Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Blues bring back Jackman as coach, a ‘great benefit to our young defensemen’

St Louis Blues v Los Angeles Kings

LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 05: Portrait of Barret Jackman #5 of the St. Louis Blues before a faceoff against the Los Angeles Kings at Staples Center on March 5, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Getty Images

St. Louis continues to make coaches of guys only just removed from their playing days.

Following the hire of Steve Ott an assistant coach -- just weeks after Ott was playing for Montreal in the playoffs -- the Blues have brought back longtime defenseman Barret Jackman as a development coach.

“We are excited to have Barret back with the Blues organization,” Blues GM Doug Armstrong said in a release. “Barret’s leadership and understanding of the game will be a great benefit to our young defensemen.”

Originally drafted by the Blues 17th overall in 1999, Jackman went on to dress in over 900 games for the club and captured the franchise’s first and only Calder Trophy in 2003. He spent a short spell in Nashville before signing a one-day contact to retire with the Blues last October.

Now, Jackman will have plenty of good blueline prospects to work with. Colton Parayko and Joel Edmundson are already established at the NHL level, but still only 24 and 23 years old respectively.

The Blues also have a good one in Vince Dunn, the 56th overall pick in 2015 that had a great rookie year in AHL Chicago. And there are high hopes for Jake Walman, the 82nd overall pick in ’14 that left Providence last year, turned pro, and played a handful of games with the Wolves.