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Blues’ 2024 draft picks

Meet the Blues’ 2024 draft picks, headlined by first-round defenseman Adam Jiricek.

Adam Jiricek, D

First round, No. 16

6-3, 167

Plzen, Czechia

HC Plzen (Czechia)

Jiricek missed the last half of the season due to a knee injury suffered in the World Junior Championship but was highly thought of before his season ended. He is a two-way defenseman who could project as a top-four defenseman in the NHL.

Colin Ralph, D

Second round, No. 48

6-5, 226

Maple Grove, Minn.

Shattuck St. Mary’s (US Prep School)

Ralph is a big defenseman who led all prep school blue liners with 58 assists last season for storied program Shattuck St. Mary’s. The left-hander is an above average skater who spent one season (2021-22) in the ������Ƶ area playing for CarShield AAA and Kirkwood High School.

Lukas Fischer, D

Second round, No. 56

6-3, 182

Pontiac, Mich.

Sarnia (OHL)

The American-born left-handed defenseman is the son of former Red Wings defenseman Jiri Fischer, and does not turn 18 years old until Sept. 9, making him six days away from actually qualifying for next year’s draft. He had six goals and 28 assists in 68 games in the OHL last season and can help break out the puck effectively from his own zone.

Ondrej Kos, LW

Third round, No. 81

6-3, 176

Kurim, Czechia

Ilves U20 (Finland)

Kos has room to add size to his frame, but he still profiles as a two-way forward that is competitive around the puck. The Czech forward spent the last two years inside the Ilves organization in Finland and could play next season in Liiga, the highest level of Finnish hockey.

Adam Jecho, C

Third round, No. 95

6-5, 201

Zlin, Czechia

Edmonton (WHL)

Jecho was projected to be a second-round talent by almost every draft outlet entering the weekend, making it a surprise that he was still around late in the third round. He is a power forward already with a 6-5 body and had 47 points in 54 games in the WHL in his first season in North America.

Tomas Mrsic, C

Fourth round, No. 113

6-0, 170

Surrey, British Columbia

Medicine Hat (WHL)

Mrsic is known for his shooting ability, and he used his shot to become nearly a point-per-game player (62 points in 63 games) for Medicine Hat last season. Mrsic was ranked the 64th-best North American skater by NHL Central Scouting.

William McIsaac, D

Fifth round, No. 145

6-3, 192

Vancouver, British Columbia

Spokane (WHL)

McIsaac fits the mold of a typical late-round Blues draft pick: a physical defenseman with size. He is a play-ender in his own zone who has played the last two seasons with Spokane in the WHL. In 2023-24, McIsaac also added six goals and 21 assists in 67 games.

Antoine Dorion, C

Seventh round, No. 209

6-1, 190

Orleans, Ontario

Quebec (QMJHL)

The son of former Senators GM Pierre Dorion, Antoine had 26 points (11 goals and 15 assists) in his first season in the QMJHL last season. That ranked fourth on the team for a Quebec team that missed the playoffs after winning the Memorial Cup in 2023.

Matvei Korotky, C

Seventh round, No. 211

6-1, 198

Krasnoyarsk, Russia

SKA-1946 St. Petersburg (MHL)

Korotky is a right-handed center whose best tool is his shot, and he becomes the third Russian forward taken by the Blues in the last four years. ������Ƶ took Nikita Susuyev at No. 202 in 2023 and Ivan Vorobyov at No. 198 in 2021.

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Matthew DeFranks. @MDeFranks on X (formerly Twitter). MDeFranks@post-dispatch.com

Last year's notable offseason acquisition by the Blues has been shipped out this summer.

On Saturday morning, the Blues traded forward Kevin Hayes and a 2025 second-round pick to the Penguins in exchange for future considerations. Hayes had two years remaining on his contract at a $3.571 million cap hit, and ������Ƶ had to part with an asset to distance themselves from it.

The Blues traded for Hayes last summer, sending a sixth-round pick to the Flyers for the veteran forward, as Philadelphia retained half of his salary. In his one year in ������Ƶ, Hayes had 13 goals and 16 assists in 79 games.

