ST. LOUIS — It's official. Ryan O'Reilly is the new captain of the St. Louis Blues.
The team announced the expected news on Wednesday, introducing O'Reilly as the 23rd captain in the team's history. The Blues also said Vladimir Tarasenko, Brayden Schenn and Colton Parayko will serve as assistant captains.
O'Reilly takes over the honor after defenseman Alex Pietrangelo, the team's captain for the previous four seasons, signed with the Las Vegas Golden Knights this offseason.
O'Reilly, 29, was acquired by the Blues in the summer of 2018 in a trade with the Buffalo Sabres that sent Patrick Berglund, Vladimir Sobotka and Tage Thompson to Buffalo.
The Clinton, Ontario native previously played for Colorado along with Buffalo and has served as alternate captain in the past.
In two seasons in St. Louis, O'Reilly has tallied 40 goals, 98 assists and is a +33 with the Blues.
O'Reilly was named the most valuable player of the Blues' 2019 playoff run and awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy following the team's Game 7 win in Boston. In those playoffs, O'Reilly scored eight goals and tallied 15 assists. He also won the Selke Award following the 2019 season, as the best two-way forward in the league.
Along with his on-the-ice play, O'Reilly has become known for his work ethic. He often holds his own second practices after the team is done with their original practice.
"Ryan's work ethic on and off the ice and his commitment day in and day out is second to none," said Head Coach Craig Berube. "He leads by example with how hard he works during practices and our games and he relays the right message from our coaching staff to our entire team."
