The follow-up to the St. Louis Blues‘ 2020 first-round draft pick Jake Neighbours was forward Zachary Bolduc. Following their loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, the club announced a few roster moves. They placed defenseman Justin Faulk on long-term injured reserve and Scott Perunovich on injured reserve, which led to Bolduc getting called up to the NHL from the Springfield Thunderbirds of the American Hockey League (AHL).
At age 20, Bolduc is getting a chance at the right time in the middle of his development. It’s a smart move for the Blues as they try to give their forward group a spark. Let’s get into his time in the organization and what fans can expect as he gets ready to make his NHL debut.
Bolduc’s Path to the NHL
The Blues drafted Bolduc with the 17th overall pick in the 2021 Draft. He is set to become the 28th player from this draft to play a game in the NHL. The player selected before him, Brennan Othmann, has played in three games for the New York Rangers. Outside of that, players such as Owen Power, Matty Beniers, Mason McTavish, and others have stood out from this class so far. Bolduc is perfectly on track for what the Blues should expect from him.
Before being sent to the AHL by the club, Bolduc spent four seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). He played two seasons with the Rimouski Oceanic and two with the Quebec Remparts. As a part of the Remparts, he helped lead them to a championship. His former head coach in Quebec is current New York Islanders head coach Patrick Roy. Ironically enough, Bolduc is set to make his NHL debut against the Islanders on Thursday, Feb. 22. His production in two seasons playing under Roy was impressive. He scored 55 goals in 65 games in 2021-22 and 50 goals in 61 games in 2022-23. He improved all aspects of his game in Quebec after a tough training camp in 2022 with the Blues.
Bolduc had just eight goals and 23 points in 48 games for the Thunderbirds before the call-up. The production for him in the AHL hasn’t been off the charts, but before being called up, he tallied six points in seven games. He had three assists in the first of those seven games and two goals overall. He went to Springfield with a ton of offensive tools, so it was clear that he needed to improve his two-way game and the Blues believe he has. He has a great shot and it’ll be interesting to see how it translates to the NHL level.
How Bolduc Can Impact the Team This Season
It would be unwise for the Blues to play Bolduc anywhere outside of the top nine. He can’t come to St. Louis and play fourth-line ice time. I would even consider putting Kasperi Kapanen on the third line and try placing him on the second line with Jake Neighbours and Brayden Schenn. The Blues have lost three of their last four and a spark from young studs like Bolduc and Neighbours could be just what the doctor ordered.
Even with the recent power play improvement, Bolduc would be a great asset to one of the two units. He’s a two-time 50-goal scorer at the junior level and was starting to figure it out in the AHL before this move. I wouldn’t expect him to light it up right away, but he’ll show flashes of what he can become at this level for however long he’s up. General manager Doug Armstrong has a huge trade deadline ahead of him and how he approaches it can determine the role that Bolduc will play for the remainder of the 2023-24 season.
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