The St. Louis Blues have assigned winger Hugh McGing to the AHL's Springfield Thunderbirds. 

McGing was called up from the AHL on Dec. 9, playing in three games, scoring once and adding an assist. He played in a limited role, averaging 10:52 of ice time, but garnered positive results with his ice time and notched his first career NHL goal and point. 

Since his call-up, the Blues have seen additional injuries, most notably to Dylan Holloway, but have also made moves in response. They recalled 2023 first-round pick Otto Stenberg and claimed winger Jonatan Berggren off waivers from the Detroit Red Wings. Both Swedish wingers are confirmed to be in the lineup tonight against the Winnipeg Jets. 

McGing's success during this NHL stint came as a bit of a surprise, but a pleasant one at that. In 18 AHL games this season, the 27-year-old has scored just four goals and six points. Last season, he finished with a modest 14 goals and 34 points in 68 games.

Drafted in the fifth round (138th overall) in the 2018 NHL draft, McGing was always expected to be a long shot to make the NHL, but getting into the lineup and making a difference allows us to recognize his hard work and the development of the Blues staff. 

McGing showed several positive traits during his call-up and should be high up in the pecking order the next time the Blues need to make a corresponding move due to an injury. 

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.