The St. Louis Blues walked up on stage at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois during the 2017 NHL Entry Draft to make the 20th overall selection, taking a player out of the OHL that has turned out to be quite fruitful for the organization.
Approaching the tail end of the first round, Bill Armstrong, Director of Amateur Scouting at the time for the Blues, announced St. Louis’ pick, from the London Knights, Robert Thomas.
Thomas was the 13th forward selected in the 2017 draft. Most public ranking lists had him in the 20 to 32 range. His draft position was not a surprising pick by the Blues, but the Blues centerman certainly has outplayed where he went on draft day.
Robert immediately jumped into a full-time NHL role in 2018, even though he was still eligible to return to junior for one more season. He made a strong impression in training camp, playing in six of St. Louis’ seven preseason games recording four points.
Jumping into the NHL as a 19-year-old is a daunting task.
Alas, Thomas quickly showcased his intelligence and maturity to be a useful bottom-six forward averaging around 12 to 15 minutes a night. He spent most of his time playing alongside veterans Tyler Bozak and Pat Maroon.
Related: St. Louis Blues Best Homegrown Player: Brought To You By Upper Deck
The Aurora, Ontario native continued to play his depth role on the way to winning the Stanley Cup with the team in 2019. Robert’s name was officially on the map.
Thomas has improved his game year after year, becoming a consistent offensive contributor, while playing a strong 200-foot game. He’s now become the Blues’ No. 1 centerman on the team and looks primed to hold that position for many years.
The team’s previous No. 1 center, Ryan O’Reilly, was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs at the 2023 trade deadline and then signed with the Nashville Predators. This was Thomas’ first year as the go-to center for St. Louis. And a career-high in assists (60) and points (86) seems like a pretty good first year.
With the emergence of Thomas becoming a No. 1 center in the league, we ask the question. Where would Robert Thomas rank in a 2017 re-draft?
*This list is of our own opinion on the caliber of the player and their importance to their franchise
1 (4). RHD, Cale Makar – Colorado Avalanche
2 (3). LHD, Miro Heiskanen – Dallas Stars
3 (5). C, Elias Pettersson – Vancouver Canucks
4 (26). G, Jake Oettinger – Dallas Stars
5 (111). G, Jeremy Swayman -…