This post was originally published at The Hockey Writers - Combine.

Starting up a professional sports franchise is not something that happens overnight.

Just ask the St. Charles Chill President and General Manager Nicole Kupaks, who is leading the charge of developing the new hockey team in St. Charles, Missouri. The Chill will begin play in the 2013-14 season and will compete in the CHL (Central Hockey League), a developmental hockey league designed for players who have NHL aspirations.

Kupaks, along with owners Gustavo Hernandez, Alfonso Arguindegui and Glenn Hart, are uplifting the Laredo Bucks and plotting them in the Family Arena, which sits about 25 miles outside of downtown St. Louis.

Kupaks had the idea to move the team after disastrous attendance numbers in Laredo forced the group to look at other markets.

“When we unfortunately had to choose to shut down our franchise in Laredo, I started looking for other opportunities and St. Charles popped up,” Kupaks said in her Family Arena office Friday afternoon. “I was talking to the league and I had done my own research about the market. I felt it was interesting. I presented it to our ownership group and told them that we needed to do a little more homework on this. I really dug down, looked at the numbers and found out that it could be very successful [in St. Charles] and worth our time. I encouraged one of our owners to fly with me up here and sold him on the idea.”

Kupaks was employed with the Bucks from 2005 until this past season, serving as a jack-of-all-trades. She cycled through positions that ranged from Director of Public Relations to her final position, Team General Manager and Governor.

“When I became GM of the Laredo Bucks, they chose me because they had seen my work over the years,” she said. “Our former coach was the President, GM and Head Coach but I’d always done the work of the GM. I’d always done the player integration, the contracts and all of that fun stuff. For them it was just a natural progression for me to become the GM.”

Kupaks, who studied Business Management at Texas Tech University, is the only female to hold a General Manager position in professional men’s hockey. Expecting respect was never an option.

“You have to earn it. I’ve bled and sweat for this.

“It’s like anything else; when you come in as a rookie you have to prove yourself. I think my work ethic and my love for the game have proved that I am a legitimate businesswoman in this industry.”

This post was originally published at The Hockey Writers - Combine.

Sometimes, the best addition for an AHL club is placed directly in its lap.

Top prospect Jaden Schwartz decided to go pro after his sophomore season at Colorado College abruptly ended after a playoff series sweep at the hands of the Michigan Tech Huskies.  He jumped right into NHL action, signing an entry-level deal with the Blues two days after his team lost.  He joined the team for his first NHL practice the next day and then played in his first NHL game four days later.  On his first shot, Schwartz scored his first NHL goal to help the Blues beat the Tampa Bay Lightning, 3-1, on March 17, 2012.

Schwartz went on to play in seven games in 2011-12, scoring two goals and one assist for three points.

The 20 year old center will have his shot to make the Blues’ roster once training camp opens, but will face a steady line of competition.  The Blues have only seen forwards Chris Porter and Jason Arnott depart from their 2011-12 roster but have also added the likes of right-winger Vladimir Tarasenko.  Many tout this Russian forward as the most NHL ready forward of all the rookies looking to break into the NHL in 2012-13.

Currently, the Blues’ depth at center includes David Backes, Patrik Berglund, Vladimir Sobotka and Scott Nichol; this goes without mentioning that wingers Andy McDonald and T.J. Oshie are fully capable of switching to center ice as well.  Schwartz is a very gifted forward but may have to settle with some time to develop in the AHL.

In other words, the Blues may be handing a great gift to the Peoria Rivermen organization.

This post was originally published at TheHockeyWriters.com.

We have already seen spurts of future NHL talent who may be seeing full-time NHL action this coming season. I am of course talking about talent such as Mika Zibanejad (Ottawa), Jaden Schwartz (St. Louis), Jacob Markstrom (Florida) and Sven Baertschi (Calgary).

Who will get their chance this season?

Making the jump from any league to the NHL is no easy task. It takes a lot of skill and determination to get even a few games in with an NHL club. These are the ten players who stand the best chance to play in their first NHL game and stay with the club all season long.

1. Vladimir Tarasenko (RW) – St. Louis Blues

2011-12 Team: St. Petersburg SKA (KHL)

Reason: Tarasenko has been having Blues management, fans and players fantasizing over his possible entrance into the NHL since being drafted in 2010. Now that Tarasenko has reached a deal with the Blues, he will step into a roster that desperately needs help scoring. Finishing the 2011-12 season at 21st in goals-scored-per-game (2.51), the Blues hope that Tarasenko can translate his strong play from the KHL to North-American hockey. The Russian forward finished 9th in scoring in the KHL last season with 47 points.

This post was originally published at TheHockeyWriters.com.

St. Louis Blues General Manager Doug Armstrong's phone was busy this week.

It was announced on Tuesday that the club agreed to terms with unrestricted free-agent forward Jamie Langenbrunner on a one-year, $1.25 million contract that has the potential to earn him an extra $250,000 in incentives.  Langenbrunner, 36, scored 6 goals and 18 assists last season as the Blues’ assistant captain.

Shortly after the Langenbrunner signing was made public, Armstrong traded forward B.J. Crombeen and the Blues’ fourth-round pick in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for the Lightning’s fourth-round picks in the 2013 and 2014 drafts.  Crombeen scored 1 goal, 2 assists and accumulated 71 penalty minutes in 40 games last season.

While these may seem like minor shake-ups on the surface, the motor may be running hot underneath the hood in St. Louis

Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Tuesday morning that the club had their sights set on Dallas Stars’ Captain Brenden Morrow as a trade target.  Rutherford reported that the 34-year old left-wing was known to be available, as the Blues, Los Angeles Kings, New York Rangers and San Jose Sharks are all listed as teams that are expressing their interest.

But Stars GM Joe Nieuwendyk denied these claims, stating that he recently spoke with Morrow about his future with the Stars organization.

"We had a good talk the other day, and I told him I very much believe there’s a place for him on this team," Nieuwendyk told the Dallas Morning News. "I told him I fully expect him to be out there on the power play in front of the net where he’s always been."