Joel Hofer displayed 'mindset of an elite goaltender' in turning his season around after October

It can be hard to understand just how ... difficult October was for Blues goaltender Joel Hofer.

In the first month of the 2025-26 season, Hofer submitted one of the worst starts to a season in both franchise and league history. In four starts, he was pulled twice (and one of those times was reinserted into the game). He gave up 17 goals on 82 shots, good for a .793 save percentage and a 5.81 goals-against average — both the worst in the NHL this season.

If the Blues intend to improve their offensive numbers, it’s going to require a handful of bounce-back seasons.

St. Louis ranked 24th in the NHL this season in goals per game, averaging 2.80, struggling to find consistency from both a team perspective and an individual vantage point. Among their top players, many had off-years.

Springfield wasn’t even supposed to be here.

The Thunderbirds, the Blues’ AHL affiliate, will begin their Atlantic Division Final series on Tuesday against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton as part of an unlikely run through the Calder Cup playoffs. Springfield (Massachusetts) beat Charlotte in the best-of-three first round, then dispatched top-seeded Providence in the best-of-five division semifinals.

The Blues will enter another October hoping for another different outcome.

In each of the last four seasons, a poor start in some form has been a main storyline for the Blues.