The skates are sharpened, the whistles are blowing, and the 2025-26 St. Louis Blues are officially back on the ice.
Day 1 of training camp on Thursday brought a mix of fresh faces, old friends, and plenty of reminders that while last season ended with a playoff appearance, this group knows nothing will come easy.
Blues General Manager Doug Armstrong and Head Coach Jim Montgomery made that point clear: the Blues have work to do, competition is fierce, and expectations are high. Last year’s late surge was encouraging, but Armstrong isn’t about to let the team ride that into October. “Doesn’t matter we ended strong – we can’t replicate that by just showing up,” Armstrong said.
That means camp isn’t just about shaking off summer rust – it’s about setting the tone. Montgomery liked the effort on day one but made it clear that details will matter every single day. “Intensity was good. The pace was slowing in a couple of drills, but really good in other drills where we had to battle each other,” Montgomery said. “I liked the way our second and third effort was naturally there on the first day. Today was a good day one. I expect us to be better [Friday].”
Good isn’t good enough. The Blues want to be great out of the gate.
Few things excite hockey people more than depth, and Armstrong thinks the Blues have it. But depth also means battles for roster spots. “We want competition and I think we have that right now,” Armstrong said. “I do like our depth – we have the big dogs, but they need to be the big dogs.”
The competition won’t just be at the bottom of the lineup. It’s top-to-bottom, veterans versus prospects, established players versus hungry challengers. Montgomery summed it up simply: “You’ve got to get off to a great start. If you don’t have a good camp, you don’t get off to a good start.”
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