Schenn named Blues captain, replaces O’Reilly

In addition to Schenn, the press conference included coach Craig Berube and general manager Doug Armstrong, and was attended by the entire Blues roster.

“… I’ll remember you guys showing up for me, it means a lot.” Schenn said. “These are the guys that I come to battle (with) and work every day and enjoy being at the rink with them.”

Justin Faulk, Colton Parayko and Robert Thomas were named assistant captains.

Schenn said he found out about the honor last week from general manager Doug Armstrong.

“I got a text on Wednesday afternoon. A long offseason and we were unsure of the direction of how things were going to happen, but I just met with him Friday morning,” Schenn said. “The four of us that are going to be part of the leadership crew, we’re excited for the opportunity and challenge of leaning on each other.”

Selected by the Los Angeles Kings in the first round (No. 5) of the 2009 NHL Draft, Schenn has 589 points (240 goals, 349 assists) in 858 regular-season games for the Blues, Flyers and Kings, and 40 points (11 goals, 29 assists) in 75 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

Armstrong said Schenn embodies everything a captain should be.

“I think the experience of been-there, done-that, we are transitioning and having someone in our group that was the fifth overall pick, that has played on a couple of organizations,” Armstrong said. “There’s not much that he hasn’t seen that he can’t share with the group. Also his persona on the ice is St. Louis original and that’s something that we want to continue with.

“But the process started, talking to a lot of different people in our organization, outside the organization in different sports on leadership, on leadership by committee, what it took. I just kept coming back to experience, transitioning into a new era. When I got to the criteria that was most important to this team moving forward, ‘Schenner’ was the natural option. These decisions aren’t made in a vacuum. I had a lot of different people giving me input in place, great support from ownership, Mr. Stillman and his group asking me the questions that went into the decision and then supporting the decision.”

Schenn was the third player to be named captain this month after Quinn Hughes of the Vancouver Canucks (Sept. 11) and Adam Lowry of the Winnipeg Jets (Sept. 12). Brad Marchand was named Boston Bruins captain one day after Schenn received the honor.

“First of all, I think a captain is important for sure. It completes your team in my opinion.” Berube said. “This team is hungry to prove themselves this year and going forward. We still have a lot of veterans on our team. We’re still in the winning business here. I think having a captain is important in terms of that. Brayden has experience for sure, great character, toughness. He’s been a Blue here for five, six years now.

“He’s learned from five different captains that he talked about and saw how things were done, he’s won, he leads by example. His teammates are here supporting him….