MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. — Jake Neighbors will be presented with a terrific opportunity when the St. Louis Blues begin training camp in September.
And there’s plenty of incentive for the 20-year-old forward prospect to be motivated entering his second camp, according to Blues general manager Doug Armstrong.
“Neighbors, his eyes have to be as big as a saucer right now seeing those openings,” Armstrong said.
With David Perron leaving for the Detroit Red Wings on July 13 as an unrestricted free agent and Alexey Toropchenko expected to be out until early December Following shoulder surgery, St. Louis has vacancies up front. Neighbors, selected by the Blues in the first round (No. 26) of the 2020 NHL Draft, will have a chance to fill one.
Neighbors began last season with the Blues and had two points (one goal, one assist) in nine games before being returned to the junior level. He had 45 points (17 goals, 28 assists) in 30 regular-season games and 17 points (three goals, 14 assists) in 19 playoff games for Edmonton, which won the Western Hockey League championship and earned a trip to the Memorial Cup.
“I don’t know if [having NHL experience is] a leg up, but I think just for me personally, it’s a little bit more comfort and knowing what to expect,” Neighbors said. “Getting that taste, the first nine games of the NHL hockey season aren’t going to be the craziest. nine games. Getting to that halfway point of the year, getting later in the season, the playoffs, that’s what I’ve got to be prepared for now and that’s what I want to strive to do.
“It starts in the summer, it starts right now and coming into camp.”
Video: LAK@STL: Neighbors taps home his first NHL goal
Neighbors (6-foot, 201 pounds) admitted there was some disappointment following the Blues’ decision to return him to the WHL. But he was named Edmonton captain on Nov. 12, 2021, and said he relished the responsibilities that came with it.
“Any time you get released from a team, it’s going to be emotional,” he said. “I think that’s one thing I said when I left there was a lot of mixed emotions about going back, obviously with that chance to win a (WHL) championship and see my teammates again. But at the same time, it’s a lifelong dream. to play in the NHL and obviously play for the Blues.
“I’m happy that everything went the way it did last year. If I could go back, I don’t know that I would change any of it, but I’ve got to come ready to camp this year and ready to make the team.”
Neighbors did not take part in on-ice sessions during Blues development camp last week for rest-related purposes, but director of player personnel Tim Taylor said they’re excited to see if he can grab a full-time NHL role in training camp.
“It’s his character, right?” Taylor said. “You don’t see too many players come in at that age and really challenge for a spot, but it’s important for him to see what the next level is, and he got to see that. And again, as the season goes on, the level of play, it gets amped up more and more. He got to see that right at the forefront.
“For him to go back and get that experience of being ‘the man’ for his team and carry them through the season and get them to the Memorial Cup, I think it was a great experience and great for his development too.”
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