MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- Zack Bolduc sat at his locker recently, comfortable in his own skin -- his NHL skin.
The St. Louis Blues forward, playing in his first full season after getting a taste of life in the NHL last season after the Blues selected the 22-year-old with the No. 17 pick of the 2021 NHL Draft, can look around his surroundings in St. Louis and finally knows he belongs.
It took some time, plenty of learning curves and teachable moments, lots of patience and frequent flier miles between St. Louis and Springfield of the American Hockey League.
It's not always fun and games for a highly-touted prospect to hit the ground running -- or skating -- in the NHL. Look at Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon, who did have 63 points in his first NHL season in 2013-14 but only had 38 in his second; Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid did put up 48 points his rookie season in 45 games before he's taken off; Tampa Bay Lightning's Nikita Kucherov may be the best comparison of them all after scoring just 18 points in 52 games his rookie season of 2013-14. Those are some of the high-end first-round picks that are faces of the league today.
Not comparing Bolduc to any of these players, but it just shows that even the best of players need some time to develop. Bolduc is still developing, but the foundation seems to have been laid for growing his potential.
Earlier in the season, Bolduc still wasn't sure he belonged -- yet. As the Blues (43-28-7) embark on their final road trip of the season, starting with Monday against the Winnipeg Jets, Bolduc knows he longs.
"Oh yeah, definitely," he said. "I'm feeling comfortable and confident on the ice. I feel like I can play with everyone on the ice, against anyone. I think I can help this team win some games too. It's great to be a part of it.
"We have a great group of guys too. We're building something special here right now. We've just got to keep it going."
Bolduc, who has 33 points (18 goals, 13 assists) in 68 games this season and is among the team leaders at plus-20, was in and out of the lineup earlier in the season under Drew Bannister. But when Jim Montgomery took over and made his Blues debut as coach on Nov. 25 against the New York Rangers, Bolduc scored his first two goals of the season and seemingly began to build his game.
It took some time, even though Montgomery was building trust in the young player, but it finally started taking shape despite the occasional healthy scratch. Things really seemed to take off after the 4 Nations Face-Off break, coinciding with the Blues' 18-2-2 run since Feb. 22.
Remember, this is a player that combined for 209 points (105 goals, 104 assists) in two seasons with the Quebec Remparts of the QMJHL before turning pro.
"I don't know exactly when he had the 'Ah-ha' moment in the last six weeks, but he obviously had it mentally," Montgomery said. "As coaches, you can tell someone, 'I want you to make plays, I believe in you.' Until he believes it himself, there's going to be inconsistency. And what we're getting out of him is night in, night out, he competes. Night in, night out, his details are really good. The offensive part of his game, ...
