2020 first-round pick had breakout season with 27 goals in 77 games this past season
MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- There's plenty to like about the St. Louis Blues and the prospects they have on the horizon.
But in looking at some of the future that's been part of the Blues roster already, look no further than forward Jake Neighbours.
In just his third NHL season, including his first full season in 2023-24, the 21-year-old, who was the 26th pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, sprung into action quite nicely.
In his first two seasons, which covered 52 games, Neighbours totaled seven goals and five assists and set himself up nicely to be a regular on the roster this season.
Not only did Neighbours put up strong numbers (27 goals, 11 assists) in 77 games, he even exceeded his own expectations, especially in the goal-scoring department, which tied Pavel Buchnevich for second on the team behind Jordan Kyrou (31).
"Uh, no, definitely not, but I think it's just a product of hard work, commitment to getting better every day and also being put in a really good position by my coaching staff, the guys around me, the guys I was playing with," Neighbours said. "A lot of my goals were products of other guys doing pretty incredible things. I'm just the benefactor on the other side of it."
Neighbours has made it a point to be the next net front presence the Blues have craved since the departure of David Backes in 2016.
Of his 27 goals, 20 of them came from the slot or crease area for Neighbours according to NHL Edge stats, who matched the goal total he had in 2016-17 as a 14-, 15-year-old playing for Rink Hockey Academy Kelowna U15P of the CSSHL U15.
"I think just confidence and belief in myself that I am capable of being somewhat of an offensive player in this league and helping my team win games," Neighbours said. "I think I found a good role on this team this year, a role for myself and I need to build upon that. Like I said, just continue to move in an upward trajectory and continue to get better and try and improve my game."
Just think, Neighbours began the season as a fourth-line winger and eventually build his game up to be a top-six forward, many nights playing with Robert Thomas on the top line.
"I saw a young player like Jake Neighbours go from a call-up player to a fourth-line player to almost a 30-goal scorer," Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said. "... You've got to go to the hard areas to score like Jake Neighbours, what did he get? How many goals, 27 goals, from me to this microphone away, total distance? He goes to the areas to score that are hard."
Neighbours was on track to play in all 82 games before suffering a head injury April 6 against the San Jose Sharks.
"I feel pretty good," Neighbours said. "I think I was in a situation where if the games meant more, I probably could have played, but just being safe and cautious and not risking anything further."
Neighbours, along with forward Zack Bolduc, forward Zach Dean who played some games down the stretch and defenseman Matthew Kessel all are setting their footprints in this organization, and with Dalibor Dvorsky, Theo Lindstein, Otto Stenberg and others on the horizon, there's plenty to look forward to.
"It's nice to see, right," Neighbours said. "When you get some young guys that come up in the lineup and show that they can be effective and get themselves some confidence and bring some energy to the team as well. Having some young guys that can contribute and fill roles is awesome. I thought those guys did a great job, 'Kess,' 'Boldy,' Dean, they were all great on their callups and played some real good minutes and good hockey for us. It's nice to see them translating well to the NHL level and like I said, I was in their shoes not too long ago. It's a process and they're going to continue to work at it. They're all good kids that work extremely hard. Only expect more from them moving forward."
This kind of season only makes Neighbours crave for more.
"Yeah for sure. It's all about progress, right," Neighbours said. "I'm still young and still finding my way. I think I'd be silly to be satisfied with where I'm at right now. I just have to continue to progress. It does bring a little bit of belief to yourself that you are capable of producing and performing in this league. I just want to continue to build upon that and keep moving forward."
