Most fans remember the beginning of Robert Thomas’s years with the St. Louis Blues. In the offseason, he spent time with the Tkachuk brothers, living under the roof of former Blues star Keith Tkachuk.
Perhaps this was one of the strongest indicators that the front office not only committed to Thomas’s future but also expected him to be a star player.
Robert Thomas has a bright future
Thomas earned his first All-Star appearance in the 2023-24 season, concluding the year with 86 points, highlighted by his 60 assists and 26 goals. Both in terms of goals and assists, the 2023 year marked his best season yet.
Turning 25 this summer, Thomas is young and still has room for improvement.
Knowing he has a permanent head coach in Drew Bannister should also give Thomas a sigh of relief. Bannister earned the job and is known for his development of young players.
Hence, general manager Doug Armstrong decided to lock in Bannister with Thomas and other players like Jordan Kyrou in mind.
Thomas played in 82 games this year, the most of his career. His ice time averaged 20:57, again, the most of his career.
Such statistics should encourage fans, as they show he was healthy and able to compete at a high level of play in every game.
Where does Robert Thomas rank among other players in the NHL?
In terms of total points, Thomas finished at No. 21 in the NHL with 86 points. When you limit the statistics to the center position, Thomas was ranked No. 11.
Both are respectable placements.
In terms of assists, Thomas was No. 16 in the column of all skaters and No. 5 for the center position.
These statistics show his talent and immediately prove his worthiness and reliability as one of the league’s most promising young centers.
Thomas is expected to shine. Being drafted 20th overall in the 2017 NHL Draft is such an indicator. Sure, he may not have been a top-five pick or come with the star-power expectations of Connor McDavid or Nathan MacKinnon, but the Blues expected everything they have received from Thomas.
Thomas has a bright future. Things are exciting because he is still learning and developing into a more dominant force.
Of the top five regular season leaders in assists at the center position, only two were not a top-five pick: J.T. Miller and Robert Thomas. Thomas was a steal in the 2017 draft, and we can only expect greater things from him to come.