His 29 points were the fewest in his career, and by the end of the season, Hayes was a healthy scratch by the ������Ƶ coaching staff. From mid-January until early March, Hayes endured a 19-game goal drought, which was the second-longest of his career.

Without Hayes in the fold, the Blues have a need to find a center who can play in the middle-six. Down the middle, ������Ƶ doesn't have a lot of depth.

There's Robert Thomas and Brayden Schenn in offensive roles. Oskar Sundqvist has been a fourth-liner and will be recovering from knee surgery. Pavel Buchnevich, Nathan Walker and Alexandre Texier can all play center, but that hasn't been their primary position in the NHL. Prospects Dalibor Dvorsky and Zach Dean are also centers.

In getting rid of Hayes' full $3.571 million cap hit, that should leave ������Ƶ with about $15.5 million of cap space available with some spots to fill up front.

In total, the Blues paid a 2024 sixth-rounder and a 2025 second-rounder for one year of Hayes at half-price.

Blues pick Adam Jiricek in first round, the highest-drafted defenseman by ������Ƶ in 16 years

With the 16th pick in the first round of Friday’s NHL draft, the Blues selected defenseman Adam Jiricek, the Czech defenseman who missed time with a knee injury.

Blues trade for Alexandre Texier, sign him to two-year contract extension

The Blues filled a need in their bottom-six by trading for forward Alexandre Texier, and signed him to a two-year contract extension.

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The Blues have had hits and misses at the NHL draft over the years, but lately, Doug Armstrong has kept them on target. 

It was easy to pick out a trend across the first two rounds of the draft for the Blues.

Defenseman, 6-foot-3. Defenseman, 6-5. Defenseman, 6-3.

After taking Adam Jiricek at No. 16 in the first round Friday night, ������Ƶ used both of its second-round picks on big defensemen as well. First, it was Colin Ralph at No. 48, a physical left-hander set to play collegiately at St. Cloud State next season. Then it was Lukas Fischer at No. 56, an ultra-young left-hander who plays for Sarnia in the OHL.

The Blues were the only team in the NHL to use their first three picks on defensemen this weekend. Only Ottawa and Toronto even used their first two picks on defensemen in Las Vegas.

In franchise history, it was the first time since 1999 the Blues picked at least three defensemen at the top of the draft. Twenty-five years ago, it was Barrett Jackman who led that haul.

In addition to Jiricek, Ralph and Fischer, the Blues made six more picks at the 2024 draft: left winger Ondrej Kos (81), center Adam Jecho (95), center Tomas Mrsic (113), defenseman William McIsaac (145), center Antoine Dorion (209) and center Matvei Korotky (211).

The early emphasis on defense helps the Blues fill out a prospect pool that was lacking on the back end.

Jiricek was the highest-drafted defenseman by the Blues in 16 years. Ralph and Fischer were the first second-rounders taken on defense by ������Ƶ since Scott Perunovich in 2018 and Vince Dunn before him in 2015. They join Theo Lindstein (2023 first), Michael Buchinger (2022 third) and Quinton Burns (2023 third) as potential building blocks on defense in the Blues system.

Ralph was one of the biggest players available in the draft. At 226 pounds, only one drafted player was heavier than him. At 6-5, only six defensemen were taller than him. Plus, he possesses above-average skating for a player of his size.

Originally from Maple Grove, Minn., Ralph spent one year in ������Ƶ in 2021-22, playing for CarShield AAA and for Kirkwood High School. Last season with prep school Shattuck St. Mary’s, Ralph had eight goals and 58 assists in 57 games played.

Fischer, meanwhile, doesn’t turn 18 years old until September — if he was born a week later, he would have been part of next year’s draft class. With Sarnia of the OHL, his strengths were in breaking the puck out of his own zone, and also in setting his teammates up in the offensive zone.

While the top picks on defense deservedly earn attention because of the positional need within ������Ƶ’ system, the Blues’ biggest steal of the day might have come late in the third round when they picked Adam Jecho.

Jecho is 6-5 and was pegged by many as a second-round selection before the draft. Despite his size, he plays more of a skill game than a physical one, an improvement he’ll have to make in the coming years. Jecho began his adjustment to the North American style of hockey this season by playing in the WHL for Edmonton.

