The St. Louis Blues are down to their final two games of the season, and will not be making the playoffs this year. They don’t play again until Wednesday and close out their season with games on consecutive nights against the Dallas Stars. According to Lou Korac of NHL.com, it appears they will be adding some reinforcements to the lineup to give a trio of prospects a taste of NHL action before the season comes to a close. The Blues have announced Joel Hofer, Tyler Tucker and Hugh McGing have all been called up from the Springfield Thunderbirds.
- Hofer is a 22-year-old goaltender who was drafted in the fourth round of the 2018 NHL Draft. He has had a solid season with the Thunderbirds, posting a 2.57 GAA to go with a .918 SV% and a 25-15-5 record in 45 contests. He has also played five NHL games this season where he put up a 2.79 GAA and a .915 SV%, showing some promise in limited duty. The Blues need to find a solution in goal with Jordan Binnington signed long term but struggling and Thomas Greiss a pending unrestricted free agent this summer. Hofer has played well enough this season to show he could be the goaltender of the future in St. Louis.
- Tucker was a seventh-round pick of the Blues in 2018 and has split this season between St. Louis and Springfield. The 6-foot-1 and 204 pound defenseman has put up three goals and 21 points in 39 AHL games while playing a steady defensive game as well. He has been called up already this season, compiling 24 NHL games and scoring one goal and four points. The 23 year old will look to show he can compete for a roster spot next season, even though the Blues have seven NHL defenders signed through 2023-24.
- McGing was a fifth-round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft and is yet to make his NHL debut. The 24-year-old forward is in his third AHL season and has scored 15 goals and 35 points in 68 games for the Thunderbirds. He may get a chance to play in his first NHL game with the Blues playing out the string later this week.