MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- Colin Ralph understands the aura that comes with playing college hockey for Michigan State.

That's why the St. Louis Blues second round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft made a change.

No offense to St. Cloud State University, where Ralph played as a freshman last season and played well (one goal, seven assists; 35 games), but the prestige that comes with playing for the Spartans, who've turned over a couple of big-name players to the pro ranks as of late.

Most recently, reigning Hobey Baker Award winner Isaac Howard, drafted by the Tampa Bay Lightning but since traded to the Edmonton Oilers where the forward will get the chance to skate with Connor McDavid, and then there's defenseman Artyom Levshunov, the No. 2 pick overall in 2024 by the Chicago Blackhawks who is knocking on the NHL door.

The Spartans have been one of the top programs the past two seasons under coach Adam Nightingale and have 13 prospects selected in the NHL draft on the roster for 2025-26, including Ralph.

"I have no complaints about St. Cloud," Ralph said recently at Blues development camp. "At the end of the day, it was just something too good to pass up and I feel like I had to do what was best for myself and my overall development and I felt like I could do that there.

"Other people might have heard that I was looking for something a little bit different. My agent kind of knew what was out there. I actually visited there when I was a junior in high school. Just the timelines didn't work out right. But it all kind of worked out this time I guess.

"I feel like we're going to have a really good team. From my talks with coach Nightingale, I really love what he's about and what he said to me."

Ralph, who spent 2021-22 in St. Louis going to Kirkwood High School while playing for the CarShield AAA 16U squad, felt like the experience at St. Cloud State, which went 14-21 last season, was good and prepared him for this next challenge.

"I had a really good experience," Ralph said. "I had the opportunity to play a pretty large role in a group of older guys and it was definitely a big step up from going from Shattuck-St. Mary's to there and the NCAA. It was a really positive year for me.

"I was really happy with my development and the steps I took last year. I think a lot of that comes from just having the opportunity to play in those important situations."

Not only did the Blues feel Ralph's development at college was good, but representing the USA at the World Junior Championship, which won gold in 2025, was a reason why they wanted the left-handed shot to further his development at a program that had a chance of doing great things next season.

"Obviously he was on the world junior team, gold medalist. He's got a defined role and now moving to Michigan State, you've seen all the players going there, I think obviously that team's going to be very good," Blues assistant general manager Tim Taylor said. "A lot of players that are going to Michigan State all have the same aspirations and dreams of playing in the NHL. I think collectively as a group, they're going to push each other and I think that they're going to have a great year and he'll benefit from it."

It's obvious Ralph came into development camp bigger and stronger, and for his frame (6-foot-4, 216 pounds), he understands he needs to fill into his body playing a stay-at-home defensive type of game and being strong in his zone, moving bodies away from the net.

"As long as it doesn't slow me down, being heavier helps in my game, being able to be stronger in front of the net and in the corners," Ralph said. "I don't think it's a bad thing unless it's slowing me down."

The 19-year-old will get into his summer regimen really quickly before heading to East Lansing, Mi. for what Ralph hopes is a chance at competing for an NCAA title, something the Spartans didn't get the opportunity to do last year after being upset by Cornell, 4-3, in the regional semifinal. Ralph wants to stay grounded and just live in the moment.

"I think staying where my feet are at. Not looking too far ahead in the future," he said. "I know that I've got a bright future in front of me. I've just got to stay where I am in the moment. First of all, learn what I can from this camp, enjoy this camp and then move on to more summer training out at school and then have a good start to the season and focus on my success there. The bigger picture stuff will kind of take care of itself."

That bigger picture stuff, Ralph hopes, is one day patrolling the front of the Blues net.

"I hope to be," he said.