The St. Louis Blues are adding significant NHL pedigree to their player development department. President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Doug Armstrong announced today that the team has hired former long-time Minnesota Wild captain Mikko Koivu as the organization's new European development consultant.
Koivu will immediately step into a role focused on mentoring, tracking, and cultivating the Blues' growing crop of European prospects and drafted talent currently playing overseas, a position once held by Alexander Steen.
In hiring Koivu, the Blues are bringing in a culture-setter who knows exactly what it takes to survive and thrive in the NHL. The Turku, Finland native put together a stellar 16-year playing career, including 15 seasons with the Wild, 11 of which he served as the franchise’s undisputed captain. Over his 1,035 career regular-season games, Koivu scored 206 goals, 505 assists, and 711 points, while adding another 28 points in 59 Stanley Cup Playoff appearances.
Known as one of the premier two-way defensive forwards of his era, Koivu put together a standout international career for Team Finland. In his playing days, he earned an Olympic silver medal from 2006, an Olympic bronze from 2010, and a World Championship gold medal from 2011, alongside four additional World Championship medals. Since hanging up his skates during the 2020-21 season, Koivu has spent the last few years working as an assistant coach and in player development for TPS in the SM-Liiga.
This strategic move by Doug Armstrong addresses a critical area of the Blues’ modern rebuilding blueprint, not just a flashy name-recognition hire.
Having a boots-on-the-ground resource of Koivu's stature in Europe is massive. When the Blues draft teenage prospects out of leagues like the SHL or Liiga, those players are developing far away from the St. Louis coaching staff, while also having semi-regular check-in’s with NHL development coaches. Koivu will continue to bridge that gap. He understands the physical and mental transition from European ice to the North American game, and his recent stint with TPS gives him a fresh, modern perspective on today's European developmental tracks.
Despite not being in the organization as a player, bringing in a player as well respected as Koivu will continue to build to on the long-standing identity of Blues hockey that has been built on since 1967. The organization has always valued heavy, hard-to-play-against, high-IQ hockey. As a relentless two-way center, Koivu can instill those exact habits into the Blues' next wave of overseas talent before they ever book a flight to training camp.