When the St. Louis Blues recalled Aleksanteri Kaskimaki on Saturday after a 5-2 loss to the Nashville Predators, it wasn't by coincidence.
All you have to do is see that the third-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft took to Springfield of the American Hockey League with him what he accumulated while in St. Louis for the NHL training camp: confidence and the ability to work on his craft.
"I think I've been playing well," Kaskimaki said while in camp in St. Louis. "I'm just trying to play with my strengths and try to make plays and get something going on in the O-zone.
" I feel more confident than the earlier camps. I don't know (why). Probably just getting older and I had a good last year. I think that's one thing, too."
The 22-year-old didn't register a point in Saturday's 3-2 overtime loss to Lehigh Valley but it was the first time in six games he hadn't done so. But prior to that, Kaskimaki had seven points (two goals, five assists) in a five-game point streak.
He did have assists on both goals Saturday, but now he gets to re-join the Blues after playing for them in five games last season (Dec. 4-11, 2025; 0 points).
"I got the games last year and a good end of the season (with the Thunderbirds)," Kaskimaki said. "I feel like there's a little more time (on the ice)."
Kaskimaki will be on the ice for Blues practice Monday and there's a good chance he will be in the lineup Tuesday for the start of a five-game homestand against the Winnipeg Jets.
Also. Otto Stenberg, who had a goal and three assists in six games, including an assist in Friday's 6-3 loss to the Phantoms, was recalled by the Blues on Sunday night after the team placed Ross Johnston (lower-body injury) on injured-reserve; he is listed as day to day.
Elsewhere in Springfield ... 2025 first-round pick Justin Carbonneau scored his third of the season on Friday and has three goals and an assist in six games:
Jakub Stancl, a fourth-round pick in 2023, also picked up his first goal of the season and had an assist in Saturday's OT loss, his first points in six games for the Thunderbirds:
* Colin Fitzgerald --You want the early feel-good story? Keep an eye on this kid.
The seventh-round pick in this year's draft scored twice Thursday for Sault Ste. Marie of the Ontario Hockey League in the Soo's 5-4 overtime win at Niagara, then had two assists on Friday in a 3-1 win at Erie:
The 6-foot-2, 196-pound right wing is a point-per-game player this season in 11 games (five goals, six assists) and has registered at least a point in eight of 11 games this season.
He has helped fuel the Soo's 8-2-1-0 start, good for second place and one point off the top spot in the Western Conference.
Fitzgerald announced in August that he has committed to Providence College for the 2027-28 school year.
* Tynan Lawrence --This year's first-round pick continued his strong start with Boston University with another goal and assist in two games, now up to three goals and two assists in a four-game point streak to begin the season.
Lawrence scored the lone goal Friday in a 2-1 loss to Vermont in what was a three-game goal streak to begin the season, then had an assist on Saturday in a 2-1 win over the Catamounts:
He had just two goals and five assists with the Terriers last season, so a good start to this season, and he's centering a top line along with Caleb Malhotra, who was the third overall pick in this year's draft by the Vancouver Canucks ; the Blues took Lawrence at No. 11.
* Carter Stevens --The 2026 fifth-round pick picked his fourth goal of the season to go with four assists in 11 games for Guelph of the OHL, which took down Sudbury on Sunday, 5-2:
The Storm was ranked No. 1 in this past week's CHL weekly rankings, followed by Maddox Dagenais (first round, 2026) and Quebec at No. 2.
* Mikhail Fyodorov --The 2025 fifth-round pick finally got on the board with his KHL club, Magnitogorsk Metallurg and it was a beauty on Wednesday in a 3-1 win over Dinamo Minsk:
Points have been hard to come by for the 19-year-old this season with a goal and three assists in 16 games but he does have a goal and an assist in the past three.
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