The St. Louis Blues' main focus during the 2024 NHL Draft was bolstering their defensive lines, and one of their selections is doing well in his first collegiate season with an NCHC stalwart.
19-year-old defenseman Colin Ralph, a 2nd round choice by the Blues in this year's draft, has played 15 games with St. Cloud State, notching a goal and 3 assists as the NCAA hockey season works through its early stages. Ralph spent 4 years with private school hockey powerhouse Shattuck St. Mary's, which is known as a consistent NHL-producing factory for young players. In 2023/24, Ralph played in 57 games with 8 goals and 58 assists for 66 points, a career-high after notching much lower totals in his previous three seasons there. Ralph also played in 2 games with the USHL's Dubuque Fighting Saints but has since transitioned full-time to the college hockey level rather than the US' Junior A division.
With St. Cloud sitting at 9-4-0, second in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) in wins, Ralph has been a key contributor to one of the conference’s most successful teams in one of the nation's premier collegiate hockey conferences. The NCHC is generally considered a top NHL talent-producing league with teams across the Midwest and Far West, alongside its Eastern counterpart, Hockey East, which is based entirely in New England. Several notable NHLers have come out of both leagues, making it a fierce competitor to the CHL, which composes the WHL, OHL, and QMJHL, Canada's top 3 junior leagues.
Ralph's selection in the 2024 draft kicked off a quick succession of other left-handed defenseman, such as Leon Muggli from Switzerland's EV Lug to the Washington Capitals, Leo Sahlin Wallenius from the Swedish Hockey League's Vaxjo Lakers to the San Jose Sharks, and Jesse Pulkkinen from the sm-Liiga's (top Finnish league) JYP to the New York Islanders. Ralph had a unique bit of talent to pick up on, even if he wasn't a noted goalscorer. The lack of goal-scoring from Ralph is easily overshadowed by his defensive play, however, as he's one of the most physical defensemen in this year's draft.
It may be some time before we see Ralph in a Blues uniform, as once he gets fully acclimated to the college hockey level of play, the 19-year-old native of Maple Grove, Minnesota can suit up at the professional level, most likely with the Blues' AHL affiliate in Springfield to start. One thing's for sure- Ralph has the perfect physicality for an NHL defenseman, something the Blues have desperately needed in the last two seasons or so.