Observations from Day 1 of Blues training camp

Urgency and pace.

That’s what the St. Louis Blues wanted to see out of their roster coming into training camp. With the league transitioning to an 84-game regular season this year, there is less practice time and fewer preseason games.

On Thursday morning, players opened camp with on-ice practice sessions and a team scrimmage at Centene Community Ice Center. With new roster additions, training camp allows the players to build chemistry with one another while the coaching staff assesses the state of their players going into the regular season.

Here are six observations from the first day of training camp...

The groups have a pretty clear split 

Thursday’s two training camp groups - Group A and Group B - provide a good hint about what the Blues’ opening night roster could look like.

“We discussed a lot of different options internally and, at the end of the day, we want to put together two groups that we can evaluate every day but also that we get enough running for the season,” said President of Hockey Operations Doug Armstrong. “The priority is to maximize each and every day in practice and allow the players to show the chemistry they’re able to build.”

Speaking to the media before practice alongside Armstrong, General Manager Alexander Steen said that internal competition for roster spots was something that stood out as the team was discussing their options. He added that the gap in the level of talent between the Springfield Thunderbirds and Blues rosters is starting to close.

“[Springfield] beat some very good teams in the playoffs last year, so that gap’s closing,” Steen said. “Those guys are pushing. They want to be noticed and today is their first day to show that here.”

McTavish is playing on a line with….

At the NHL Draft this summer, Mason McTavish, nicknamed “Mc-T,” was acquired by the Blues from the Anaheim Ducks for the Nos. 15 and 29 picks in the first round. Finishing the 2025-26 season with 17 goals and 41 points in 75 games played, the team’s hope is that McTavish can emerge as a dependable second-line center.

Speaking to the media after practice, head coach Jim Montgomery said that McTavish is a top-six player in the lineup. On Thursday the former third overall pick centered a line with Connor McMichael and Pavel Buchnevich on the wings.

McMichael was acquired by the Blues from the Washington Capitals in the late-June Jordan Kyrou trade, along with the 16th overall pick in this year’s draft and prospect Milton Gastrin. McMichael, finishing last season with 14 goals and 46 points in 78 games played, signed a six-year contract extension with the Blues that carries a $6.75M AAV.

Buchnevich, approaching his sixth season with the Blues, finished 2025-26 with 20 goals and 48 points in 81 games played.

“McMichael has played in the middle six his entire career and Buchy’s played pretty much [up and down the lineup], so let’s put those three together, see what kind of chemistry we have today,” Montgomery said.

He added that the line “did some good things” offensively, but he hasn’t worked on any defensive systems with them yet.

Is the Holloway - Thomas - Snuggerud line still together? 

According to moneypuck.com, the Dylan Holloway - Robert Thomas - Jimmy Snuggerud line scored 24 goals and had only six goals scored against them in 253.9 minutes played together last season. The trio finished as one of the more dominant lines across the NHL to end the regular season and remained together during Thursday’s practice.

“The Thomas line speaks for itself, the way they finished,” Montgomery said. “And they scored two goals out there today, so they picked up where they left off.”

He said that those players lead the team with their habits off the puck and wants them to be a top-10 line in the league.

The full forwards lineup for Group A during Thursday’s practice:

Dylan Holloway - Robert Thomas - Jimmy Snuggerud

Connor McMichael - Mason McTavish - Pavel Buchnevich

Jake Neighbours - Dalibor Dvorsky - Jonatan Berggren

Ross Johnston - Pius Suter - Alexey Toropchenko

Mailloux and newcomer Carlo make their marks on Blues’ defense 

Blues defenseman Logan Mailloux was acquired by the Blues in 2025 from the Montreal Canadiens. Adding to the youth, size and offensive upside on the right side of the defensive core, Mailloux was paired with Phillip Broberg on the top pair during Thursday’s on-ice practice sessions.

Last season, the Broberg - Mailloux pairing played 367.9 minutes together, according to moneypuck.com. Montgomery said that the coaching staff “really liked” what they saw in Mailloux’s performance last season.

“We saw a young man get his NHL confidence, playing on his toes and you see that in the three-on-three goal, him being in that area, snapping it quickly, not looking to defer and find somebody else with the puck – that’s a confident young man,” he said.

Defenseman Brandon Carlo was traded to the Blues from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for the Nos. 73 and 76 overall picks in the 2026 NHL Draft. Carlo recorded seven points, 37 penalty minutes and averaged 19:22 time-on-ice in 55 games played with Toronto last season.

Carlo was paired with Cam Fowler on the Blues third defensive pairing.

“His defensive stick always takes away the most dangerous option, which is the middle of the ice, and then with his feet, he’s very similar to [Parayko’s] – they’re so big and long and skate well,” Montgomery said. “They take away time and space on you and you think you have time and all of a sudden it’s a turnover because of their stick.”

The full defensive lineup for Group A on Thursday was:

Philip Broberg - Logan Mailloux

Theo Lindstein - Colton Parayko

Cam Fowler - Brandon Carlo

Tyler Tucker - Adam Jiricek

Hofer and Binnington can help the team “make hay” this season

The Blues have a surplus of talent between the pipes.

Last season, Joel Hofer finished with a 24-13-5 record, 2.61 goals against average and a .910 save percentage. Jordan Binnington finished with a 13-20-7 record, 3.33 goals against average and an .873 save percentage. While it was a down year for the latter, the Blues goalies are one of the most dependable tandems in the league when playing at their best.

“Those two goalies give you confidence that you have a number one in net every night,” Montgomery said. “And their ability to play the puck, their ability to compete in that blue paint and manage the games gives us a lot of confidence.”

Blues fans are PUMPED for the regular season

It was a packed house inside Centene Community Ice Center on Thursday. Fans in their Blues gear filling the bleachers as the players practiced and scrimmaged, kids with jerseys and handmade signs high-fiving their favorites while they walked into the rink – hockey season has arrived in St. Louis.

Friday’s practice sessions at CICC will also be free and open to the public, with the first group taking the ice at 10 a.m.

Other Notes:

• Dillon Dube is “a little dinged up,” per Steen, but participated in select team drills on Thursday. Prospect Felix Trudeau did not participate on Thursday but “shouldn’t be too long.”