Blues Prospect Is Leaving The Organization; Returning To Finland

Former St. Louis Blues third-round pick Leo Loof will leave the organization and return to Finland to play for Ilves, the team announced on Tuesday.

Loof’s contract has expired, and he was set to become a restricted free agent on July 1.

Prior to signing his entry-level contract with the Blues, Loof played for Ilves, where he scored eight goals and 26 points in 103 games as a defenseman across two seasons.

Upon signing with the Blues, Loof was sent to play in the AHL with the Springfield Thunderbirds. In three seasons, the 24-year-old scored two goals and 30 points in 168 games.

This past season, Loof played in 47 regular-season games but did not dress for any of the 12 post-season games.

Standing 6-foot-1, Loof exits the organization with no NHL experience and ultimately, in disappointing fashion. While Loof was never known for his offensive game, that facet never improved, and his defense was never as stout as it needed to be to earn a shutdown role.

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Drafted in the third round (88th overall) in the 2020 NHL draft, Loof will now join an Ilves team that finished in fourth place in the Liiga season. Ilves lost to Tappara, the eventual Liiga winners, in the semifinals before losing to SaiPa in a one-game third-place game.

In addition to adding Loof, Ilves has also signed goaltender Christoffer Rifalk, defenseman Tony Sund, and forwards Aleks Haatanen, Topias Hynninen, Jan-Mikael Järvinen, Benjamin Korhonen, and Jaakko Lantta.

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