The St. Louis Blues have assigned forward Aleksanteri Kaskimaki to their AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds. The 21-year-old Finnish prospect appeared in five games during his recent recall to the NHL club. This move comes ahead of the Blues' homestand opener against the Chicago Blackhawks on December 12.
St. Louis Blues President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Doug Armstrong announced the assignment of forward Aleksanteri Kaskimaki to the Springfield Thunderbirds on Friday. Kaskimaki, a 21-year-old native of Espoo, Finland, dressed in five games for the Blues during his recall but did not record any points.
In the American Hockey League, Kaskimaki has played 16 games with the Thunderbirds this season, tallying seven points consisting of four goals and three assists. He was originally selected by the Blues in the third round, 73rd overall, in the 2022 NHL Draft.
The roster adjustment affects the Blues' lineup for their upcoming game against the Chicago Blackhawks on December 12 at 7 p.m. CT at Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri. Forward Matt Luff will return to the lineup in Kaskimaki's place, skating on the fourth line alongside Hugh McGing and Oskar Sundqvist. Goaltender Joel Hofer is confirmed to start in net, with the defense pairings reverting to their previous configuration following a 7-2 loss in Nashville.
Blues head coach Jim Montgomery addressed the team's recent performance, emphasizing the need for greater desperation and playing for each other. "We talk about playing for each other and we talked about the last two wins we had," Montgomery said. "By no means were they Picassos in Montreal or Ottawa, but you could feel on the bench... that the desperation playing for each other was very evident."
The Blues enter the matchup with an 11-14-7 record, facing a Blackhawks team at 13-11-6. Chicago won the season's first meeting 8-3 on October 15, but St. Louis holds a strong historical edge, including a 16-3-2 record against Chicago since April 3, 2019.