James Neal to play in the AHL for the first time in 13+ years
On Sunday afternoon, the St. Louis Blues announced that they placed veteran forward James Neal on waivers. On Monday afternoon, he cleared and will be assigned to the Springfield Thunderbirds of the American Hockey League.
The 34-year-old hasn't played in the American Hockey League in 13+ years when he appeared in five games for the Manitoba Moose where he put up five points (one goal, four assists).
Neal, a native of Whitby, Ontario, hasn't played since November after reaggravating a previous injury in practice. On November 27th, the Blues placed Neal on injured reserve.
He joined the Blues on professional tryout contract (PTO) during training camp and played really well during the pre-season including a hat trick in his first game in a St. Louis uniform. His strong showing during the pre-season earned him a one-year contract worth $750,000.
In his 17 appearances with the Blues this season, Neal had four points (two goals, two assists), no penalty minutes and is a minus-one.
James Neal clears— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) January 3, 2022
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OCTOBER 28, 2025
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Pavel Dorofeyev | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Bobby Brink | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Bo Horvat | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Justin Brazeau | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Yegor Chinakhov | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Max Domi | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Joel Farabee | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Morgan Frost | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Matthew Knies | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Travis Konecny | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Kyle Palmieri | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Andrei Svechnikov | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Sebastian Aho | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Rasmus Andersson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Mathew Barzal | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Noah Cates | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Sean Couturier | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Jonathan Drouin | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Matt Dumba | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Jack Eichel | - | 1 | 1 | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||
| 2025-2026 NHL STANDINGS | ||||||
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Canadiens | 10 | 7 | 3 | - | 14 | |
| Red Wings | 9 | 6 | 3 | - | 12 | |
| Senators | 10 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 11 | |
| Panthers | 10 | 5 | 5 | - | 10 | |
| Sabres | 9 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 9 | |
| Maple Leafs | 9 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 9 | |
| Lightning | 9 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 8 | |
| Bruins | 11 | 4 | 7 | - | 8 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Devils | 9 | 8 | 1 | - | 16 | |
| Penguins | 10 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 15 | |
| Hurricanes | 8 | 6 | 2 | - | 12 | |
| Capitals | 9 | 6 | 3 | - | 12 | |
| Islanders | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 9 | |
| Flyers | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 9 | |
| Blue Jackets | 8 | 4 | 4 | - | 8 | |
| Rangers | 10 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 8 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Mammoth | 10 | 8 | 2 | - | 16 | |
| Avalanche | 10 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 14 | |
| Jets | 9 | 6 | 3 | - | 12 | |
| Stars | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 11 | |
| Blackhawks | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 10 | |
| Predators | 10 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 10 | |
| Wild | 10 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 8 | |
| Blues | 9 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 7 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Golden Knights | 9 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 13 | |
| Kraken | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 12 | |
| Kings | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 11 | |
| Oilers | 10 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 10 | |
| Canucks | 10 | 5 | 5 | - | 10 | |
| Ducks | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 9 | |
| Sharks | 9 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 6 | |
| Flames | 10 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 5 | |
COMPLETE STANDINGS | ||||||