St. Louis Blues defense prospect Ian Cole doesn't see his decision to return to Notre Dame as a negative, especially when looking ahead to his future NHL career.
"Either way it was a home run," said Cole, a sophomore All-American last season for the Fighting Irish and one of three first-round draft picks by the Blues in 2007. "It was very tough, I had to really weigh the pros and cons. What it came down to was staying for a third year and being close to a degree was a better life decision.
"This is the best thing for me, getting another year of maturity under my belt."
The decision was important enough to Cole that he made his own telephone calls to Blues General Manager Larry Pleau and Blues vice president Al MacInnis.
"The whole Blues organization has been great to me," said Cole, who was in St. Louis last week for the Blues' pro orientation camp. "They've been more than supportive, more than understanding. They've all been absolutely fantastic."
Just as when T.J. Oshie decided to return to North Dakota for his junior season, Blues President John Davidson was supportive of Cole's decision.
"We left it up to him," Davidson said. "We gave Ian our reasons for whether or not we thought he should turn pro, and it revolved around his hockey career. We respect his decision without question."
Cole, 20, had six goals and 26 points last season in 38 games for Notre Dame, which finished 31-6-3 and reached the NCAA Midwest Regional semifinals.
Fighting Irish teammate Erik Condra recently signed with the Ottawa Senators, while former teammates Christian Hanson (Toronto) and Jordan Pearce (Detroit) also signed pro contracts.
Cole, who could have played for the Blues' Peoria farm team if he didn't make the NHL roster, decided to keep pursuing his degree in psychology.
He's taking two courses this summer and plans to make an accelerated push to finish early.
Since last season, the Blues have lost veteran defensemen Jay McKee and Jeff Woywitka. They also re-signed veteran Mike Weaver and are counting on a healthy return by former first overall pick Erik Johnson.
Also fighting for a job is former first-round pick Alex Pietrangelo, while veteran defenseman Eric Brewer is coming off two back surgeries.
Davidson said the Blues continue talks with Roman Polak and are hopeful a deal can be worked out soon with the restricted free agent.
There's also the chance the Blues could sign a veteran free-agent defenseman.
"There's two ways of looking at it," Davidson said regarding Cole's decision. "One is we have a chance for somebody to come in and play for us. We don't know who that's going to be yet.
"If (Cole) signed, that meant he would have an opportunity to play for the Blues. It's a tough position, very few people just step in and start playing at this level. He'll go back to college and get a lot of ice time."
Blues announce schedule
The Blues will open the 2009-10 season on the road, but this isn't just any road trip.
They open up with two games in Stockholm, Sweden Oct. 2 and Oct. 3 against the Detroit Red Wings. There also is an exhibition game planned to be played Sweden.
"We know we're going into mostly hostile territory in Sweden and all those Swedes they have in Detroit, but it will be a good experience for us," Davidson said. "We've got a couple of Swedes ourselves."
Davidson said the Blues look forward to being on an international stage.
"We're excited about it because when there's large event, like the all-star game, the outdoor game, the trip to Sweden, the Blues deserve to be there as much as anybody else," he said. "It's about branding the St. Louis Blues in the world of sports."
The Blues' home opener is Oct. 8 against the Atlanta Thrashers. Another welcome sign for some fans may be the team's decision to return to 7 p.m. starts for home games.
In addition, 21 home games will be played on Friday, Saturday or Sunday. There are 13 home games on Saturday nights.
The Blues' 2009-10 schedule also includes a 16-day break from Feb. 14-March 1 for players to compete in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia.
John Tavares, the first overall pick in the 2009 NHL draft, and the New York Islanders come to town Nov. 21, while Washington superstar Alexander Ovechkin and the Capitals visit Feb. 13.
One particularly brutal portion of the schedule finds the Blues playing six games in 10 days in late March, including two back-to-back outings.
A six -game homestand in early November includes visits from Vancouver (Nov. 10), Nashville (Nov. 12), San Jose (Nov. 14), Phoenix (Nov. 19) and Boston (Nov. 23).
Season tickets are on sale now; call 314-622-BLUE or visit www.stlouisblues.com.
E-Mail
Print
