The St. Louis Blues have signed two key prospects to separate 3-year entry-level deals, with forwards Adam Jecho and defenseman Lukas Fischer joining the team's reserve roster for the remainder of the season. Although it's unlikely either will suit up for an NHL contest this season, unlike fellow prospect and recent debut Dalibor Dvorsky, the 19-year-old Jecho and 18-year-old Fischer have proved their worth in playing for the Edmonton Oil Kings and Sarnia Sting, respectively.
Jecho, a native of Zlin, Czech Republic has 25 goals and 28 assists for 53 points in 56 games this season with the WHL's Oil Kings, continuing a solid stretch from the 2023/24 campaign, where he had roughly those same numbers (23 goals and 24 assists for 47 points in 54 games) Jecho's international game has also vastly improved since then, with his totals this season coming in at 7 goals and 14 assists for 21 points in 17 games for the Czech's World Juniors team. The Czech team finished with a bronze medal, Jecho's first major international achievement in a young career.
Lukas Fischer, a native of Brighton, Michigan, has 15 goals and 22 assists for 37 points in 51 games for the Ontario Hockey League's Sarnia Sting, located between the eastern coast of Michigan and the part of Ontario that contains Niagara Falls. It's a steady improvement for the 18-year-old, as in 2023/24, his first full season with the Sting only saw him pick up 6 goals and an impressive 28 assists for 34 points in 68 games. Before making the jump to the OHL in 2022/23, Fischer logged a mere 4 games with the USHL's Cedar Rapids Roughriders. This Michigander's career still has plenty of room to improve at the junior level, but it's great to see him get nominated for a future NHL roster spot this early.
Jecho was a 3rd round selection, going 95th overall in last year's draft, while Fischer was drafted that same year, a little earlier in the 2nd round, 56th overall. Unlike Jecho, Fischer doesn't quite have a few years of international play under his belt, but he is still only 18 years old. Maybe by 2027 or 2028, we could see him make his international debut, and maybe that could lead to a spot on the Blues' full-time roster in the following NHL seasons. Jecho is the more enticing prospect here, though, given his consistency in both regular season and international competitions, and he could join the Blues' 3rd RW lines alongside the likes of Zach Bolduc and Jordan Kyrou, who represent St. Louis' top RW lines. Jecho could also make a splash in the center lines, alongside the top two of Robert Thomas and Blues captain Brayden Schenn.
Wherever Jecho and Fischer end up, one thing's for certain: the prospect pool isn't the only latest hot thing about the Blues at this point in the season. St. Louis is getting ever so closer to making a triumphant return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs after padding their 2nd Western Conference wild card lead with their 7th win in a row over the Montreal Canadiens last night. They're no longer Blue- more Red, with an astonishing 8-1-1 record in their last 10 games, sitting 1 more win from a playoff lock spot in the Central Division.