The St. Louis Blues have acquired forward Akil Thomas from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for forward Nikita Alexandrov. The trade was announced on Tuesday, with Thomas reporting to the Blues' AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds.
St. Louis Blues President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Doug Armstrong announced the trade, which swaps two 25-year-old second-round picks from recent NHL drafts.
Akil Thomas, a Toronto native selected 51st overall by the Kings in 2018, has spent the season with the Ontario Reign in the AHL, recording four goals and nine assists for 13 points in 19 games. In his career, Thomas has 106 points (50 goals, 56 assists) and 76 penalty minutes in 176 AHL games, all with the Reign. He has also appeared in 32 NHL games with the Kings, tallying seven points (four goals, three assists) and nine penalty minutes.
Nikita Alexandrov, born in Burgwedel, Germany, and drafted 62nd overall by the Blues in 2019, has posted three goals and 11 assists for 14 points in 18 games with the Springfield Thunderbirds this season, tying for the team lead in scoring. Over his AHL career, Alexandrov has 143 points (61 goals, 82 assists) and 72 penalty minutes in 188 games with Springfield and Utica. In the NHL, he has three goals and six assists in 51 games with the Blues, his last appearance two seasons ago.
Both players are expected to continue developing in the AHL following the swap.