St. Louis Blues forward Zach Dean entered the NHL and NHLPA Player Assistance Program. Dean will be unavailable to the Blues indefinitely [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/st-louis-blues/latest-news/blues-prospect-out-indefinitely-in-nhl-nhlpa-player-assistance-program] while he receives care from the program, the NHL and NHLPA announced Wednesday. He will return to the club when the program's administrators clear him for on-ice competition. The league, players' union and Blues did not provide a reason for Dean receiving care from the program, which is the standard. In respect of his privacy, only the player can decide whether to give an explanation or not. Dean, 22, played 11 games last season for the Blues' AHL [https://thehockeynews.com/ahl] affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds. He recorded one goal and three assists for four points in the injury-riddled campaign. Zach Dean (Jeff Curry-Imagn Images) [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/ccb5ff36-c633-4029-ba06-fb6adb7c8833.jpeg] Zach Dean (Jeff Curry-Imagn Images) After the Vegas Golden Knights [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/vegas-golden-knights] drafted Dean 30th overall in 2021, he won a world junior gold medal with Team Canada in 2023 and finished his QMJHL [https://thehockeynews.com/qmjhl] career with the Gatineau Olympiques. That same year, Vegas traded him to the Blues in exchange for center Ivan Barbashev. In 2023-24, Dean put up 14 points in 49 AHL games while also getting a nine-game trial in the NHL. He awaits his first career NHL point. Get the latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw?hl=en-CA&gl=CA&ceid=CA%3Aen] and by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.
