There is a decidedly Edmonton flavour to the St. Louis Blues roster this season.
Edmonton Oilers fans know all too well how the Blues poached a couple of up-and-comers with offer sheets on playoff-proven prospects Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg that went unmatched over the off-season.
And then there’s St. Albert’s own Colton Parayko, the hulking six-foot-six, 228-pounder who patrols the Blues blueline on the top pairing with Broberg.
Holloway, meanwhile, landed squarely on the Blues second line, where he came into Saturday’s game against the Oilers tied for second in team scoring with 16 points (eight goals, eight assists) in 27 games.
But it is Jake Neighbours who has earned a chance to take centre stage with the Blues this season, rising to the top line alongside Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich.
“We’ve got quite a few Edmonton guys, it’s a nice trip for us,” said Neighbours, who played his entire junior career with the Edmonton Oil Kings, earning 176 points (60 goals, 116 assists) in 171 Western Hockey League games, culminating in a league championship while serving as team captain in his final season.
The crew will spend some extra time in their old stomping grounds, with the Blues hanging around Edmonton to avoid the insanity (and high hotel prices) of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour stop in Vancouver, where they will face the Canucks on Tuesday.
“I was out for dinner with family last night and my (former) billets will be at the game today and I’ll say hi to them after,” said Neighbours. “I’ve got a bunch of family here, so I’ll probably hang out with them a bit after the game tonight and I think most of them will head home tomorrow.
“Then I’ll be coming to the Oil Kings game tomorrow.”
It will be his first time taking in a game since he last suited up for them.
“I haven’t watched them play since we won. It will be nice,” said Neighbours, who never misses an opportunity to take a stroll down memory lane whenever the Blues bring him back to Rogers Place. “Going to the (Oil Kings) room, there’s a lot of memories and pictures in there and stuff. Obviously the rink, winning here and seeing the banner up there. A lot of good memories.
“So, it’s definitely nice to come back.”
At the same time, Neighbours continues to keep his sights set fully on the future.
On the heels of a breakthrough 2023-24 season with 38 points (27 goals, 11 assists), the 22-year-old native of Airdrie signed a two-year, $7.5 million extension with the Blues on Oct. 22.
“He’s just a real detailed player, he’s a hard-nosed player,” said Blues head coach Jim Montgomery. “I guess the best compliment I can give any player is, he’s a hockey player.
“He knows what it takes to do the little things to help the team win.”
What his coach calls little things, Neighbours takes to mean as anything and everything he can do.
“I think I just kind of found a good role here,” he said. “It kind of started last year just going to the net lots. I watched a lot of Zach Hyman and think I can play a lot like him.
“I play with an elite passer in Robby Thomas, who is great at finding guys. So, I just kind of found a good role for myself at the net front, and I try and stay there a lot and it’s been working.”
Playing net front is far from the easiest job on the ice. And it’s something he’s had to work for to even get a shot at in the first place.
“Coming into last year, I started on the fourth line and just kind of worked my way up and continued to work hard at it and work on my game,” Neighbours said. “I finally got an opportunity 20 games into the season and just tried to capitalize on it.”
And that’s where his time with the Oil Kings started paying off.
“It was kind of a similar thing for me in junior, I started lower in the lineup and had to work my way up,” Neighbours said. “And I think that’s how it goes for most hockey players. Moving up in the ranks from junior to pro, nothing’s given to you, you’ve got to earn it.
“I think I just learned that in junior and knew it would be the same in pro. And obviously being around NHL players all throughout my junior career and seeing how they operate and all that kind of stuff definitely helps.”
There are differences, of course, in the Edmonton Neighbours experienced compared to that of his other teammates who made their way through this city.
“I think playing junior in Edmonton and pro in Edmonton is a lot different,” Neighbours said. “So, I think my and Holly’s stories are a bit different.
“Mine are all bus rides and stuff like that, his are all dinners and fun stuff.”
E-mail: [email protected]
On Twitter: @GerryModdejonge