Even when NHL Central Scouting released its midseason draft rankings, it thought highly of Jecho, placing him at No. 13. That was ahead of future first-rounders Michael Hage, Beckett Sennecke, Liam Greentree, Jett Luchanko, Dean Letourneau and Terik Parascak. When it released its final ranking, Jecho was 22nd.

If the 2023 draft was known for the Blues’ connections to Sweden, the 2024 draft might be known for its Czech ties. Jiricek, Kos and Jecho are all Czech, and ������Ƶ selected three of the top five Czechs (13 Czechs overall were picked).

Blues trade Hayes

In a move that cleared a roster spot and cap space, the Blues traded forward Kevin Hayes and a 2025 second-round pick to Pittsburgh on Saturday morning in exchange for future considerations.

The Blues traded for Hayes last summer, sending a sixth-round pick to the Flyers for the veteran forward, as Philadelphia retained half of his salary. In his one year in ������Ƶ, Hayes had 13 goals and 16 assists in 79 games.

His 29 points were the fewest in his career, and by the end of the season, Hayes was a healthy scratch by the ������Ƶ coaching staff. From mid-January until early March, Hayes endured a 19-game goal drought, which was the second-longest of his career.

Without Hayes in the fold, the Blues have a greater need to find a center who can play in the middle-six. Down the middle, ������Ƶ doesn’t have a lot of depth.

There’s Robert Thomas and Brayden Schenn in offensive roles. Oskar Sundqvist has been a fourth-liner and will be recovering from knee surgery. Pavel Buchnevich, Nathan Walker and Alexandre Texier can all play center, but that hasn’t been their primary position in the NHL. Prospects Dalibor Dvorsky and Zach Dean are also centers.

In getting rid of Hayes’ full $3.571 million cap hit, that should leave ������Ƶ with about $15.5 million of cap space available with some spots to fill up front.

In total, the Blues paid a 2024 sixth-rounder and a 2025 second-rounder for one year of Hayes at half-price.

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The Blues might have taken a risk, and now they’ll have to wait to see if the reward is realized.

With the 16th pick in the first round of Friday’s NHL draft, the Blues selected defenseman Adam Jiricek, the Czech defenseman who missed the last half of the season with a knee injury. Jiricek suffered the injury at the World Junior Championship, and his lack of recent playing time made him more of an unknown commodity in draft circles.

Jiricek became the highest-drafted defenseman by the Blues since 2008, when the organization took Alex Pietrangelo with the No. 4 pick.

Before the injury, Jiricek had one assist in 19 games playing for Plzen HC in Czechia. Jiricek — 6-2 and 167 pounds — is one of the youngest players in the draft this year and he turned 18 on Friday night. He was ranked by NHL Central Scouting as the fourth-best international skater.

Jiricek is the younger brother of David Jiricek, who was picked sixth by Columbus in 2022.

Before the draft, Blues general manager Doug Armstrong was asked about the organization’s philosophy surrounding injured players.

“You have to weigh the risk with the reward,” Armstrong said last week. “Modern medicine changes so much, too. Things (that) used to be career-ending injuries are now just on the shelf for a small bit and then back on the ice. It certainly adds another layer to the process that you go through to select a guy. Every injury is an injury on its own, but you have to do your research. I wouldn’t say we would totally back away from someone because of an injury that another player has healed up on in six to eight months, and plays another 15 years with.”

In selecting Jiricek, the Blues addressed a need for a top defenseman in their prospect pool. Across the previous eight years, ������Ƶ drafted 10 forwards in the first round and just one defenseman. That came last year, when the Blues used their third first-rounder on Swedish defenseman Theo Lindstein.

But ������Ƶ has restocked its prospect pipeline by filling its forward lines. Jake Neighbours just had a breakout season in the NHL. Zack Bolduc got a taste in ������Ƶ, as did trade acquisition Zach Dean. Jimmy Snuggerud and Dalibor Dvorsky had posted gaudy numbers in their respective amateur levels.

On defense, the Blues boast a first-rounder in Lindstein, but little firepower behind him. Michael Buchinger is developing and will turn pro this fall, and third-rounder Quinton Burns will hope for a healthy season after injuries interrupted his 2023-24 campaign.

