Both Dmitrij Jaskin and Petteri Lindbohm were late cuts out of training camp last season who made an impact with the Blues down the line, and this year, the two young players both arrived in St. Louis early with the hope of making the big club out of camp this season.
Jaskin, a 22-year-old winger from Omsk, Russia, was called up for good by the Blues last December, and he played 54 games primarily on the third line for the Blues while totaling 13 goals and 18 points.
Lindbohm, a Finnish defenseman who turns 22 in September, had a few stints with St. Louis last season despite entering training camp as a largely unknown sixth-round draft pick. The Blues have more room for Lindbohm this season after veteran defenseman Barret Jackman signed elsewhere over the summer.
Both Jaskin and Lindbohm hit the ice at St. Louis's rink last week, and they have extra motivation to prepare for camp now that they know more about what they will face.
"Last year when I came over here, I just tried to do my best every day," Lindbohm told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "This year, I guess same thing. I just give you everything I’ve got on the ice, and we’ll see how far that goes. Last year, nobody really knew me, but it’s still the same thing this year. I want to play up here, so I’m fighting for that. There’s still a lot of [defensemen] fighting for that position. I’m one of those guys and I hope I get it."
Jaskin is not just in a battle to make the club this year; he could be fighting for a top-six role. St. Louis has more space up top after trading forward T.J. Oshie to the Washington Capitals earlier this summer.
"You just get a little more ice time and you’ve got to prove that you belong there," Jaskin told the Post-Dispatch of playing higher up in the lineup. "But I’m not really thinking about it. The coaches are going to talk to everybody and say what kind of ideas they have. I’m not the most skilled guy in this room, we have enough of these guys. I know what I’ve got to do, so I’m just getting ready for that."
(h/t St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
