St. Louis Blues Recall Forward Jeremy Welsh from AHL Chicago Wolves
In advance of their Monday night matchup with the division rival Winnipeg Jets, the St. Louis Blues added some manpower, recalling forward Jeremy Welsh from their AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves. The 6-foot-2, 215-pound Welsh has 25 games of NHL experience over three seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes and Vancouver Canucks, but he’s making his first trip back to hockey’s highest level since the 2013-14 season.
The 27-year-old Welsh ranked sixth among Wolves players this season with eight points (five goals and three assists) over 11 games. He’s been especially hot as of late and had seven points in his last eight games for Chicago. He scored two goals in the Wolves’ Thursday night victory over the Manitoba Moose. While his offensive production has consistently been good at the AHL level, though, his most logical role in the NHL is likely as an agitator and energy guy on one of the bottom two forward lines.
He gives the Blues some extra protection at forward, which is a welcome change considering that they went into Saturday’s game with just the 12 forwards that are required for a game. The team had been shorthanded since veteran forward Martin Havlat decided to leave the club just a week after signing a contract.
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There was some belief that the Blues would bring back 22-year-old forward Ty Rattie, who had two assists in five assists with the NHL club earlier this season, following Havlat’s exit. It’s quite evident at this point, though, that management does not want Rattie in the NHL unless he’s going to play consistently. Rattie, who was sent back to Chicago following Havlat’s signing, played in five of a possible six games during his recent stint with the Blues.
With guys like Magnus Paajarvi and Dmitrij Jaskin playing well as of late, though, there isn’t a logical fit for Rattie in the lineup. Thus, it makes more sense to have a more fully-developed player like Welsh, a veteran of a full college career and four AHL seasons, sitting in the press box on a frequent basis rather than a still-impressionable player like Rattie.
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The decision to recall Welsh probably provides an indication as to the current status of injured forward Steve Ott, who has been out nearly two weeks since sustaining an upper-body injury against the Chicago Blackhawks. While Ott began skating again late this week, it doesn’t seem like he’s on track to return to the lineup in the immediate future. In the meantime, Welsh provides some forward depth and can be plugged in anywhere throughout the lineup if there ends up being a need.
It’s highly possible that Welsh could remain with the team until center Paul Stastny returns from a broken foot. That’s expected to happen at the end of this month, though with Stastny still not back to skating, his return could be pushed back until early December.
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