St. Louis Jr. Blues
The St. Louis Jr. Blues are a Tier III ice hockey team in the North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL). The team plays their home games at the Affton Ice Rink in Affton, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri.
| St. Louis Jr. Blues | |
|---|---|
 | |
| City | St. Louis, Missouri |
| League | NA3HL |
| Founded | 1978 |
| Home arena | Affton Ice Rink |
| Colors | Navy blue, white, and red |
| Owner(s) | Affton Americans Hockey Club |
| General manager | Scott Sanderson |
| Head coach | Matt Ocello |
| Media | NAHLTV.com |
History
The team was formed in 1978 in the St. Louis Metro Junior B Hockey League by the St. Louis Blues president and general manager Emile Francis.[1] In 1987, the Jr. Blues merged with the Affton Americans organization and competed in the North American Junior Hockey League, Junior B Division.[2] The Jr. Blues competed in junior B division of USA Hockey's Tier III level. During this time, the team won the Jr. B National Championship in 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007. In 2007, the Jr. Blues and their league, the Central States Hockey League, were promoted to Jr. A status. In 2010, the Jr. Blues won the Tier III Jr. A National Championship.[3]
Season-by-season records
| Season | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | Pts | GF | GA | Regular Season Finish | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014–15 | 47 | 13 | 30 | 4 | — | 30 | 131 | 228 | 6th of 6, Central Div. 25th of 31, NA3HL[4] | Did not qualify |
| 2015–16 | 47 | 35 | 8 | 4 | — | 74 | 262 | 129 | 1st of 5, Midwest Div. 3rd of 34, NA3HL[5] | Won Div. Semifinals, 2–0 vs. Cincinnati Thunder Won Div. Finals, 2–1 vs. Nashville Junior Predators 1–2–0, 3rd of 4 in Silver Cup round-robin Pool B (W, 4–3 vs. Steel; L, 2–4 vs. Jr. Brahmas; L, 3–7 vs. Jets) |
| 2016–17 | 47 | 36 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 74 | 324 | 122 | 1st of 5, Midwest Div. 6th of 48, NA3HL | Won Div. Semifinals, 2–0 vs. Cincinnati Thunder Won Div. Finals, 2–1 vs. Peoria Mustangs 1–2–0, 3rd of 4 in Silver Cup round-robin Pool A (W, 4–2 vs. Capitals; L, 3–4 vs. Lumberjacks; L, 3–5 vs. Jets) |
| 2017–18 | 47 | 38 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 76 | 280 | 117 | 1st of 3, Midwest Div. 5th of 42, NA3HL | Div. Semifinals bye Won Div. Finals, 2–0 vs. Peoria Mustangs 2–0–1 in Fraser Cup round-robin Pool A (W, 4–0 vs. Quake; OTL, 2–3 vs. Lumberjacks; W, 4–0 vs. Jr. Senators) Won Fraser Cup Semifinal game, 5–0 vs. LaCrosse Freeze Lost Fraser Cup Final game, 2–3 vs. Metro Jets |
| 2018–19 | 47 | 35 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 73 | 266 | 105 | 2nd of 7, Central Div. 8th of 36, NA3HL | Won Div. Semifinals, 2–0 vs. Milwaukee Power Won Div. Finals, 2–0 vs. Coulee Region Chill 1–1–0 in Fraser Cup round-robin (W, 6–2 vs. Jr. Senators; L, 1–3 vs. Jr. Brahmas) Lost Semifinal game, 2–3 (OT) vs. Lewiston/Auburn Nordiques |
| 2019–20 | 47 | 29 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 59 | 189 | 123 | 2nd of 6, Central Div. 12th of 34, NA3HL | Playoffs cancelled |
| 2020–21 | 40 | 21 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 45 | 130 | 113 | 3rd of 6, Central Div. 14th of 31, NA3HL | Lost Div. Semifinals, 0–2 vs. Peoria Mustangs |
| 2021–22 | 47 | 6 | 38 | 1 | 2 | 15 | 85 | 251 | 6th of 6, Central Div. 31st of 34, NA3HL | Did not qualify |
| 2022–23 | 47 | 8 | 39 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 103 | 296 | 6th of 6, Central Div. 32nd of 34, NA3HL | Did not qualify |
USA Hockey Tier III Junior A National Championships
| Year | Round Robin | Record | Standing | Semifinal | Championship |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009[6] | L, Minnesota Ice Hawks (MnJHL) 1–5 L, Jersey Hitmen (EJHL) 4–3 T, Phoenix Polar Bears (WSHL) 2–2 | 0–2–1 | 3rd of 4 Div. III | Did not advance | |
| 2010[7] | L, New York Bobcats (AtJHL) 3–4 W, Seattle Totems (NorPac) 10–3 W, Rochester Ice Hawks (MnJHL) 4–3 | 2–1–0 | 1st of 4 Div. III | W, New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs (EJHL) 2–1 | W, South Shore Kings (EJHL) 4–3 National Champions |
| 2011[8] | W, Hudson Crusaders (MnJHL) 10–2 W, Seattle Totems (NorPac) 4–3 L, Idaho Jr. Steelheads (WSHL) 1–6 | 2–1–0 | 2nd of 4 Pool I | Did not advance | |
Alumni
The Jr. Blues have had many alumni move on to, higher levels of junior ice hockey, NCAA Division I, Division III, ACHA College, at professional levels, including the NHL.[9]
Notable alumni include:
- Chris Butler - St. Louis Blues (NHL), University of Denver (WCHA)
- Michael Davies - Bridgeport Sound Tigers (AHL), University of Wisconsin- Madison (WCHA)
- Cal Heeter - Ohio State University (CCHA), Philadelphia Flyers (NHL), Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL)
- Paul Stastny - St. Louis Blues (NHL), University of Denver (WCHA)
- Yan Stastny - St. Louis Blues (NHL)
- Travis Turnbull - Portland Pirates (AHL), University of Michigan (CCHA)
- Joe Vitale - Arizona Coyotes (NHL), Northeastern University (Hockey East)
References
- "Twitter post with paper clipping for Jr. Blues announcement". Jr. Blues Twitter. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
- "NA3HL's St. Louis Jr Blues Join JuniorHockey.com". Junior Hockey News. July 18, 2017.
- "St. Louis Jr. Blues | News". Archived from the original on 2011-07-15. Retrieved 2010-05-24.
- "2014–15 NA3HL Season Standings". Pointstreak. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
- "2015–16 NA3HL Season Standings". Pointstreak. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
- "2009 Tier III Jr. A Nat. Championships". USA Hockey. Retrieved August 26, 2015.
- "2010 Tier III Jr. A Nat. Championships". USA Hockey. Retrieved August 26, 2015.
- "2011 Tier III Jr. A Nat. Championships". USA Hockey. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-05-15. Retrieved 2009-02-16.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)