TL;DR
Jimmy Snuggerud has received a B-plus rating from Blues coach Jim Montgomery as he wraps up his first full NHL season. The 21-year-old forward has scored 18 goals and was named NHL rookie of the month for March, despite the Blues being eliminated from playoff contention.
ST. LOUIS â Jimmy Snuggerud, the former Gophers standout from Chaska, gets above-average marks from his boss, as his first full NHL season with the St. Louis Blues is winding down.
âOverall, Iâd give it a B-plus,â said Blues coach Jim Montgomery following their morning skate at Enterprise Center, prior to an evening date with the Wild.
Snuggerud, 21, entered Mondayâs game tied for third on the Blues with 18 goals, on a team that made a push but was mathematically eliminated from the playoffs last weekend.
Named the NHLâs rookie of the month for March, Snuggerud actually joined the Blues at this time last season and was a regular during their 2025 first round playoff series with Winnipeg. But playing 67 of the teamâs first 79 games has been a big adjustment from the lighter schedules of juniors and college.
âHe came in and he had to get used to the grind of the NHL, and I think he had sporadic moments in the first three months where he was really good and nights where he looked like he was getting used to the NHL,â Montgomery said. âAnd then I think since Christmas, he has been really good for us.â
Glancing toward the visiting teamâs locker room on Monday, Montgomery said there is clearly a Wild player that he would like to see Snuggerud emulate in terms of on-ice development and growth over the course of his early career.
âIdeally for us, if he can come close to (Matt) Boldy, who came into this league and started in the American League and then all of a sudden was really good right away, every year he adds something to his game,â said the Bluesâ coach, who noted that Boldy has grown from a primarily offensive player for the Wild into a complete player, which includes penalty killing. He would like to see the same evolution for Snuggerud.
Playing on the teamâs top line with Robert Thomas and Dylan Holloway, Snuggerud has been able to apply many of the skills he displayed in his three seasons at the U, where he won a pair of Big Ten titles and was a top-liner â with current NHLers Matthew Knies and Logan Cooley â on the Gophersâ 2023 NCAA runner-up team.
Snuggerud said the biggest focus at the NHL level with a season that can last from September to June is taking care of your body.
âItâs hard. You have to eat right and sleep right. Weâre getting back at 2-3 a.m. from some road trips and a lot of games, so a lot of pressure on your body,â said Snuggerud, who was the Bluesâ first round pick, 23rd overall, in 2022. âSo I think itâs a learning curve for sure. But itâs been fun to learn all these new things and what itâs all about.â
As a blueprint for young players to follow, Wild coach John Hynes is quick to rave about Boldyâs growth as a NHLer, offensively and defensively.
âThe other thing too is the consistency he plays with,â Hynes said of Boldy, who got a healthy night of rest on Monday in St. Louis. âHeâs really good on both sides of the puck. I think when he uses a power game, thatâs when his skill comes out.â
Snuggerud admitted that his life is hockey 24/7, but he has found some time for fun and family as well. As the Blues got off the ice from their morning skate, he was planning to have lunch with his father Dave â himself a former Gophers standout in the late 1980s who spent time in the NHL.
With a passing grade in his first season and places to develop in the future, Snuggerud is seemingly on the right track in St. Louis.
âIf he continues to get stronger, like he should because heâs only 21, the expectation will be that he becomes more and more a really good hockey player as he continues to grow,â Montgomery said.
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