Player Profile – Rasmus Kupari
Rasmus Kupari, a native of Finland, was the first-round pick, number 21 overall. The right-handed center is setting the pace on the Blues with 68 points through 77 games so far this season, already passing his previous career high in points, which had been 60. Rasmus with 25 goals this year is just behind his career high of 30 but has 43 assists which is another career high.
The 21-year-old center is anchoring the top line of the Blues offense and is considered a cornerstone of the Blues offense moving forward. He has spent most of the season playing with 24-year-old Oskar Lindblom and 23-year-old Klim Kostin as his wings. With a top line all under the age of 25, and all signed to contracts with plenty of term left, this group should stay together for years to come and have plenty of opportunity to build chemistry.
Another aspect of Kupari’s game that has seen quite a bit of improvement is in his on-ice discipline. In his one year on the farm, he accumulated 194 penalty minutes, as he moved to the pro team, the most he has had in the three season in St. Louis is 32. With how heavily he is relied upon for scoring, he needs to be on the ice and not in the penalty box. He has done a nice job of limiting the mistakes and keeping on the ice.
The future is bright for this young center, if he can stay healthy, Rasmus Kupari has the chance to finish his career as one of the top scoring Blues of all time.
6/20/2022 - 276 words
