MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- Many days during the past year, it was tough at the rink for St. Louis Blues prospect Lukas Fischer.

Not in the sense of things the defenseman accomplished individually for the Sarnia Sting of the Ontario Hockey League, but the second-round pick (No. 56 overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft wasn't able to accomplish the goals of being a successful team and being a playoff team.

The Sting was 18th out of 20 teams in the OHL last season at 22-33-6-7, and if the challenge of trying to help build a successful organization wasn't enough, one thing that did make the 18-year-old grow and mature was being a leader, and wearing a 'C' was leadership persona for Fischer in his third season at Sarnia.

"I thought it was another good learning year," Fischer, son of former Detroit Red Wings defenseman and current associate director of player personnel Jiri Fischer, said recently at Blues development camp. "There was definitely a lot of ups and downs, but it was a special year. I think I got a lot from it, more than just the hockey aspect of it if that makes any sense. I got to grow as a person as well, so I think it was a good learning year for me.

"(Being captain) definitely comes with a little bit more responsibility, but I think the biggest thing about a leadership role is the guys around you too. The guys that don't have letters, the guys that are what make the team. For us, we had a really, really good group of guys in Sarnia. That meant the world to me. They made it easy on me this year."

Fischer's plate was definitely full, but the Blues are impressed with the maturation such a young player has shown leading a program that historically is strong.

"It was really tough for him because they didn't have a very good team," Blues assistant general manager Tim Taylor said of Fischer. "All the expectations and a lot of pressure is put upon him, especially being a defenseman and the captain. I thought he carried himself really well. Sometimes the growth of these guys, it helps when you're ... I'm not saying is always losing, but you're always put in tough situations. You're never getting a role, you're always trying to dig yourself out and playing on a smaller team, he had to take care of the physical part too. It was good growth for him and taking a leadership role as a lot of young players (do), which they should be better this year. But it was a good year for him because getting knocked down and having to pick up his teammates every game I think helps with his maturity."

Fischer, a 6-foot-3, 173-pound lefty, was able to check off a lot of individual goals; he increased his offensive production to finish with a career-high in goals (15) and points (37) in 51 games. His 15 goals was fifth among defensemen in the OHL last season.

"I think it was a good step in the right direction," Fischer said. "I think this year's going to be another big step and I'm really looking forward to it.

"The biggest thing for me this year, if it's going to be my last year in junior, I want to make sure I leave it better than I entered it. I want the people of Sarnia, if they look back and say what they thought of me, I think the most important thing for me is them looking back thinking that I was a good person. That's what wins the most to me."

As well as things went for Fischer individually last season, he knows there's another level, and that came after getting a taste of the next step in his development when he played three games with Springfield of the American Hockey League at the end of last season.

"It was awesome to be awesome to you," Fischer said. "I don't know how much better I can describe it. It was just a really good time. It was an amazing locker room, really good leaders. A bunch of guys took me under their wing. I was really grateful I got to go there.

"(But) you've got to get better every day. You've got to get better if you want to play in junior. You've got to get better every day if you want to play triple-A and minor league hockey, right? There's always going to be another challenge, so I think the biggest thing is just try and find a way to get a little bit better every day."

Being the son of a former NHLer gave Fischer the perspective needed growing up what it takes and the work needed to accomplish his goals. His mother Avory gave her son the right guidance as well, but seeing his father play at the highest level, the younger Fischer knows he has quite the supporting cast to lean on.

"The biggest thing now is, I don't want to say he's a fan, but I think maybe he took a little bit of a step back since I was playing minor hockey," Fischer said of his father. "There's a lot more people now that I'm talking to. He's just a guy now that I can bounce ideas off of and wind down if that's what I need.

"It's a totally different way of looking at things. I can get advice from him, I can get advice from my coach in Sarnia, I can get advice here. You're always going to be grateful for everything that you can get and that's the most important thing is taking everything with a grain of salt. That's something I've kind of grown up trying to do. It's something I really appreciate."

Fischer was at his second development camp learning and developing relationships with fellow prospects all with the same outlook: to one day don the Bluenote.

"Maybe the camaraderie, honestly," Fischer said of what he enjoys most. "Getting to meet all the guys, some special players, like [2025 first-round pick Justin] Carbonneau, unbelievable player. He might be the best player I've been on the ice with. It's crazy. That's something that I always get to take away, the guys you get to meet, the relationships you get to build. You never know where everybody's going to end up. You hope everybody in this locker room can play for the Blues one day, but reality is that's probably not the case so it's good to have the chance like this to kind of savor that and make those relationships.

"But it's competitive. At the end of the day, everybody's looking for a job and it's like that in every aspect. It's not just hockey. You work on a construction site, you've got to work hard and you can put food on the table. A lot of people blow it out of proportion that you're trying to take somebody else's job. It's like that everywhere in life. For us all to get to be here, build those relationships and it's great to be here and learn, work hard and compete and do all these things."

This is likely Fischer's final year in junior hockey; when he turns 19 in September, he will be eligible to play in the AHL, and even at such a young age, the Blues are likely to want to see him progress to that level.

Fischer's mental maturity is growing leaps and bounds by the responsibilities of each of last season and the upcoming year of being part of a leadership group. The mental aspect will be far ahead of the physical stature, which will need some growing into.

"Look at me, of course I've got to get bigger, absolutely. No doubt," Fischer said. "I've got to get bigger. I'm working on it. I think I've got a little time here before the turn to pro is and I'm going to do everything I can to be ready for that. Whenever that is, I'm going to do my best to make sure I'm ready for it."