St. Louis Blues Weekly Prospect Report (April 26)

Left for dead, Springfield rose from the ashes and lived to fight another day. The American Hockey League's Thunderbirds, affiliate of the St. Louis Blues , pulled off the improbable and upset Charlotte, winning the series 2-1.

They were lambasted in the opener last Wednesday, falling 8-1 after dropping six of eight to the Checkers, the affiliate of the Florida Panthers , in the season series. But after falling behind 2-1 in Game 2 on Friday, Springfield would score six of the final seven goals in the series, including the last four in a 5-2 win in Game 2 before winning 2-1 in overtime in Game 3 on Saturday on a goal by Julien Gauthier, who was acquired by the Blues from the New York Islanders on Feb. 24 for Matt Luff.

From a Blues prospect perspective, Hugh McGing, a fifth-round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, had a goal and an assist and was a plus-3 in the game. His goal was a shorthanded breakaway that for all intents and purposes, put the game away at 4-2 late in the third period: NO ONES STOPPING CHA-CHING MCGING pic. twitter.

com/Z3XgfWwHN5 — Springfield Thunderbirds (@ThunderbirdsAHL) April 25, 2026 Zach Dean (2021, first round, No. 30, Vegas Golden Knights ), who was in on the series-clincher, at the net in case Gauthier's goal didn't trickle down and in, also scored in Game 2 that tied the game 2-2 on a nice setup by Theo Lindstein (2023, first round, No. 29) that initially wasn't called a goal because the Charlotte goalie knocked the goal off its moorings; he also led Springfield with four shots on goal: ZACH.