Thomas named Blues captain, replaces Schenn

Robert Thomas was named captain of the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday.

The 27-year-old center replaces Brayden Schenn, who was traded to the New York Islanders on March 6, and is the 25th captain in Blues history.

Selected by St. Louis in the first round (No. 20) of the 2017 NHL Draft, Thomas has led the Blues in scoring each of the past three seasons, including 64 points (25 goals, 39 assists) in 64 games last season, and an NHL career-high 86 points (26 goals, 60 assists) in 82 games in 2023-24. He has averaged 1.03 points per game (373 points in 361 games) since the beginning of the 2021-22 season, tied for 23rd among NHL players with at least 200 games played during that span.

Thomas has 460 points (132 goals, 328 assists) in 530 games during eight NHL seasons with St. Louis, and 26 points (six goals, 20 assists) in 52 Stanley Cup Playoff games. That includes six points (one goal, five assists) in 21 games as a rookie to help the Blues win the Stanley Cup in 2019.

Forwards Jake Neighbours and Dylan Holloway and defensemen Colton Parayko and Philip Broberg will rotate as alternate captains.

Thomas' first game as captain will come when the Blues play their season opener at the Dallas Stars on Oct. 2 (9 p.m. ET; HBO MAX, truTV, TNT).

Nine NHL teams are without a captain: the Anaheim Ducks, Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Los Angeles Kings, New York Islanders, Ottawa Senators, San Jose Sharks and Vancouver Canucks.