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Blues All-Star Brayden Schenn having banner first season in St. Louis

"I called my mom and dad," Schenn said of Jeff and Rita Schenn. "One of the best calls I made."
Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; St. Louis Blues forward Brayden Schenn (10) celebrates after scoring a third period goal against the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports

ST. LOUIS -- There comes a time when a phone call to mom and dad are moments to remember.

There's the calls telling them they're going to be grandparents, you're getting married, or other life-altering moments.

Those moments expand for athletes, especially when it comes to a professional athlete who owes everything to mom and dad for the time-consuming and financial costs of putting their child on the path to greatness.

The moment he got the call from general manager Doug Armstrong notifying him he'd be a first time All-Star, Blues center Brayden Schenn wasted little time notifying two of the most important people in his life.

"I called my mom and dad," Schenn said of Jeff and Rita Schenn. "One of the best calls I made."

The cycle hasn't come full circle yet for Schenn. Not yet. That will come, in his words, when the Blues are able to win a Stanley Cup, but it's been quite the ride for Schenn since being acquired in a trade from the Philadelphia Flyers at the 2017 NHL Draft in Chicago on June 23 for center Jori Lehtera, a 2017 first-round pick and a 2018 conditional first-round pick.

"Through (51) games, we all know what the end goal is," Schenn said. "I'm not going to look past that, but thus far, you never know if I get that opportunity if I was still in Philadelphia. I think coming here, I get to play the middle of the ice, being a top two line center for us. I'm playing a lot, being counted on each night. It's maybe something I never got the opportunity to do in Philadelphia; I always played a lot there, but I think it was just really playing with good players. I think it was just always really playing out of position. Coming here, I got the opportunity to be a go-to guy and I'm just trying to seize the opportunity and have fun doing it."

Schenn and teammate Alex Pietrangelo, also a first-time All-Star, will take in the festivities and competitions this weekend together.

Going to a new new organization and a new conference can often times take some getting used to, but Schenn's impact for the Blues (30-18-3) has been more than St. Louis could have hoped for or expected. The Blues are thrilled with a player who's performed at such a high level.

From the moment Armstrong and Blues coach Mike Yeo spoke with Schenn for the first time after the trade, they knew they'd be getting a motivated player.

"Yeah, I would say so," Yeo said. "As far as his offensive play, we knew that he would add to our group. We knew that he would add speed to our group, but I think he's even faster than probably what we maybe thought that he might be. And certainly his defensive play has been even stronger than what, I don't want to say what we thought, but maybe there was a little more uncertainty there just because we hadn't seen him at the center ice position. He's been a real pleasant surprise."

The Blues had every intention of playing Schenn in his natural center position and giving him the ice time in all situations that would allow him to thrive. Schenn leads the Blues with 50 points and 29 assists and is tied for the most goals (21) with Vladimir Tarasenko.

"I would say that he saw this as an opportunity," Yeo said. "When I talked to him in the summer, he was extremely excited about the opportunity to come here in this organization and have a chance to prove that he's a centerman. Obviously he put the work in that he needed in the summer. Through the course of the season there's been a number of opportunities that have been there for him, and he's taken advantage of every one of them.

"... I can't really speak to what he did or didn't get in Philadelphia, but what I can say is I see a player who is very motivated to prove that he's an elite hockey player in this League."

Schenn called his trade to the Blues a blessing and now wants to enjoy everything All-Star weekend brings after turning a new chapter in his hockey life.

"I'm looking forward to it big time," said Schenn, who will be accompanied by his parents and girlfriend. "When you get named an All-Star selection, obviously it's a nice accomplishment. A good start to the season.

"I've said that all along that you don't get that recognition without guys beside you like [Jaden Schwartz] and [Tarasenko] and [Alexander Steen] and whoever I played with along the way. And then getting an opportunity. Who knows if that opportunity comes if I'm in Philadelphia. Maybe a change of scenery, you get more opportunity and things happen. I'm looking forward to the weekend, family's looking forward to it. I know a lot of guys that are going and it'll be a fun to be a part of it for once."

Schenn was on the outside looking in when the Flyers were stacking up their centers, and playing a wing was something he had to do if it meant sticking in the lineup.

Being made a go-to guy in St. Louis and having those responsibilities placed in his lap reinvigorated Schenn, who at 26 is getting into the prime of his career.

"You always want to be counted on as the go-to guy, whatever team you're on," Schenn said. "I think leading up into the Philly days and even before that, I was a go-to guy. The Flyers were always good, they always had veteran teams and you come in and you have that feeling out process. They have great players there. They have [Claude] Giroux, they have [Jake] Voracek, they have [Wayne] Simmonds. They have guys like that leading the way. Those are the guys that you learned from and I felt I learned a lot from those guys. Coming into a new organization, a new team, you try to be one of the guys. There's a lot of good players in this locker room and you just try to be a piece to the puzzle."

Schenn isn't just a piece of the puzzle, he's an important piece.

"When they trade for you at the draft there, I knew right away I was going to get a great opportunity and you prepare all summer, you train all summer to try and be ready for the opportunity," Schenn said. "I got a great opportunity from the coaching staff here since Day 1, whether playing tons of power-play minutes or playing even the penalty kill, which I really didn't do in Philadelphia, lots of 5-on-5 minutes. I always wanted to prove to people I could play in the middle and I felt like I've done that thus far."

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