St. Louis Blues Professional Try-Out Player Previews

The St. Louis Blues have invited five forwards – including Scott Gomez – to professional try-outs for St. Louis’s 2015 Training Camp.

Each of the players is new to the Blues system. Scott Gomez, Spencer Asuchak, Eriah Hayes, Zach O’Brien and Evan Trupp will take the ice in September, and all of them bring different strengths to the table for St. Louis.

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Per the Blues’ website:

Gomez, 35, is a 15-year NHL veteran with stints in New Jersey, New York (Rangers), Montreal, San Jose and Florida. Last season, the 5-foot-11, 198-pound forward logged 34 points (seven goals, 27 assists) and 23 penalty minutes in 58 regular season games with New Jersey.

Gomez is the biggest name of the four, and as we posited earlier, may be who the Blues want to take the place of Patrik Berglund, who will be out the first half of the season, recovering from shoulder surgery. Gomez isn’t a goal-scorer anymore, but his assist numbers are tremendous when he lets go and plays the way he wants to play.

Whether or not he’ll get to do so under Ken Hitchcock is something Blues fans will have to wait and see.

Asuchak, 23, split last season between the AHL’s Providence Bruins and Worcester Sharks as well as the ECHL’s Allen Americans. The 6-foot-6, 230-pound forward spent the majority of the season with Allen, where he posted 30 points (12 goals, 18 assists) in 28 regular season games and 21 points (11 goals, 10 assists) in 25 postseason games while helping the club capture the ECHL’s 2015 Kelly Cup.

Asuchak is known as a power forward who plays a physical game. He’s a giant, at 6’6″ and 230, and might be just what the Blues are looking for to round out their third or fourth lines.

This is Asuchak’s second PTO; last season he attended the Boston Bruins’ training camp and didn’t make the roster, though he spent a few games with their AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins. He was one of the top rookies the previous season with the AHL’s Americans, scoring 21 goals and adding 35 assists for 56 points. He also led the AHL with five shorthanded goals that season – this season saw a bit of a drop-off from that, but he also bounced through three teams.

Should Asuchak not be what the Blues are looking for in the NHL, he’d make a good addition to the Chicago Wolves, if they have the space on the forward lines.

Hayes, 27, split last season between the San Jose Sharks and their AHL affiliate, the Worcester Sharks. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound forward served two penalty minutes in four games with San Jose and posted 25 points (eight goals, 17 assists) and 40 penalty minutes in 59 games with Worcester.

Hayes is a right-winger, which counts in his favor already as the Blues have a bit of a dearth at the moment. He’s already played a few NHL games (15 during the 2013-2014 season and 4 from 2014-2015 with the Sharks), putting up one point over 19 career NHL games. His production has grown over the seasons he’s spent in the AHL

Hayes is a hustler, and he’d probably fit in well in St. Louis. We’ll have to see what he brings to camp in September, now.

Blades of Teal editor Patrick Leiva had this to say about Hayes: “strong, gritty power forward. Works hard for the puck. Has a great shot. Not afraid to drop the mitts when he as to. Great skater, too.”

We’re certainly looking forward to seeing that on the ice.

The Wolves signed Hayes to a contract for the 2015-2016 season Aug. 13, so whether or not he plays on NHL ice this season, Blues fans should become familiar with his name.

O’Brien, 23, has spent the past two seasons with the AHL’s Manchester Monarchs. Last season, the 5-foot-9, 178-pound forward tallied 32 points (14 goals, 18 assists) in 62 regular season games and nine points (three goals, six assists) in 19 postseason appearances.

O’Brien is the player I am personally most excited about after Gomez. The Monarchs, L.A. Kings affiliate, is one of the best teams in the AHL and the Kings are known for putting a lot into developing their talent at that level. The players who come out of the Monarchs are regularly phenomenal players who do even the little things well, such as goaltender Martin Jones. Jones just picked up a starting position for the San Jose Sharks.

O’Brien is on the small side, and his production has been low since he left the QMJHL for the AHL, but we’ll get to see what he can accomplish against bigger, hardened NHLers at training camp. I’ve got my fingers crossed.

Trupp, 27, has spent the past two seasons in the AHL, including stints with the Abbotsford Heat and the Worcester Sharks. Last season, the 5-foot-10, 155-pound forward recorded 40 points (16 goals, 24 assists) and 26 penalty minutes in 72 regular season games.

Trupp is also a pretty interesting player. He is second-oldest of the bunch, and graduated from the University of North Dakota in 2011, posting 118 points over four years there. Trupp spent five seasons in the ECHL, then moved to the AHL for the previous two, and posted 47 points in 89 games in the AHL.

Trupp certainly thinks outside the box, watching videos of his play like the one above. His size, however, is not to his advantage, and he’ll have to put on some muscle if he wants to hold his own against larger players with more stamina.

The Anchorage, Alaska native also recently signed with the Wolves (July 2) and will likely spend at least a game or two in St. Louis even if he is deemed unready for long stints in the NHL this coming season.

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