Missed This One

I wasn't paying any attention to the Blues as things are generally quiet the couple of weeks before training camp opens. But the Blues continued their strong off-season with a nice free agent signing.

Blues president John Davidson and general manager Larry Pleau put another puzzle piece into place this week, signing free agent winger Chris Porter to add size and depth to their front lines.

At 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, Porter has power forward potential. He is tough and he is an ironman, having never missed a game in college.

Earlier this year, he offered this take on that feat: “In bantams when I was 13 or 14, I broke my arm, and that was the last time I’ve actually missed a game. There have been times throughout my college career when I’ve been bumped up pretty good, but our training staff has done a great job of getting me ready to go. I’ve had the privilege of coming in as a freshman and getting to play every game. I’ve had coaches who have trusted in me and put me out there. I’ve been lucky not to have a serious injury in the middle of the season.”

Hmmm . . . this sounds like a young man Brian Sutter would love. And that is a good thing.

Porter fills an organization void in a couple of ways, adding size to a depth chart that features smaller forwards like Yan Stastny and Martin Kariya. Porter also gives the team another front-burner prospect to bring to camp.

Here are Porter's stats from his time at North Dakota:

Year----Team-------- Lea- GP-- G--- A----Pts +/- PIM---S- S%- PPG
2006-07 North Dakota WCHA 43 13 17 30 - 38 - - 0.70

2005-06 North Dakota WCHA 46 7 16 23 - 40 - - 0.50

2004-05 North Dakota WCHA 45 12 3 15 - 36 - - 0.33

2003-04 North Dakota WCHA 41 10 15 25 - 46 - - 0.61