Blues super prospect T.J. Oshie has yet to make an official announcement regarding any decision to leave the University of North Dakota and signing an NHL contract.
Word is Oshie could wait until his final exams are completed before he goes public with his decision. UND holds their finals during the first week of May.
Due to NCAA regulations, the Blues are prohibited from directly contacting Oshie.
Oshie will likely start game planning his future with his family advisors sometime next week.
It appears to be pretty much a slam dunk that Oshie will sign with the club who selected him in the first round back in 2005.
Oshie will likely have an opportunity to step right in and be a top six guy for Andy Murray next season. He’s primarily been a centerman his entire life but could be asked to play wing in the NHL.
Oshie arrived at UND a little under the radar with Jonathan Toews, Brian Lee, and Taylor Chorney getting most of the attention.
That will be far from the case when he joins the Blues. Fans know who this kid is and have been patiently waiting for his arrival.
When you hear the word “rebuild” coming out of St. Louis, it’s with Oshie in mind as one of the main building blocks. He along with Erik Johnson have drawn the most interest from those who follow the Blues.
It’s when players like Oshie arrive that you can start to see it all come together. He’ll join an impressive list of kids including Johnson, David Perron, and Patrik Berglund as first round picks from the last three years to likely begin next season in St. Louis.
Lars Eller won’t be far behind.
The Fighting Sioux could also lose Capitals first round pick Joe Finley, Oilers second rounder Taylor Chorney, and last season’s Hobey Baker Award winner Ryan Duncan.
Duncan, whose saw his production take a dip from 31 goals a year ago to 18 this season with the absence of Blackhawks forward Jonathan Toews, was never drafted. He did participate in the Blues development camp last summer and he and his father have a relationship with St. Louis Head Coach Andy Murray.
With that being said I’m not certain the Blues are sold on signing Duncan.
The Blues will likely ask Oshie to spend several weeks in St. Louis after he signs to familiarize himself with the Blues off-ice program.
Oshie will once again participate in the Blues development camp which I’m hearing could begin the last week of June.
Rink Rats!
Russian prospect Nikita Filatov leads all scorers at the IIHF U-18 World Championships in Kazan, Russia. In two games Filatov has recorded 2 g and 4 a.
St. Louis native Philp McRae is second among all scorers with 3g, 2a, and a +5 in two games. The London Knights forward was named the player of the game in Team USA’s 6-2 win over Belarus.
Blues Clues!
Manny Legace visited a Doctor in Chicago on Monday to get another opinion on his knee. He saw a Doctor in Cleveland last week who told the Blues goaltender surgery would not be necessary.
Blues Assistant GM Jarmo Kekalainen is in Russia scouting the U-18 Worlds.
If there’s a sleeper to make the Blues roster next season it’s D-man Jonas Junland who’s currently competing for a Swedish Elite League title. The Blues are very pleased with his development this season.
More to come,
Andy Strickland
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St Louis Blues Blogger •1380 ESPN • 
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