Blues release 40 man training camp roster

It’s been a long wait for fans - the NHL hasn’t seen action since September 28th, while the teams who didn’t make the playoffs haven’t seen the ice since March 13th. Training camps have started to open finally, with those seven teams returning yesterday, and the rest of the league set to return on Sunday, January 3rd.

The Blues have released their 40 man camp roster, and with the signing of Vince Dunn, it’s complete and fairly surprise free:

Forwards

9 - Sammy Blais

10 - Brayden Schenn

12 - Zach Sanford

13 - Kyle Clifford

17 - Jaden Schwartz

18 - Robert Thomas

21 - Tyler Bozak

25 - Jordan Kyrou

26 - Nathan Walker

28 - Mackenzie MacEachern

33 - Sam Anas

49 - Ivan Barbashev

51 - Nolan Stevens

53 - Austin Poganski

56 - Hugh McGing

57 - David Perron

61 - Jacob de la Rose

63 - Jake Neighbours

68 - Mike Hoffman

70 - Oskar Sundqvist

81 - Curtis McKenzie

83 - Tanner Kaspick

90 - Ryan O’Reilly

Defense

4 - Carl Gunnarsson

6 - Marco Scandella

29 - Vince Dunn

36 - Steven Santini

39 - Mitch Reinke

41 - Robert Bortuzzo

46 - Jake Walman

47 - Torey Krug

48 - Scott Perunovich

55 - Colton Parayko

72 - Justin Faulk

75 - Tyler Tucker

77 - Niko Mikkola

Goalie

1 - Joel Hofer

32 - Jon Gillies

35 - Ville Husso

50 - Jordan Binnington

Injured

91 - Vladimir Tarasenko

The player most of us may be unfamiliar with, Hugh McGing, was signed by the Blues in March. He hails from Western Michigan University and has spent four years with the team, most recently as their captain.

Fans will want to keep an eye on Scott Perunovich, the Hobey Baker award winning defenseman. He won’t crack the top seven this year, but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy watching the development of a potential future cornerstone. He’s already saying the right things and has been looking forward to camp beginning.

The most notable absence from the roster is forward Klim Kostin. Kostin is currently on loan to the KHL’s Avangard Omsk, where according to DobberProspects.com, he is not faring well under head coach Bob Hartley:

Kostin is a passenger as far as offensive contributions are concerned.

He is neither a consistent offensive presence in transition nor in the offensive zone. There are stretches when he simply does not contribute much to the play, hence perhaps his lack of usage in the KHL this year under former NHL coach Bob Hartley.

More than likely, Kostin’s absence on the camp roster is due to him still being on loan; his play in the KHL right now might not make his return very urgent. He needs the experience, but the Blues also need someone who can consistently contribute to the offense, and that doesn’t sound like it’s happening right now for Kostin.