Hitchcock excited about younger Blues squad

Although he's entering his final season as head coach, St. Louis Blues bench boss Ken Hitchcock couldn't be more excited.

Speaking with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Hitchcock voiced his enthusiasm for the coming year, highlighting the team's crop of young talent.

The Blues are expected to take on a younger look following the departures of David Backes, 32, and Troy Brouwer, 30, with 24-year-olds Jaden Schwartz and Vladimir Tarasenko growing into larger roles.

"We have a lot of guys that started young and we've grown them into the group," Hitchcock said. "We've got experienced players who are just hitting their prime now."

Hitchcock also raved about the additions made behind the bench.

In June, the Blues announced the appointment of Mike Yeo (formerly of the Minnesota Wild), who will serve as associate coach and assume the main job a year from now.

Rick Wilson, who won the Stanley Cup in 1999 with Hitchcock as part of the Dallas Stars, was also named assistant coach.

"We're able to cherry-pick what Minny did. Their team was built the same way that our team is going to be built this year, not really big on size, but a bunch of puck-hunters."