2022 third-round pick has quietly put up solid numbers throughout junior career, will make jump to pro as development continues; scored in prospect showcase game Friday

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- Michael Buchinger executed that goal the defenseman scored on Friday night like a forward.

A 3-on-2 with Buchinger joining the rush, gets a dish from Dylan Peterson, who along with Adam Jecho drive the middle of the ice. Buchinger reads the play, cuts to the middle following his teammates into the top of the slot, wires a wrist shot through traffic that beat Drew Commesso tying the game in the first period of a 4-3 Blues win in overtime at the Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase at the USA Rink inside Centene Community Ice Center.

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One would expect a forward to read and make that play, but Blues fans have been clamoring for the team to groom and nurture an offensive-type of defenseman, and the 6-foot-0, 185-pound lefty-handed d-man seems to fit the bill.

A third-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, the 20-year-old comes with the offensive-minded credentials an organization can take notice of.

He's spent the past three years with Guelph of the Ontario Hockey League, and of his 158 points in 176 regular-season games, the 2022-23 season was his best with 67 points (15 goals, 52 assists). The numbers took a bit of a dip last season (47 points; 10 goals, 37 assists) in 52 games, but this is a player that sniffs out chances to join the rush and can filter into an offense smoothly.

"I think it's part of growing and maturing," Buchinger said. "As you come along and play in more camps, you start to be able to read more.

"I think there's always room for improvement and I think there's a long way to go still, but I'm happy with some of my reads and there's still work to do."

Indeed.

But in his first game of the season in a Blues jersey, Buchinger read the play accordingly against the Blackhawks prospects and executed a play precisely.

"[Peterson] drove middle and he opened up the middle lane for me," Buchinger said. "That was kind of all him. I just kind of had an open lane in the middle and I was lucky enough to get a shot off through a couple bodies, but he drove the net and took everyone with him. It was a great play by him."

Buchinger played on his offside alongside Quinton Burns (third round, 2023) Friday night and was naturally the puck mover when on the ice, doing it well and jumping into plays using his speed, making those right reads when to do it and when to stay safe.

"He was pushing the pace, moving the puck well," Blues 2021 first-round pick (30th overall) Zach Dean said. "That was a nice little move there on his goal and a perfectly-placed shot.

"He's a really good player and he knows when not to and when he can jump in. On his goal there like you saw, it was a perfect play. He made his move and he was able to bury it."

It's something that's been in Buchinger's DNA since he can remember.

"I think so. I've always been pretty offensive growing up," Buchinger said. "I think it was a little bit of a learning curve when I turned junior to learn the defensive part of the game. I think I'm still trying to get better at that part of the game on both ends of the rinks honestly. I think it's been a part of my game, but there's always room for improvement on both ends."

That room also includes adding a physical element to his game, which was on display Friday when he was involved in a scuffle with Chicago's Colton Zach.

"Anybody that can add that part of the game is always an asset," Buchinger said. "You see some of the best players in the world who have an edge to their game. Hockey's a physical game and it's a physical sport. To have that physicality is very important."

When Buchinger takes to the ice Sunday at 3 p.m. to complete the tournament against the Minnesota Wild prospects, he will continue to try and make an impression on not only Blues brass but what likely will be his coach in 2024-25, Springfield coach Steve Konowalchuk.

"He can skate and he can move the puck well," Konowalchuk said of Buchinger. "Good compete. He's another good, solid player and a good prospect."

Buchinger signed his entry-level contract (three years, $2.51 million, $838,000 average annual value) on March 1, 2023.

"I think I've put in a lot of work and I'm confident in myself that I'm able to make the jump to pro now," Buchinger said. "I've dreamt about it my whole life now, so the fact that it's here now is very exciting and I think I'm ready."