Jimmy Snuggerud is shining above the disappointment of the St. Louis Blues

Jimmy Snuggerud decided to return to the University of Minnesota ahead of the 2024-25 season, surprising many as he declared he wanted to remain with them for the entirety of the season. This sparked questions of whether he truly wanted a spot in St. Louis and whether his mind was still focused on ultimately reaching the NHL. In his brief appearance in the NHL so far, it seems no doubts remain as to this top prospect's drive and hockey skill.

Jimmy Snuggerud looks like anything but a 20-year old forward

Snuggerud made his NHL debut against the Detroit Red Wings on April 1st and scored his first NHL goal in the final game of the season on April 15th.

Snuggerud as a prospect was always touted for his incredible shot and ability to score, mostly driving play on his own. He is listed at 6'2" and 187 lbs, which is a very respectable mark when considering his incredibly young age. Snuggerud won on the ice by using his body and enough skill in his hands to dance through defenders and create an opening for his wicked shooting ability.

In the NHL, these skills had no trouble translating, and even as early as his first game, Snuggerud looked like an offensive threat on the ice.

After recently being bounced from the NCAA playoffs in an upset loss, head coach Jim Montgomery decided he had seen enough after just seven games that he was ready for the biggest stage: the NHL playoffs.

Jim Montgomery made him earn his stripes in the NHL Playoffs

Snuggerud started game 1 of the first round against the Winnipeg Jets on the second line. In game 1, he ended up skating for 16:31 on ice and looked fairly impressive.

Snuggerud showed out to his head coach that after just one game, Jim Montgomery promoted the young forward to the first line. In game 2, Snuggerud skated a much more respectable 20:01 and proved to be one of the key offensive threats on the ice.

The highlight of the game was, of course, Snuggerud's satisfying snipegame's highlight was to put the Blues on the board with less than a second left in the first period.

Jimmy Snuggerud was flying all over the ice all night, playing especially well with the puck on his stick. This feat alone is perhaps not worth celebrating, but when considering that this is a 20-year-old forward playing in only his ninth NHL game ever, a playoff game in Winnipeg, Snuggerud's baseline of play becomes tantalizingly enticing.

Snuggerud proved he could hang with the big guys on the biggest stage and made his presence known. He protected the puck exceptionally well and protected his body just right to do what he needed to maintain puck possession and help the Blues create chances. I broke down more of his impact in this game on the most recent episode of my podcast, the Note News Podcast, which you can find here:

The development of a young leader in St. Louis

After the game, Snuggerud broke down in his interview many of the team's successes and struggles so far in this series. He pointed to losing battles in the corners and in the third period as the biggest reasons for the Blues' struggles so far.

Snuggerud's demeanor and mindset in these interviews show a maturity and poise well beyond his years, which indicate future success and leadership. Snuggerud quickly identified what the issues were from the effort of everybody and, when asked about his goal, which was the only goal of the team that game, his first thought was to respond with encouragement for his teammate and discuss his achievement within the context of the game's result:

""It was a great play by Buchy [Buchnevich], I tried to pick a corner and fortunately enough it went in, but at the end of the day we lost and it's no fun losing.""

Jimmy Snuggerud in his postgame intervie

This mindset of winning, results, and competitive team play from Snuggerud demonstrates an incredible hockey IQ off the ice to match his fantastic hockey. All of these points point to the blossoming of Snuggerud as a future star in St. Louis and a potential leader rising above his peers despite his young age and lack of experience.key IQ on the ice. All of this points to the blossoming of Snuggerud as a future star in St. Louis, and a potential leader rising up above his peers despite his young age and lack of experience.