2021 Blues Draft Picks
Round 1 – No. 17*
Zack Bolduc – C/W
With their first-round pick (No. 17 overall), the Blues selected forward Zack Bolduc. The 19-year-old is listed at 6-foot-1 and 174 pounds. According to Elite Prospects, Bolduc “dangles through flatfooted defenders with rapid stickhandling motions, and then when given an open shooting lane, he can take a couple of steps, kick a leg back and sling pucks past the goalie.”
Bolduc has played the last two seasons with Rimouski Oceanic of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, posting 40 goals and 41 assists (81 points) in 82 games.
In 2019-20, Bolduc was named the QMJHL Rookie of the Year after leading all rookies in goals (30) and finishing second among first-year players in points (52).
“I would describe myself as a guy who can play center or on the wing, a guy who can skate pretty well and has a great shot,” Bolduc said. “Also can pass it. I’m creative with the puck, I like to create some plays. I can be (play a) physical, fast, skilled game. I can play any type of game. That’s me.”
RELATED: Blues pick Bolduc in Round 1 | One-on-One with Bolduc
Round 3 – No. 71
Simon Robertsson – RW
The Blues traded picks No. 81 and 177 to the San Jose Sharks to acquire the 71st overall pick, which was used to select winger Simon Robertsson.
The 18-year-old native of Pitea, Sweden posted nine goals and 11 assists (20 points) in 15 games with Skelleftea AIK in Sweden’s J20 league last season, then was moved to the league’s top level, where he had one goal and one assist in 22 appearances.
According to TheHockeyWriters.com, Robertsson has one of the best shot releases in the Draft and “could be considered a Top-15 talent.”
“I’m very honored and am pretty shocked,” Robertsson said after being picked. “(The Blues) weren’t the team I talked to the most, but were one of the teams I had good meetings with.”
Round 5 – No. 145
Tyson Galloway – D
With their fifth-round pick (No. 145 overall), the Blues selected defenseman Tyson Galloway.
Galloway is a 6-foot-4, 214-pound defenseman that posted four goals and five assists (nine points) in 17 games with the Calgary Hitmen of the Western Hockey League last season.
In 53 career WHL games, Galloway has six goals and six assists.
“I’m a big d-man. I skate well for my size and I take pride in keeping the puck out of my own net,” Galloway told stlouisblues.com. “The biggest thing for me is not getting scored on. I like to contribute on offense as well, giving different looks on the rush. I’m just aspiring to be a two-way defenseman. That’s what I’m trying to do.”
Remaining Picks
Round 7 – No. 198 (from DET)
Draft Notes
* The Arizona Coyotes forfeited their first-round pick (No. 11) because of a violation of the League’s Combine Testing Policy. Official records will show the Blues picking at No. 17, but they will actually be making the 16th pick.
– The Blues traded picks No. 81 and 177 to the San Jose Sharks for pick No. 71 in the third round.
– The Blues’ traded their second-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft to the Buffalo Sabres along with Vladimir Sobotka, Patrik Berglund, Tage Thompson and a conditional draft pick in the deal that brought Ryan O’Reilly to St. Louis in 2018. Buffalo eventually traded the pick to Vegas, who then sent it to Los Angeles in a deal that brought Alec Martinez to the Golden Knights.
– The Blues’ fourth-round pick (No. 113 overall) was sent to the Montreal Canadiens in a trade that brought Marco Scandella to the Blues on Feb. 18, 2020.
– At the 2020 NHL Draft, the Blues traded a seventh-round pick (No. 203 overall) to the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for their seventh-round pick in 2021 (No. 198). The Blues’ original seventh-round pick in 2021 (No. 209) belongs to the Carolina Hurricanes. The pick was acquired by Carolina, along with Joel Edmundson and Dominik Bokk, in the deal that brought Justin Faulk and a fifth-round pick in 2020 to the Blues on Sept. 24, 2019.
