Holloway seizes the opportunity in St. Louis

Feature photo: Getty Images

If there is one moment that best encapsulates the type of outstanding season Dylan Holloway is having with the St. Louis Blues, it would be from this past December – just two weeks before Christmas.

It’s a game – the one on Dec. 10 in Vancouver – that Holloway remembers well.

With the contest tied at three with less than two minutes into overtime, the centreman took a pass, skating up the right side of the ice, crossing the blueline before roofing the puck to score the winning goal.

It gave the Blues two valuable points on the road, and it gave Holloway a clear understanding of what he was capable of.

“That is one game that stands out for me. I was on a little bit of a point streak, and I was feeling good about my game,” recalled the 23-year-old, at the time on a seven-game point streak. “Before I played that game, I had played in a couple of three-on-three overtimes, and I was a little nervous in those ones. This one, I just felt very confident and was excited to get on the ice. After that game, I felt like I could take a step forward in my game and have a good rest of the year.”

And that is exactly what Holloway has done.

The Calgary native is now just four goals shy of reaching 30 goals and only seven points away from his first 70-point season. He has long surpassed his NHL career-high games played mark, suiting up for all of the Blues’ 76 games this season thus far.

Holloway, a restricted free agent after the 2023-24 season, signed a two-year offer sheet with the Blues last August after the Oilers opted not to match it.

He has found a sense of belonging in St. Louis.

“When they say trust the process, I think that is so key. No matter how things have gone in the past, you need to believe that. There were a couple of years when it was a mix of not being as confident and not getting that much opportunity.

“But since I came to St. Louis, I have that opportunity and tried to build and build. I was still putting in the work and trying to get better, but it has finally come together. I’m happy that I always believed in myself.”

It certainly shows.

Holloway was the 14th overall pick of the Oilers in the 2020 NHL Draft, the first college player selected that year, and is now counted on in key situations.

Not surprisingly, his confidence has grown steadily throughout the season.

“You can be as skilled as you want to be, but if you aren’t confident in making the play, you second-guess something – the game is so fast, and you might not make that play. Early in a game, when you can make one play or two plays, you get the feeling that you are in the game and the confidence goes from there. If you can stack games like that, it’s how you grow.”

Just like the Blues have.

After struggling in the early stages of the season, the Central Division squad has been on a tear, having won nine straight games. Currently, St. Louis is in the second wild card spot in the Western Conference with six games left before the playoffs.

Holloway saw signs of a St. Louis surge well before the regular season resumed after 4 Nations Face-Off tournament that took place in February.

“We are definitely a confident group right now. Since the break ended, we have been really good. But before the break, we started clicking. Everyone gave their all and it gave us a chance to win every night. When you are confident, even if you aren’t having your best game, you find a way to win. Being able to find different ways to win is how you grow as a team, and we are learning that now.”

Holloway, who was named the Canadian Junior A player of the year in 2018-19 after accumulating 88 points in 53 games for Okotoks of the Alberta Junior Hockey League, is hoping the good times roll on for the Blues.