Blues make six picks at 2022 NHL Draft

The St. Louis Blues opened the 2022 NHL Draft with the 23rd overall pick in the first round.
Held at Bell Centre in Montreal, the Draft began with Round 1 on Thursday, July 7, and rounds 2-7 continued on Friday, July 8.

The Blues entered the draft with five picks and exited with six after acquiring a third-round pick from Detroit in a trade for goaltender Ville Husso.

2022 Blues Draft Picks

Round 1 - No. 23 - Jimmy Snuggerud - RW
Selected No. 23 overall by the Blues, Jimmy Snuggerud is a 6-foot-1, 188 pound, right-handed forward out of the USA U-18 National Team Development Program.
Snuggerud excelled on the power-play for the NTDP last season, with his seven power-play goals ranking second on the team to tonight's No. 3 overall pick, Logan Cooley.
"He's got a world-class shot," said Adam Nightingale, who coached the NTDP the past two seasons. "It really takes off his stick and he's able to get it off quick. I just think he's a driven, competitive kid that's at a really high level."
Snuggerud scored 24 goals and recorded 39 assists, for 63 points in 59 games last season. The Minneapolis native entered the draft ranked No. 11 among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting.

Round 3 - No. 73 (via DET) - Aleksanteri Kaskimaki - C
With the No. 73 pick, the Blues select center Aleksanteri Kaskimaki out of Finland. A 6-foot-0, 196 pound, left-handed center, Kaskimaki is praised for his deft touch and skill with the puck.
A crafty passer and shooter, Kaskimaki scored 19 goals and 21 assists in 31 games last season for HIFK in the Finnish junior league. He also represented Team Finland at the 2022 IIHF U18 World Championship, recording four points in six games.
Kaskimaki entered the draft ranked No. 25 among European skaters by NHL Central Scouting.

Round 3 - No. 88 - Michael Buchinger - D
Selected No. 88 by the Blues, Michael Buchinger is a left-handed defenseman out of Guelph. Standing 6-foot-0 and weighing 181 pounds, Buchinger is praised for his skating and puck movement from the blue line.
He covers a lot of ice with his skating ability, helping to overcome the potential drawbacks of a smaller frame. He works incredibly hard to get to the right spots to impact plays.
In 63 games for the OHL's Guelph Storm last season, Buchinger scored five goals, recorded 39 assists and served 47 penalty minutes.
Buchinger entered the draft ranked No. 30 among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting.

Round 4 - No. 120 - Arseni Koromyslov - D
With the No. 120 pick, the Blues select Russian defenseman Arseni Koromyslov. Standing 6-foot-3 and weighing 180 pounds, Koromyslov played most of his games in St. Petersburg last season.
Koromyslov recorded four goals and 15 assists in 42 junior league games last season, serving 36 penalty minutes.
He entered the draft ranked No. 50 among European skaters by NHL Central Scouting.
Round 5 - No. 152 - Marc-Andre Gaudet - D
Selected at No. 152 in the fifth round, Marc-Andre Gaudet is a 6-foot-3, 180-pound, left-handed defenseman out of Quebec.
In 68 games for the QMJHL's Acadie-Bathurst Titan last season, Gaudet scored 13 goals, recorded 25 assists and served 34 penalty minutes.
Gaudet entered the draft ranked No. 100 among North American Skaters by NHL Central Scouting.
Round 6 - No. 184 - Landon Sim - RW
With their sixth-round and final pick at No. 184, the Blues select RW Landon Sim out of London, ON.
Sim, a 5-foot-10, 166 pound, left-handed forward, played 64 games with the London Knights in the OHL. He recorded 12 goals, nine assists and 56 penalty minutes.
His father Jon, a former NHL player and Stanley Cup champion with the Dallas Stars, currently works for the Blues as a part-time amateur scout.
Sim entered the draft ranked No. 215 among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting.

Draft Notes

-The Blues acquired a 2022 third-round pick (No. 73) from Detroit in exchange for goaltender Ville Husso.
- The Blues traded their second-round pick in the 2022 Draft (No. 55) to the New York Rangers along with Sammy Blais to acquire Pavel Buchnevich in July 2021. New York then traded the pick to Winnipeg at the 2022 Trade Deadline to acquire forward Andrew Copp.
- In September 2020, the Blues traded their 2022 seventh-round pick (No. 216), along with goaltender Jake Allen, to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for two picks in the 2020 NHL Draft. The 2020 picks were used on Dylan Peterson (No. 86) and Noah Beck (No. 194).
- When the Blues acquired
Logan Brown
from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Zach Sanford, they also received a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2022 Draft. However, Brown played over 30 regular season games (39 GP) and the trade conditions were met, so the Senators will keep their fourth-round pick (No. 103).