Robert Thomas modeled his game after a Blues rival, and now he’s an All-Star – The Athletic

ST. LOUIS — Growing up in the Toronto area, Robert Thomas wanted to be more than just an NHL player, he wanted to be an elite center in the league, and there was one in particular to whom he paid close attention.

It may be blasphemy for a St. Louis Blues player to say this about a former Chicago Blackhawks captain, but it’s true.

“I loved watching Jonathan Toews,” Thomas said. “He’s a hard guy to play against. He wasn’t the fastest, but he was always in the way, he was always in the right spot, he had a good stick, and he made everyone on his line a lot better. When he was in his prime, he was one of the best at it, so that’s something I’d always kind of envisioned.”

Toews is one of the most decorated and respected two-way centers in NHL history, and it will be hard for anyone to match his career accomplishments. But still just 24 years old, with a Stanley Cup and now his first All-Star selection on his resume, Thomas is showing that all those years watching Toews, as well as being teammates with Ryan O’Reilly for five years, rubbed off.

“For him being 24 years old, he’s up in that echelon of top player in the league,” Blues coach Drew Bannister said. “He plays heavy minutes for us. He creates a lot offensively. He kills penalties. He’s on the power play.

“He’s a very valuable player to us. He’s still young and he’s still working through some of the leadership parts of his game. But to me, he’s trending in the direction that he’s going to be a superstar moving forward for a long time for this team.”

The league announced its first wave of All-Stars before the Blues’ game against the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday, and Thomas was among them. The game is Feb. 3 in Toronto, so it will be a bit of a homecoming for the native of Aurora, Ontario, which is less than an hour away from the city.

“Pretty cool accomplishment, especially it being in Toronto,” Thomas said. “My family and friends are so excited. My grandma is super-stoked to be there. It should be a cool experience for all of us. Obviously you want team success, but it’s something that’s a pretty special moment in your career.

“A lot of things lead up to the moment. A lot of things played into getting to where I am today. Pretty cool to kind of sit back and reflect on it all.”

Thomas was more than deserving to receive the honor for the Blues. He leads the club in goals (16), assists (25), points (41) and plus-minus (+14). In 37 games this season, he’s not gone more than two in a row without a point, and that’s happened just twice.

“He’s been great for us all year,” Blues defenseman Colton Parayko said. “It’s been fun to watch him grow over his career, and we’re lucky to have a player like him. Each year, he just keeps getting better and better. He works really hard, and I know we’re just all proud of him. We all know it’s well-deserved.”

In Thursday’s 2-1 win over Vancouver, as the Blues celebrated Thomas’ All-Star selection on the big video board, he was busy making more highlights. He had the primary assist on the team’s first goal from Parayko, and he scored what turned out to be the game winner.

Hey now, you’re an All-Star! #stlblues pic.twitter.com/pUoykZTRGd

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) January 5, 2024

Meanwhile, Thomas’ line helped keep the Canucks’ top offensive players off the board. He went head-to-head against center J.T. Miller, who came into the night leading his team with 50 points and finished with no points and just one shot on goal.

In fact, per Natural Stat Trick, in 6:27 of five-on-five play when the two were on the ice, the Blues outshot the Canucks 6-4. In 3:43 of five-on-five play against Elias Pettersson’s line, the Blues were outshot 4-3, but the Canucks had just two scoring chances.

“I think tonight is a real good example of why he’s an All-Star in the league,” Bannister said. “What he can bring to the team offensively and defensively, the matchups that he saw, whether it was the Pettersson or Miller line, he did an outstanding job. It wasn’t just him — it was the group that was out there — but certainly he played difficult minutes. He seems to be thriving and getting better and every game he’s continuing to push himself and push his teammates.”

Bannister was referring, in part, to a recent stretch of games in which the Blues have faced many of the most dominating offensive players in the league, and they’ve all been rather quiet.

As the coach accurately said, credit should also go to the defensive pair of Parayko and Nick Leddy, who play a lot of minutes against the opposition’s top lines, but from a forward perspective, it’s been Thomas’ group with the challenge.

In the Blues’ 4-2 loss Saturday to Pittsburgh, the Penguins’ Sidney Crosby had a goal, but it was an empty-netter. Evgeni Malkin had one, too, but it came on the power play. In 7:55 of five-on-five play with Thomas and Crosby on the ice, the Pens had a 15-12 shot advantage, but the scoring chances were 8-8.

In the Blues’ 2-1 loss Friday to Colorado, the Avalanche’s Nathan MacKinnon had his 19-game point streak come to an end at the hands of Thomas and his teammates. In 11:22 of five-on-five play with Thomas and MacKinnon on the ice, the Avs had a 9-8 shot advantage, but the Blues had more scoring chances, 4-2.

“We’re all competitors, and we love the challenge,” Thomas said. “I mean, I’m just trying to help the team win. You love going against the best guys and trying to shut them down or frustrate them, and when you can do that, it’s a really good feeling.”

And in each of those three games, Thomas scored — one short-handed against Colorado, one on the power play against Pittsburgh and one at even strength against Vancouver.

“He did a great job against top guys like Crosby, MacKinnon … it doesn’t matter who,” said Pavel Buchnevich, who is Thomas’ linemate. “He elite player right now. If we got a better record, it should be for Selke (Trophy), probably.”

Robert Thomas factored on both @StLouisBlues goals to lead his team to victory after earning his first-ever #NHLAllStar selection.

Read more #NHLStats about the first 32 players selected into the 2024 All Star Weekend: https://t.co/4GSSNmTEu7 pic.twitter.com/Ikbd5GachM

— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) January 5, 2024

After Thursday’s game, Thomas is tied for sixth with Crosby in the NHL in even-strength points with 26, trailing MacKinnon (32), Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov (29), Edmonton’s Connor McDavid (28), and Pittsburgh’s Jake Guentzel and Philadelphia’s Joel Farabee (27 apiece).

“There’s just a lot of maturity,” Bannister said. “He’s becoming a more mature professional hockey player and understanding what he needs to do as a player to give our team an opportunity to have success. I think the offensive side comes very easy to him. Obviously he has to work at it, but he sees the ice so well. He’s shooting the puck a lot more, like he’s built that into his game.

“The defensive side for any skilled hockey player is always the one thing that kind of lags a little bit. But I think with Robby, we’re starting to see him really mature into a really good two-way hockey player. He deserves the minutes, he’s earned the minutes, and he’s going to continue to grow. I don’t think he’s reached his ceiling, like he’s going to continue to get better.”

Thomas has heard the recent praise for his new coach.

“It’s a really nice compliment from him,” Thomas said. “I think I’ve still got a long way to go to get there, and consistency is a big part of that. It can’t be just a spurt of five to 10 games; it’s being consistent throughout the year. So, that’s the challenge I’m looking to take on.”

(Photo of Robert Thomas and goaltender Jordan Binnington celebrating the Blues victory against the Canucks: Jeff Curry / USA Today)