Dalibor Dvorksy will skate alongside Jordan Kyrou and Mathieu Joseph in his season debut as the St. Louis Blues take on the Vancouver Canucks.
The St. Louis Blues host the Vancouver Canucks tonight as they look to snap a five-game losing streak that includes four consecutive regulation losses.
The Blues will once again be without Robert Thomas, who is considered day-to-day and Jake Neighbours, who will be re-evaluated in five weeks. The injuries to these key players opened up a spot for top prospect Dalibor Dvorsky to earn a call-up and jump straight into the action.
With the Canucks in town, Dvorsky will center the second line. He'll have talented right-winger Jordan Kyrou and versatile left-winger Mathieu Joseph on his flanks.
“We want to give the kid a chance to have success, so let’s give him a really dynamic offensive winger and let’s give him a winger that checks and really goes hard at both ends of the ice and knows the details of our game, so I think it’s a good mix of wingers and I think ‘Matty Jo’ also has been doing a lot of good things offensively so his speed, driving the net, being at the net,” Blues coach Jim Montgomery said. “I think there’s a lot of things to complement ‘Dvo,’ who we think is an offensive centerman that can drive wide.”
The 20-year-old played two games in the NHL last season, but the opportunity to make an impact was limited. He played just 10:40 in his NHL debut against the Nashville Predators on March 23 and even less against the Edmonton Oilers in his second game on April 9, recording just 8:09 of ice time in 10 shifts.
Tonight, however, Dvorsky will be playing with a key Blues forward in Kyrou and is expected to skate on the second power play unit.
The situation Dvorsky has been placed in should bode better than the previous situation. He's off to an outstanding start in the AHL, leading the team in goals (3) and points (5) through six games. The Blues wanted Dvorsky to stand out during pre-season and begin the AHL campaign with a bang, and he has done just that.
Last season, he demonstrated that he has the offensive game a NHL player needs and the defensive game that a centerman needs. The opportunity to play in tonight's game is a recognition by the Blues organization of his stellar play, but it also provides him with the chance to take it and run with it.
Dvorsky is at his best when he is alert defensively and using his skating to get into the offensive play. When the Blues are in possession, Dvorsky will be looking to find open ice to receive the puck and showcase his strong shot. With the puck, Dvorsky has no problem holding onto it while looking to find the next best offensive opportunity.
“It feels amazing, obviously,” Dvorsky said. “I love being here, and it feels great. I’m just going to try to play my offensive game, the things that I do best and of course be responsible defensively. I’ll just try to play my game, shoot pucks, make plays, be responsible in the D-zone.”
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