The draft appeared to be breaking in the Blues’ favor, with many of the top half dozen defensemen being bypassed early for forwards.

But then Carter Yakemchuk went seventh to Ottawa, Zayne Parekh went ninth to Calgary, Anton Silayev went 10th to New Jersey and Sam Dickinson 11th to San Jose. Denver defenseman Zeev Buium was still available at No. 12, with Philadelphia on the clock and a delay as the Flyers worked on a trade.

In the end, Minnesota made its move. The Wild traded pick No. 13 and a 2025 third-rounder in order to move up to No. 12 and select Buium.

Even though a hypothetical move from No. 16 to No. 12 by ������Ƶ would have been more costly than Minnesota’s deal, the Blues had the requisite draft capital to work with as they own two second-rounders and two third-rounders.

Jiricek’s selection could headline what is expected to be a quiet weekend for the Blues as they continue their transition toward a younger core.

The Blues filled a need in their bottom-six by acquiring Alexandre Texier from Columbus. They traded a 2025 fourth-round pick to the Blue Jackets, and then signed the pending restricted free agent to a two-year extension worth $2.1 million annually.

Texier, 24, had 12 goals and 18 assists last year in 78 games. He was one of Columbus’ top penalty killers and has versatility to play both wing and center, although he primarily played wing last season. He is an above average skater, according to NHL Edge’s top speed and burst data.

Last season was Texier’s first back in the NHL after he was granted a leave of absence in 2022-23.

With Texier’s inclusion on the roster, and the presumed re-signing of depth forward Nikita Alexandrov, the Blues could have 12 of a possible 14 spots up front spoken for prior to the opening of free agency on Monday. Dvorsky, Bolduc and Dean are also expected to be in the mix for the final spots on the roster.

������Ƶ also has almost $12 million in cap space to work with in the case it wants to weaponize cap space in order to accumulate assets.

The Blues could use more scoring from a second-line center, and they could use a top-four defenseman, but they face more of a roster crunch than a cap crunch at this moment. As so, both Armstrong and owner Tom Stillman warned against a splashy offseason.

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The Blues filled a need in their bottom-six by trading for forward Alexandre Texier, and signed him to a two-year contract extension.

Texier, 24, was scheduled to become a restricted free agent on Monday but the Blues instead traded a 2025 fourth-round pick to the Blue Jackets. Texier's extension carries a $2.1 million cap hit.

Last season, Texier had a career-high 30 points in 78 games while averaging 15:11 of ice time across 78 games. It was his first season back in the NHL after taking a leave of absence for 2022-23.

While Texier has played center before, he was primarily a winger last season with the Blue Jackets, and he was one of the team's most-used penalty killers. He averaged 1:45 of shorthanded time on ice per game, the third-most among Columbus forwards.

With Texier in the fold and signed for the next two seasons, he fits the Blues' plans in multiple ways. He's a young former second-round pick that could fit the team's retooling timeline. When his contract is up in 2026, he will still be an RFA for future general manager Alexander Steen to re-sign.

������Ƶ already has 10 forwards contracted to return (Robert Thomas, Jordan Kyrou, Brayden Schenn, Pavel Buchnevich, Brandon Saad, Kevin Hayes, Oskar Sundqvist, Alexey Toropchenko, Jake Neighbours and Nathan Walker), though Sundqvist is recovering from knee surgery and Walker spent a chunk of last season in the AHL.

Add in the re-signing of RFA Nikita Alexandrov and the potential inclusions of Zack Bolduc and Dalibor Dvorsky (or Zach Dean) on entry-level contracts, and the Blues have a forward group that appears nearly full.

With Texier at $2.1 million, the Blues have $11.89 million available in cap space, not counting Alexandrov or the potential entry-level contracts.

His indefinite leave of absence from Columbus was granted in March 2022 after Texier "experienced personal losses of people very close to him and our priority right now is to support him in every way possible," former Columbus general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said in a statement at the time.

Texier remained in Europe during the 2022-23 season, playing for the ZSC Lions in Switzerland.

"During the past year, I have experienced some personal issues and challenges and I feel I need to be close to my family at this time," Texier said in a statement in the fall of 2022. "I have love and respect for the city of Columbus, the Blue Jackets, and the fans as everyone has always treated me first-class. I truly appreciate the support, help and empathy I have received from team management, the coaching staff, doctors, trainers and my teammates. This was a hard decision, but it is the best one for me right now."

