Yeo was hired by the Blues on June 13, 2016, to be associate coach for one season under Ken Hitchcock before transitioning to coach, but he was thrust into the role sooner than expected when the Blues fired Hitchcock on Feb. 1.
The Blues (29-22-5) are 5-1-0 under Yeo, including tying a season-high four straight wins heading into their game Wednesday at the Detroit Red Wings (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, NHL.TV). He's been able to change not only as a person but as a coach during the past year.
The Blues have outscored opponents 20-8 since Yeo took over. Players say the fact that Yeo and Hitchcock share the same philosophies has helped the transition.
"It's a different voice, a different message, but a lot of the things are still the same," captain Alex Pietrangelo said. "It's still the same personnel in here. He's not trying to come in here and re-invent the wheel.
"He'll be the first to tell you when he first came, he did say to me it's a learning experience for him. He wanted to obviously change things. He took the time to come in here and learn from [Hitchcock] and learn from the guys that are here, kind of take a step back to figure out what he did well, what he didn't do well. He's kind of implementing all that now."
Goalie Jake Allen, who on Monday was named NHL Second Star for the week ending Feb. 12 after going 3-0-0 with a 1.00 goals-against average and .967 save percentage, said Yeo's positive presence has been a key for the Blues.
"He's to the point. Everything he says is a valid point. He's a realist. He knows that there's going to be mistakes, there's going to be turnovers, but it's the way we come back from those mistakes, those turnovers, those tough minutes in games," Allen said. "I think he's done a really good job so far. He's upbeat. He's positive. He brings a lot of energy to our practices, they're intense, execution's been good. It's been really good so far."