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Vadim Zherenko

St. Louis Blues Recall Vadim Zherenko

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The St. Louis Blues have recalled Vadim Zherenko under emergency conditions, sending Joel Hofer back to the Springfield Thunderbirds. The young netminder will serve as the backup for Jordan Binnington in tonight’s finale.

Zherenko, 22, is in his first season of North American pro hockey, after being selected 208th overall in 2019. He posted an impressive .918 save percentage in 24 appearances with the Thunderbirds, forming an excellent tandem with Hofer and taking the club to the Calder Cup playoffs.

With seeding still on the line for Springfield, and a big back-to-back-to-back situation coming this weekend to finish their season, Hofer will prepare for tomorrow’s AHL contest.

That’s to the benefit of Zherenko, who will get another day of NHL pay while he sits on the bench. This is the second call-up of his career after a short stint on the roster earlier this month. The young netminder will have to wait to make his debut, but it already looks like he has a rather promising future—especially for a seventh-round pick.

St. Louis Blues Assign Dmitri Samorukov, Vadim Zherenko To AHL

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The St. Louis Blues have assigned defenseman Dmitri Samorukov and goaltender Vadim Zherenko to their AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds, the team announced Sunday.

With the Blues out of action until next Wednesday and only two games left on their regular-season schedule, the transaction is purely a paper one to save the Blues some actual dollars. Springfield has three games left this season, but all come after the Blues wrap up their regular season on April 13.

Samorukov, 23, was acquired by the Blues from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for Klim Kostin in October 2022. In his two-game stint with the Blues this month, his first games with the team since the trade, he registered a minor penalty and a -1 rating. This season, the Volgograd, Russia, product has posted 20 points (four goals, 16 assists) and 26 penalty minutes in 66 games for the Thunderbirds.

Zherenko, 22, saw the first recall of his NHL career this month when St. Louis added him on an emergency basis due to Thomas Greiss’ season-ending injury. The 208th overall selection in the 2019 NHL Draft, Zherenko has played in 24 games for the Thunderbirds during his first season in North America, posting a 10-8-3 record along with a 2.96 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage. He didn’t appear in a game on his recall, though, as Jordan Binnington has made four straight starts since Greiss played his last game of the year on April 1.

Sending down Zherenko leaves the Blues without a second goalie on their NHL roster. With no organizational action through St. Louis’ next game, expect the Blues to recall Zherenko (and possibly Samorukov, pending the health of Robert Bortuzzo) again next Wednesday for their final two games of the season.

St. Louis Blues Recall Vadim Zherenko Under Emergency Conditions

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The St. Louis Blues recalled netminder Vadim Zherenko under emergency conditions from the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds on Monday, the team said in a release. Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that backup Thomas Greiss is injured, necessitating the recall of a goalie from the minors.

This is the first recall of Zherenko’s career. Drafted 208th overall in 2019, it’s a rapid rise to relevance for a player picked less than 10 spots away from the end of the draft.

However, the 22-year-old has earned a brief NHL look with his play this season. Zherenko has been a more-than-capable backup in Springfield to Joel Hofer, who earned a long look at the NHL level last month. In 24 games with Springfield, Zherenko has a record of 10-8-3, a .918 save percentage, and a 2.96 goals-against average. This is his first season in North America after a development path through Russia and Finland post-draft.

With Springfield’s season in crunch time on the verge of clinching a Calder Cup playoff berth, the Blues likely opted to leave Hofer in the minors to continue to gain meaningful experience in stretch run games.

St. Louis Blues Sign Vadim Zherenko

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The St. Louis Blues have added an interesting goaltending prospect, signing Vadim Zherenko to a three-year entry-level contract. Zherenko spent this season playing in Finland, mostly for Ilves Tampere at the highest level.

Selected 208th overall in 2019, just a few spots from the end of the draft, the 6’3″ netminder has continued to develop his game overseas while the Blues kept a close watch. Before heading to Finland, he had been coming up in Russia and had huge success at both the VHL and MHL levels, even winning a championship in the MHL. In fact, he earned the playoff MVP for that run in 2021, going 10-1-2 with a .939 save percentage in 13 appearances.

While he didn’t have quite the same impact in Finland, Zherenko did post a .902 in 30 Liiga appearances. Given that he is still signed with Ilves for 2022-23, it seems likely that he’ll be loaned back overseas before next season begins, where he can continue to see ample playing time as his game grows.

If he does, it would still use up the first year of his three-year deal as the 21-year-old is not young enough to see the contract slide forward any longer.

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