Blues rookie review

By Aaron Vickers

This season, the St. Louis Blues managed to move three full-time rookies into their regular lineup. In all, eight rookies saw at least one game in a Blues jersey this season, four of which were defensemen. Among these rookies, one was selected from the 1997 NHL Entry Draft, three were selected from the 1998 NHL Entry Draft, three were signed as unrestricted free agents, and one was acquired via trade.

Here is a glimpse at the eight rookies to dress for the Blues this season.
Pos.
 		GP
 		G
 		A
 		Pts
 		Pts/GP
 		+/-
 		PIM
 		ATOI
 		Shots
Mark Rycroft
 		RW
 		71
 		9
 		12
 		21
 		.30
 		+2
 		32
 		14:22
 		110
Mike Danton
 		C
 		68
 		7
 		5
 		12
 		.18
 		-8
 		141
 		11:56
 		72
Christian Backman
 		D
 		66
 		5
 		13
 		18
 		.27
 		+3
 		16
 		19:20
 		92
Peter Sejna
 		LW
 		20
 		2
 		2
 		4
 		.20
 		-9
 		4
 		14:58
 		36
Matt Walker
 		D
 		14
 		0
 		1
 		1
 		.07
 		0
 		25
 		11:22
 		8
Jame Pollock
 		D
 		9
 		0
 		0
 		0
 		.00
 		-1
 		6
 		15:24
 		19
Mike Stuart
 		D
 		2
 		0
 		0
 		0
 		.00
 		0
 		0
 		9:30
 		0
John Pohl
 		C
 		1
 		0
 		0
 		0
 		.00
 		-2
 		0
 		8:18
 		1

Mark Rycroft, RW – Signed as a free agent on May 15, 2000
Rycroft, who has spent the last three seasons toiling with the Worcester IceCats, the Blues’ AHL affiliate, lead all Blues rookies in scoring in 2003-04. Playing primarily on the club’s third and fourth lines, Rycroft added a dimension of scoring to the bottom end of the lineup, with a surprising 21 points. The Penticton, BC native was signed in 2000, after finishing his third season with the University of Denver.

Rycroft finished the regular season a +2, good enough for second amongst the club’s right wingers, ahead of veterans Pavol Demitra and Scott Mellanby. His point totals, 21 points in 79 games, placed him tenth amongst scoring leaders for the Blues.

Mike Danton, C – Acquired along with a 3rd round selection (Konstantin Zakharov ) from the New Jersey Devils on June 21st, 2003
Super pest Mike Danton, who the Blues acquired during the last off season, played an integral role in keeping the Blues’ opposition on their toes during the course of the 2003-04 season. Danton tied for the club lead in minutes in penalties with Reid Low (141), and finished second on the club in minor penalties, one behind captain Chris Pronger, who recorded 39 on the season.

With former pest Tyson Nash dealt away to Phoenix, Danton was counted on to agitate opponents with his ‘in-your-face’ style of play. The high energy, high tempo game he brought was especially effective in the playoffs, which saw the Blues bow out to the San Jose Sharks in five games.

Christian Backman, D – Selected in the first round, 24th overall, in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft
Although it was Mark Rycroft who lead the club in rookie scoring, no rookie was more valuable to the St. Louis Blues in the 2003-04 season then defenseman Christian Backman. Backman, who registered three less points in five less games then Rycroft, lead all Blues rookies in plus/minus with a +3 ranking. The emergence of Backman couldn’t have come at a better time for the Blues, who lost perennial all-star defenseman Al MacInnis three games into the season, and lost 2002-03 rookie of the year Barrett Jackman just twelve games later.

Backman finished tops among rookies in minutes per game, and ranked sixth on the club in the same statistic, as well as third best among defensemen playing more then ten games with the club.

It wasn’t just minutes that the 6’2″, 187-pound Backman contributed to the club, though. Amongst rookie defensemen in the National Hockey League, Backman finished seventh among points with 18 (5 goals, 13 assists). Backman also finished third on the Blues in scoring amongst defensemen, behind Chris Pronger and Eric Weinrich, who was acquired at the trade deadline from Philadelphia.

Peter Sejna, LW - Signed as a free agent on April 6th, 2003
Signed as a free agent after receiving the Hobey Baker award as the top college player in the NCAA in 2003, Peter Sejna played sparingly for the Blues before being demoted to Worcester to play for the IceCats.

After putting up a paltry four points in 20 games, while seeing upwards of 15 minutes of ice time a game, it was decided on November 23rd, 2003 that Sejna will spend the remaining portion of the season in the American Hockey League. Sejna, who did enjoy a brief call-up at the end of the season, was returned to Worcester before the start of the Blues series against the San Jose Sharks.

Matt Walker, D – Selected in the third round, 83rd overall, in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft
After making the Blues out of training camp, Matt Walker suffered a groin injury which kept him out of the lineup for 51 games, almost 75 percent of the entire season. Upon returning to the lineup, Walker, 24, was assigned to Worcester for a conditioning stint of two weeks before returning to the Blues lineup for the remainder of the season.

A native of Beaverlodge, Alberta, Walker played the role of the seventh defenseman on St Louis, providing a physical spark when he was in the lineup. Willing to drop the gloves, Walker fought to defend his teammates or provide a change in momentum on several occasions this season. Walker, known primarily as an aggressive defensive defenseman who is strong in the corners, played a relatively disciplined game this season when he was in the lineup, recording 25 minutes in penalties through 14 games.

Rounding out the rest

Defenseman Jame Pollock, who was selected by the Blues in the fourth round, 106th overall in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft, played in nine games for the Blues this season. Pollock, who made his NHL debut in mid January, spent the majority of his year in Worcester with the IceCats. At one point in December, Pollock was assigned to the Canadian National Team to play in the Spengler Cup, a tournament which Canada won.

Mike Stuart, who was signed as a free agent on October 7th, 2002, dressed for two games, and averaged under ten minutes in each showing. Stuart, originally drafted by the Nashville Predators 137th overall in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, spent this season with Worcester, recording four assists in 30 games. John Pohl, the third Blues rookie selected in the 1998 Entry Draft, 255th overall, played in only one game this season. Pohl recorded 41 points in 65 games for the IceCats this season.