports:

#KHL’s Sibir will reportedly trade Vladimir Tarasenko to Dynamo Moscow. It means he will likely join the #stlblues over the summer.

From Fedor Fedin of Russian Machine Never Breaks:

According to the rumors, #STLBlues prospect Vladimir Tarasenko will be traded to Dynamo Moscow very soon. Will give him playoff experience.

More from Rosso clarifies the rumor:

Interview with Tarasenko’s agent – he kind of confirms a trade is coming, will decide about NHL after WC bit.ly/yFfEsw #KHL #StlBlue

Interview Translated by Rosso:

Sports.ru published a short interview with [Taraseno's agent, Alexi] Dementiev by Igor Eronko:

“The situation isn’t decided for now, and it won’t be before January 14th. Any information which didn’t come directly from me it’s just speculation. A trade to Dynamo Moscow is certainly possible, but they are just one of the teams which showed interest toward Tarasenko.

Analysis

Solid information about happenings in the KHL are not easy to come by on the Blues side of the world. For the time being the trade appears to be of rumor only. However, given who is the bearer of such news and the words to Dementiev, I would expect a move to a playoff bound team soon. The KHL trade deadline is January 15th.

The situation referenced in the translated interview is that of a trade. That said, Dementiev later states that no decision will be made on Tarasenko’s defection to the NHL till after the World Championships. He also states that his Russian contract expires on April 30th. Sorry to burst some euphoric bubbles, but in all honesty that really does mean there is no chance Tank plays for the Blues (or the Rivermen) till the 2012-13 season no matter what. Even if they make the playoffs and win a round or two to keep playing after the World Championships’ wraps up, he wouldn’t be added to the roster.

For those wondering why a trade likely equals leaving home, as speculated by Chesenokov, it’s not too difficult to understand. Earlier this season Sibir their head coach who just happens to be Tarasenko’s father. This deep linking to the franchise is what likely kept the 20 year old in his homeland for another season. A further severing of ties to his only hockey family he’s known opens a huge door to start his North American career. When coupled with his contracts expiration he is no longer held back by anyone other than himself. Don’t forget, he’s stated he that making it to the NHL is a dream of his. The connecting lines are easy to draw.

Should Tarasenko agree to his ELC and cross the Atlantic, where would he play? One option is likely out of consideration. Sorry Peoria fans, the AHL is not a desired destination for the franchise or the player. Though Jaden Schwartz would not be a bad consolation prize. That does not mean a spot is already delegated for him. Doug Armstrong has already dismissed that notion in both words and actions. But much like TJ Oshie, Patrik Berglund and Alex Pietrangelo, Tarasenko will probably be given a roster spot to lose at training camp. Meaning so long as he is not injured or a total bust, he’ll be with the big club for game number one and many more after that.

There is some precedence for a Blues prospect to be traded from a languishing team to a contender. Pietrangelo was traded from the Niagara Ice Dogs to the Barrie Colts on January 7th, 2010. Remember that the Blues did not return Petro to his junior club after appearing in 9 games in the 2009-10 season. Instead they scratched him, as to not activate his ELC and kill its rollover ability, until the World Junior Hockey Championships. After the WJC concluded the Blues still had no plans to send him back due to fears of regression if playing for a struggling team. Niagara traded the defenseman in order to get something rather than nothing. While the Blues had no direct hand in the deal, they’re holding of Pietrangelo in St. Louis certainly played its part. It’s highly doubtful that the Blues had any bearing on Tarasenko’s impending trade, but its certainly a move they favor over staying put with Sibir. The added experience of playing in the KHL playoffs and playing at a high level will help prepare him for the NHL as well as test his current performance level.

What does this mean for teammate and fellow Blues prospect Jori Lehtera? With his contract expiring as well and his desire to play with Tarasenko, he may follow to the US. Though his path to a NHL roster spot isn’t as clear. He may need to go to Peoria first.

Stay tuned as this story develops. So far, it’s only good news from a Blues perspective.

Peoria Rivermen Defenseman Cade Fairchild has earned his second recall to the NHL.

When recalling warm bodies from their AHL affiliate in Peoria, the St. Louis Blues have historically favored experience over production. That dynamic continues to be challenged this season.

From the Blues official website:

ST. LOUIS – St. Louis Blues Executive Vice President and General Manager Doug Armstrong announced today the club has recalled defenseman Cade Fairchild from the Blues’ American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, Peoria Rivermen.

Fairchild, 22, made his NHL debut in the Blues’ 2-1 victory in Washington on Nov. 29, 2011. The 5’11, 190-pound defenseman has also appeared in 31 games with Peoria recording 17 points (three goals, 14 assists) in addition to leading the AHL overall with a +21 rating.

The Duluth, Minnesota native was originally drafted by the Blues in the fourth round, 96th overall, of the 2007 Entry Draft.

The transaction was required because of the suspension to Ian Cole dispensed by the NHL’s Wheel of Justice – v2.0 – yesterday and the injuries to Kris Russel (hip) and Kent Huskins (ankle) left the Blues with only five healthy defensemen.

I expect to see the top two pairing of Carlo Colaiacovo and Alex Pietrangelo stay intact. It’s very possible that Kevin Shattenkirk returns to Barret Jackamn’s right with the steadying presnesce of Roman Polak used to insulate Fairchild.

Danny Syvret was also a candidate for the opening.

You can – and should – follow the young man on Twitter, @caderade0

Farichild has been a major surprise with his overall performance to date.

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