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It was a celebration of ������Ƶ on the national stage as two buddies who went to high school together at Chaminade played key roles on teams that in recent days won their league’s championship — Jayson Tatum in the NBA with the Boston Celtics and Matthew Tkachuk in the NHL with the Florida Panthers.

They have been the subject of much local media attention as their quest for the dynamic double intensified this month, and at the national level, ESPN went as far as posting a custom-made graphic saluting them and their STL heritage on its social media platforms after Tkachuk completed the mission when the Panthers won the Stanley Cup on Monday night.

So it figures that ������Ƶans would have had extra interest as their sagas unfolded, which certainly would have been shown through television ratings. But that was not the case, as the local viewership level for the Stanley Cup Final was lackluster and the number for the NBA Finals was a dud — abysmal actually is a more apt term.

According to Nielsen, the Gateway City finished tied for 16th place nationally in round numbers for hockey’s title series among the 56 major markets in which it tracks viewership electronically, although technically Philadelphia finished a hair higher (2.41-2.38). But that outcome in ������Ƶ was far superior to the town’s performance with the NBA Finals — it finished in a tie for last place.

Nielsen reports that just 2.7% of the ������Ƶ and Tampa-St. Petersburg, Florida, markets tuned in on average to the telecasts of the five games on ABC (KDNL, Channel 30 locally). The Stanley Cup Final, which went seven games, also was on ABC/KDNL and averaged a 2.4 rating locally.

Florida markets that closely follow the Panthers accounted for the top two spots in those hockey ratings, West Palm Beach (6.9) and Miami-Fort Lauderdale (6.2). ABC didn’t benefit from the presence of the other team in the Final, the Edmonton Oilers, because Nielsen does not include Canadian cities in its tabulations.

With the NBA, the top markets predictably were the ones of the participating teams — a 17.1 rating in Boston, a 12.7 figure in Dallas-Fort Worth.

There have been rumblings off and on through the years about the NBA returning to ������Ƶ, which hasn’t had a team in the league since the Hawks left for Atlanta in 1968.

Adding to the intrigue are recent comments from David Steward, the founder and current chairman of ������Ƶ-based mega corporation World Wide Technology. It’s billed as the country’s largest Black-owned company (in excess of $20 billion in annual revenue and more than 10,000 employees), and he recently told KSDK (Channel 5) sports director Frank Cusumano that he’s interested in the possibility of pursuing a franchise in the league.

“Maybe one day,” he said.

“The possibilities of us having a team here in ������Ƶ — maybe bring back the Hawks,” he added while chuckling loudly.

But there is a big red flag flying now with that local TV ratings fiasco, which contributed to the fourth consecutive season of decaling ratings in ������Ƶ for the Finals (excluding the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021 when the games were played outside their normal schedule).

The Stanley Cup Final, meanwhile, had an uptick in ������Ƶ ratings from the 1.8 figure last year. Nonetheless, excluding the pandemic years and the one in which the Blues won the Cup, the NBA has beaten the NHL in ������Ƶ TV ratings for the title rounds in all the other most recent 15 seasons. That’s despite the NBA having no team in the market for more than half a century and the Blues existing throughout that period.

Rickwood review

While the ratings locally were lackluster to awful for the hockey and basketball title rounds despite the local connections, ������Ƶ soared in viewership for last week's special Cardinals-Giants game that served as a salute to the Negro Leagues and honored Hall of Famer Willie Mays, who died two days earlier.

The game on Thursday was televised nationally by Fox and the Gateway City drew the best rating in the country, as Nielsen says 9.4% of the market tuned in to local affiliate KTVI (Channel 2) for the coverage.

The game was played in Birmingham, Ala., on Rickwood Field, the country's oldest active ballpark, and the Cardinals won 6-5.

It was their highest-rated game in ������Ƶ to date this season, passing the 8.2 figure a Saturday night home game against the Chicago Cubs in late May drew that also was on Fox/KTVI. No. 3 on the list is the home opener, on April 4, which generated a 7.6 rating of on Bally Sports Midwest.

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