Zack Bolduc, the No. 17 pick of the 2021 NHL Draft by the St. Louis Blues, has taken off with his game since the 4 Nations Face-Off break. (Jeff Curry-Imagn Images)

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- Zack Bolduc understood this would be a process, and it would not come overnight.

Even after the games with little results, the healthy scratches, limited playing time, playing lower in the lineup than usual, things the 22-year-old wasn't used to when he was putting up 99 and 110 points, respectively, his final two seasons for the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League.

When he was a star, a focal point at that level, pucks would find Bolduc regularly. It was no coincidence that he had 50 goals and 60 assists in 2022-23.

But after getting a taste in the NHL with the St. Louis Blues last season playing in 25 games (nine points; five goals, four assists), the No. 17 pick in the 2021 knew he had to start from scratch, and grasp other elements of the game in order to grow his offensive weaponry he's acclimated himself with.

"The game is different (at the NHL level)," Bolduc said. "You've got to work for it. No one's going to get it for you. You've got to work for your chances. I think as a team we're doing a good job at this. Personally, my skating's good, I'm first on the puck and I'm physical too. I'm just trying to create some turnovers and that's what creates offense for our line."

One element Bolduc, who scored his 12th goal and 25th point Thursday in a 5-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, has really come to terms of grasping is the forechecking element that's really enhanced his game.

Being the first in on the forecheck with speed, playing on a line with Oskar Sundqvist and Mathieu Joseph has forged some solid games for that trio.

In the past 10 games, all post 4 Nations Face-Off break, Bolduc has scored six times, but the little things he's doing to create for others is what's really impressing coaches and teammates, like the forecheck and net front traffic that created Nick Leddy's game-tying goal against the Los Angeles Kings last Saturday helping produce a point in a 2-1 overtime loss.

"Yeah, I think forecheck is a big part of my game," Bolduc said. "I think on the forecheck, you have to have a good stick and be physical. Good things happened, like that shift in LA. That's pretty much what create the chance for 'Leds' there. I think it's one thing in my game I want to use and I want to still get better at."

Coach Jim Montgomery has noticed all of the above, the persistent awareness to forecheck and stay on plays, the middle lane drives to the net to create offensive zone opportunities and an ability to hold pucks when he wins them instead of making a hope play.

"That second and third effort of staying on pucks on the forecheck is where you really see players start to become impactful because it's not one and done," Montgomery said. "You're always willing to go forecheck and then that next play to stay on it or to recover above. That's the next stage where people get connected as a team. And then you create more turnovers and it leads to more O-zone time.

"I was very happy with him in practice. He's hanging onto pucks low. He's not just looking just to create results. He's looking to drive results by hanging onto pucks, making people defend and getting pucks to good areas with patience and purpose."

Bolduc has taken a similar path, according to Montgomery, of that of Dylan Holloway, a first-round pick (No. 14, 2020) of his own, who had similar growing pains of working his way up the ladder until he finally got his chance with the Blues this season.

"There's different ways to become a consistent NHL player, and sometimes sitting up in the press box and watching is part of that path," Montgomery said. "For [Bolduc], it's part of that path. For Holloway, it's been part of that path. It's always a good thing for them to recognize that there are going to be hard times and you have to over come it and you have to stay with it. That's just part of the process. We want them to have success right away too. It's just not life."

It's easy for a player to think that the success they had at the junior level would instantly translate to the move up to the pro levels. Until they find out firsthand that it's not.

"It's a tough league," Blues captain Brayden Schenn said. "Everyone thinks you're going to come from junior and you're just going to come in and score as many goals as you did in junior, it's not like that. Overall, his 200-foot game is getting way better. ... As a teammate, he comes in with a great attitude every single day, a guy that works hard, the guy's going to compete hard for you and he's a really good teammate.

"It's a learning curve. It's a process. In junior, you pretty much have the puck the whole game. And you come to the NHL level, that's not how it goes in pro hockey. You don't have the puck, you have to go work to go get it. Those are little adjustments you have to figure out. He's made strides and you've got to continue to prove people wrong and prove yourself."

Bolduc is proving it now. He's reaping the rewards of putting in the extra work, displaying a willingness to learn, absorbing those teaching moments and applying them to enhance his game.

"Yeah, I feel good," Bolduc said. "It's kind of getting natural, it's getting more natural for me to get more physical on the forecheck, use my stick well, create some turnovers. It's a big part of my game and I still have to get better at it, but I've for sure got better.

"You get the feel for some more situations, where a guy's position is, how to use your stick in any situation, how to use your body on the forecheck when you're behind or you're in front. It's all about the kind of experience you get to playing and even in practices. I'm taking all the experience I'm getting in a game and just sticking with it. I heard from a lot of the coaches saying when I'm doing video with them just stick with it. Now you see the results coming. I'm feeling good about my game, but I still have more."

One of those sponges has been Sundqvist, and the 10-year veteran has been a lead-by-example player of what hard work can translate to.

"I think the one thing that goes unnoticed is the how important Sundqvist is to the development of the players that play on his line," Montgomery said. "He understands the game at such a high level and he talks to those guys every shift."

Bolduc said, "He's strong on the draw, he's winning battles, he's around the net. He's a smart player. Sometimes as a young player, I get out of my position a little bit and he's always there to cover me up. I enjoy playing with 'Sunny.' He's a great player."

Bolduc, who leads the Blues with a plus-14, is averaging 12:24 ice time this season, a slight uptick from the 12:01 he played last season. He was moved up to play with Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich with the Blues needing offense on Thursday. Those minutes and opportunities, like he's been getting on the power play now, will come with experience, repetition and good habits.

"He's not a guy that comes in and demands whatever, time or power play spots, whatever it may be," Schenn said of Bolduc. "He's out there, he's working on his game. You can see it behind the scenes with the coaches. I think he's made huge strides as of late and it's good to see him get rewarded for it. Obviously it's not just the goals. I think an element to his game we try and talk to him about is the physicality. You see obviously whether it was the Winter Classic hit (on Taylor Hall) or the hit in LA where he hit Trevor Lewis. It's stuff like that that wears on opponents. At the end of the day, if you keep on doing stuff like that, it'll only give you more time and space."

And that's why living and learning has been the best recipe for success.

"I always say to myself you can't wait for the power play to score some goals or create some offense or get some points," Bolduc said. "I'm focused on my 5-on-5 game and I think I've been playing well and I've just got to keep doing it. I'm trying to learn. These guys have been in the league for a long time. There's a lot of situations that they went through that I'm going through right now. It's fun to have that support. I feel that everyone's there to help.

"It feels good to see the results. It's great to see that the details that you put in are paying off."

Bolduc's Patience, Willingness To Put In Small Details Starting To Pay Off For Blues