St. Louis Blues teammates celebrate a goal during the NHL hockey game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, at Enterprise Center in St. Louis. (Source: West Newsmagazine/Lou Countryman photo)
Lou Countryman
St. Louis added offense to the team for this season when the Blues acquired forward Mason McTavish in a trade.
McTavish, 23, came from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for picks No. 15 and 29 in the 2026 NHL Draft.
“Obviously, this is my first time being traded in the NHL,” McTavish said. “The biggest thing is you’re so excited to live in a whole new city. I’m super grateful for the Blues for trusting in me. I had a great time in Anaheim, and it was awesome.
“But it’s the right time for me to go to a new team.”
An alternate captain for Anaheim since the 2023-24 season, he has five years left on his contract. He earns $7 million a year.
McTavish is a skilled player. He scored 77 goals and 181 points in 304 career games with the Ducks.
McTavish was selected by the Ducks in the first round, No. 3 overall, of the 2021 NHL Draft.
“It’s been awesome so far,” McTavish said. “The guys have been super welcoming and just meeting everybody is a lot, so it was nice to come in a little earlier and put names to faces.”
Born in Zurich, Switzerland, and a Canadian international, McTavish has spent the past five seasons in Anaheim, including the last three as an assistant captain.
Last season, the 6-foot-1, 218-pound forward recorded 41 points (17 goals, 24 assists) in 75 regular-season games, along with six points (one goal, five assists) in 10 postseason appearances to help the Ducks reach the second round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
McTavish was a healthy scratch twice for the Ducks in the playoffs
“In the last year, I wasn’t happy with how I performed,” McTavish said. “I knew I’m better than that. I have a lot of motivation. I want to get better as possible.”
Overall, he has appeared in 304 career NHL regular-season games, totaling 181 points (77 goals, 104 assists) and 212 penalty minutes.
Blues President of Hockey Operations Doug Armstrong knows the franchise landed a skilled athlete.
“Pedigree for sure,” Armstrong said. “He’s a top three overall pick recently, captain of Team Canada in the past. (He was a) Playoff performer in the OHL. This (past) year was a down year for him and he understands that. We talked to him – obviously we do our research on this – I know what he’s been doing back home, what type of training and how he felt about his season.
“He’s taken that head on and wants to come back (strong).”
McTavish is going to be one of the building blocks on the Blues that will help the organization return to postseason play, Armstrong said.
“For a team like St. Louis, it’s important to get players that we can grow and build with,” Armstrong said. “We have him under contract and we can grow with him. He’s an exciting player for us in an organization that was void at that position of having a lot of depth.”
During his junior career, McTavish spent two seasons in the OHL, including the 2021-22 season, when he helped the Hamilton Bulldogs capture the J. Ross Robertson Cup (OHL championship).
He also captained Team Canada to gold medals at the 2021 U-18 World Championship and the 2022 U-20 World Junior Championship, earning tournament MVP honors in 2022.
He’s anxious to show what he can do with the Blues.
“Like every player, you want to get better,” McTavish said. “Just becoming a better skater. More explosive. You try to do them as hard as you can and as well as you can.”