NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- It was inevitable for Paul Fischer.
Hailing from River Forest, Ill, a suburb of Chicago, the U.S. National Development Team player didn't hesitate to admit who he grew up following: the Chicago Blackhawks.
"I did," Fischer said with a grin. "Some rivalry there, and I loved it.
"Being from Chicago, (St. Louis) and Detroit were the rivals. It's pretty funny how it worked out."
The 6-foot-1, 195-pound defenseman quickly traded allegiances when he was selected by the St. Louis Blues in the fifth round of the NHL Draft on Thursday at Bridgestone Arena.
"I like it," Fischer said of the blue colors. "We've wore blue together before. I like it a lot."
Fischer had some anxious moments, but when his name was finally called, it was ecstatic.
"I was just kind of waiting, but any team is pretty special, especially the Blues now that it happened," Fischer said. "I'll wait as long as possible for any team. It's really an honor.
"I talked to them over the phone before the combine and at the combine. Both went well. I loved the staff. I thought it was a great fit. I'm glad it happened."
Fischer, who played in 61 games with the USNDT program the past two years, will attend the University of Notre Dame and the Fighting Irish's heralded program in the fall.
"I'm right outside of Chicago, I live there and obviously they're a great school," Fischer said. "Their culture is different. Everyone's just so accepting there. I wanted to stay close to home, for family (reasons). I'm really close to my brothers and my parents obviously. So for them to have a half an hour, 45-minute drive, it's kind of what we wanted."
Matthew Mayich was easy to find when searching for his name.
Google his name, and the first thing to pop up were 'Matthew Mayich Fights.'
"I'm doing it to protect my teammates or get some momentum for my team," Mayich said after being picked by the Blues in the sixth round. "That's something I take pride in. I'm kind of a hard-nosed guy and play with a chip on my shoulder. I'm not shy to do it when it's there."
The Blues grabbed the 6-2, 187-pound left-handed d-man with the idea of adding some grit to their lineup.
"I play a hard two-way game, I like to shut the other team's lines down and play physical," said Mayich, who had 22 points (five goals, 17 assists) and 56 penalty minutes in 64 games with the Ottawa 67's last season. "I bring the offensive side of the game too. That's something I kind of take pride in."
Like the others waiting late, the 18-year-old Mayich had some nervy moments until his name was called.
"It was a surreal moment," said Mayich, who has Blues prospect and former 67's goalie Will Cranley to lean on for advice about the organization. "Sitting there and having your name called, especially hearing your name called by St. Louis, it's just an honor. We had a great team there last year (in Ottawa) and I think that helped.
"You could tell they were interested so I was just pumped. I was kind of hoping they would call me and they did. It's just an honor."
The Blues grabbed 6-3, 202-pound center Jakub Stancl, who spent last season playing for Vaxjo Jr. and Vaxjo in Sweden, in the fourth round; they concluded their draft with nine picks and taking 6-0, 172-pound Russian right wing Nikita Susuyev in the seventh round.
Susuyev, 18, who had 28 points (11 goals, 17 assists) in 38 games for MHK Spartak Moskva last season, is under contract in Russia through the 2024-25 season.
The second day wrapped up after the Blues selected three players in the first round (center Dalibor Dvorsky with the 10th pick, center Otto Stenberg with the 25th pick and defenseman Theo Lindstein with the 29th pick).
"Extremely excited, pleased that it played out the way it did," Blues director of amateur scouting Tony Feltrin said. "We sat with three first-round picks, ended up executing with those with players we had high on our prioritized list, talented players. We had two first-round picks, it was tight. Wasn't sure they were going to be there for us, but fortunately they were. Right through seven rounds, we got players that as a staff we're very excited about. All in all, great success."
The Blues grabbed four defensemen, three centers, a right wing and a left wing for a variety.
"Certainly when you look that it was three Swedish (league) players drafted in the first round, you might say, 'Well, that's overloading it,'" Feltrin said. "But they're great hockey players. The talent of a hockey player dictates where we have them on the list. Selections were made by theur warranted rating on the list."
Seven of the nine draft picks are tentatively scheduled to attend prospect camp July 1-4 but Feltrin said there may be some equipment issues with third-round pick Juraj Pekarcik.