The St. Louis Blues have been playing much better hockey as of late, posting a 4-1-1 record in their last six games. While most of their success can be attributed to Robert Thomas and Dylan Holloway’s return to both the lineup and their form, rookie Jimmy Snuggerud deserves his flowers for his play as of late. Since returning from wrist surgery on Dec. 27, Snuggerud ranks third in points by a rookie with 21 [https://x.com/MDeFranks/status/2031584102885789760?s=20], trailing just New York Islanders [http://thn.com/nyislanders]’ Matthew Scahefer (27) and Anaheim Ducks [http://thn.com/anaheim]’ Beckett Sennecke (23). On the season, Snuggerud has scored 13 goals and 32 points in 52 games. His 82-game pace would see him score 21 goals and 51 points. The 21-year-old is back to playing his game, firing pucks on goal at will and getting to high-danger areas of the ice. Following the trades of Brayden Schenn [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/st-louis-blues/players/brayden-schenn-closes-blues-chapter-with-return-to-st-louis-emotional-tribute] and Justin Faulk, the Blues are entering a new era, led by their youth. Currently, the Blues’ roster features eight players under 25. Those players are Snuggerud, Holloway, Dalibor Dvorsky, Otto Stenberg, Jake Neighbours, Philip Broberg, Logan Mailloux, and Theo Lindstein [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/st-louis-blues/players/theo-lindstein-s-nhl-debut-a-success-for-blues-despite-ot-loss-to-islanders]. At this point next season, the Blues’ lineup could also feature first-round picks Adam Jiricek and Justin Carbonneau. Jimmy Snuggerud (Jeff Curry-Imagn Images) [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/7a4718cf-05c9-47c5-a7b0-b3bbaa0e667b.jpeg] Jimmy Snuggerud (Jeff Curry-Imagn Images) While the positional value of Broberg [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/st-louis-blues/players/philip-broberg-s-performance-with-sweden-demonstrates-why-he-s-the-blues-no-1-defenseman-now-and-for-the-future] and Dvorsky [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/st-louis-blues/players/blues-dalibor-dvorsky-continues-to-put-his-name-on-the-map-scores-another-big-goal-for-slovakia] may make them more valuable, there may not be a more important piece to their young core than Snuggerud. Snuggerud possesses a shot rivalled by few players around the NHL, and at 21, he’s already piecing together how to utilize it to the best of his abilities. With 18 games remaining, coach Jim Montgomery will keep Snuggerud on the top line with Holloway and Thomas, and Snuggerud will continue to improve. Image [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/8127be64-29a5-4c3a-8ebc-51fffbeb115e.jpeg] For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free [https://thehockeynews.store/products/print-subscription]. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
