St. Louis Blues Recall Jordan Schmaltz from AHL Chicago Wolves

Jordan Schmaltz is back with the Blues after a brief stint in the AHL.

After playing in the first two games of the AHL Chicago Wolves’ first-round playoff series with the Charlotte Checkers, defenseman Jordan Schmaltz returned to the St. Louis Blues in advance of Sunday’s postseason game against the Minnesota Wild.

Schmaltz, who played in the Blues’ Game 1 victory over the Wild but had been sent down earlier this week in advance of the Wolves’ first playoff game, is the team’s seventh defenseman, so it’s important to have him readily available in case a blueliner suffers a sudden injury.

The 23-year-old rookie, who was the Blues’ first-round pick in 2012, skated in nine NHL games for the Blues this season, collecting two assists while posting an even rating and collecting four penalty minutes.

He had no points over two postseason game with the Wolves, posting an even rating with two penalty minutes.

With the demotion and subsequent recall of Schmaltz, the Blues are now forbidden from recalling any more players from the Wolves until the AHL club’s season ends. The obvious exception to that would be if injuries threatened their ability to field a full lineup, but with 16 healthy forwards and seven defensemen on the roster now, it’s very unlikely that that type of situation would occur.

Next: Ryan Reaves a Calming Presence During Blues' Transition

The five-game series between the Wolves and Checkers is currently tied at one game apiece, so the Blues could be getting reinforcements sooner than later if the Wolves end up getting eliminated in the first round.