The Best St. Louis Blues Picks in Each Round of the NHL Draft: Third Round

The St. Louis Blues found two key contributors to their 2019 Stanley Cup-winning team in the third round of the NHL Draft

Continuing with our series of the best St. Louis Blues draft picks, we head on to the third round of the NHL Draft, where the team found a goaltender and defenseman who went and played massive roles in their 2019 Stanley Cup Win.

In case you’ve missed it, we revisited the best fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh round draft picks in the team’s history earlier this week.

The Blues haven’t had much success with their third round selections over the years. Outside of the two Stanley Cup Champions they developed, the majority of their other best third-rounders went on to have impactful careers with other NHL franchises.

Reminder, the career statistics for players include data from both the regular season and playoffs.

Goaltender: Jordan Binnington
88th overall, 2011

The greatest third round pick in Blues history has to go to the man who saved the Blues’ season in 2018-19 and led them to the franchise's first Stanley Cup victory. Jordan Binnington was the sixth goalie off the board in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft and was the first goalie from his class to win the Cup.

Binnington finished second behind Ryan O’Reilly in voting for the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2019. He received five first-place votes and his play in the crease for Games 5 and 7 in the Cup Final were two of the greatest performances by a Blues goalie in playoff history.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aU_Eo5GzMPg[/embed]

Binnington is only seven wins away from breaking the record for most wins by a Blues netminder, which is held by the team’s best fourth round pick, Mike Liut with 151. If he stays with the club, he’s on pace to become the franchise leader in almost every goaltender category.

Even though Binnginton’s play and numbers in net have declined since that stellar 2018-19 season (his 2023-24 campaign was an improvement), he will still go down as a Blues legend and a terrific find by the scouting staff in the third round of the 2011 draft.

Defenseman: Colton Parayko
86th overall, 2012

In the following draft after picking Binnington, the Blues took defenseman Colton Parayko 86th overall and by far has turned out to be the team’s best pick in that 2012 draft.

Parayko made his NHL debut in 2015 as a 22-year-old and immediately became a regular on St. Louis’s defense core. He put up 33 points and was a team-best plus-28 in 2015-16 while riding shotgun alongside Carl Gunnarsson. Parayko was also an analytical darling at 5v5 that season, finishing at the top amongst Blues defensemen in corsi (55.19%), shots for (55.50%), and goals for percentages (63.16%).

Parayko averaged over 25 minutes a night and led St. Louis defensemen in 5v5 ice time in the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs. His role on the team to help shut down the opposing best players was a massive reason for the team’s playoff success.

The Alberta native can also be remembered for his special bond with Laila Anderson during the 2019 Cup run and a friendship that Parayko has continued to maintain to this day.

Parayko has turned into arguably the Blues' most reliable player along the blueline. There's a good chance he plays out his entire career in Missouri considering he's under contract until 2029-30 and too valuable of a player to move out. 

Right wing: Nelson Emerson
44th overall, 1985

Nelson Emerson only spent two full seasons in St. Louis but was an important secondary offensive contributor behind the great Brett Hull. Emerson scored 23 goals and 59 points in 79 games in 1991-92, finishing fourth on the Blues in scoring. He added three goals and six points (second on the team) in St. Louis’s first round playoff exit.

Emerson increased his production to 73 points in 1992-93 and a promising career in Missouri appeared on the horizon for the Hamilton, Ontario native. But, it would be his final season with the Blues as he joined the Winnipeg Jets before the 1993-94 season.

Emerson recorded 148 points in 182 games while wearing the St. Louis Blues jersey. He finished his career with 510 points in 811 games and has worked in the Los Angeles Kings’ front office since 2008.

Honorable Mention
Goaltender: Ben Bishop
85th overall, 2005

Ben Bishop only played 13 games with St. Louis in his career. However, considering he went on to become one of the league’s best goalies from 2013-2020, the Blues' scouting staff deserves recognition for identifying another top-end goaltender in the draft.

Bishop finished his NHL career with an incredible .921 save percentage and 2.32 goals-against average in 413 regular season games. His play between the pipes in his playoff career was even more significant. The Blues’ 85th overall pick in 2005 posted a .924 save percentage and a 2.27 goals-against average in 52 career post-season games.

The three-time Vezina finalist had his career unfortunately end early due to injuries and is currently the director of player development with the Dallas Stars.

Honorable Mention
Center: Jori Lehterä
65th overall, 2008

Lehterä was a standout player overseas in 2013-14, winning bronze at the Winter Olympics, silver at the World Championships, and selected to the KHL All-Star Game. St. Louis brought him over the following year, playing the next three seasons with the Blues in a depth role.

The Finnish centerman played 251 games with the team, registering 115 points. Lehterä’s time in the NHL was short-lived, but he’s gone on to have an incredible career playing in the KHL and Liiga.

Lehterä is another former St. Louis draft pick who may be best remembered for his involvement in a trade. On June 23, 2017, the Flyers traded Brayden Schenn to the Blues in exchange for Lehterä and two first round picks. Considering Lehterä had two years left on his $4.7 million contract, Doug Armstrong came out of this deal with a win. 

Honorable Mention
Defenseman: Jamie Rivers
63rd overall, 1993

Our last honorable mention is a fun one on defenseman Jamie Rivers who currently serves as a color commentator for the Blues broadcasts on Bally Sports Midwest. Also, he is a co-host on the 101 ESPN St. Louis radio program, The Fast Lane.

Rivers started and ended his NHL career in St. Louis. He played 469 NHL games, 193 of them in a Blues uniform. He was drafted one round before one of the team’s best fourth-rounders, Jamal Mayers.

Next up in our series is the best second round draft picks.