Blues return Poganski to Rampage, likely to recall a forward before Tuesday's game

ST. LOUIS -- While his brief stint with the St. Louis Blues was surely a positive experience, 23-year-old forward Austin Poganski will have to wait until next time to make his NHL debut. After being recalled from the San Antonio Rampage on Thanksgiving, Poganski was returned to the Blues' AHL affiliate on Sunday morning.

Poganski was a healthy scratch for all five games he spent with the Blues during his first stint in the NHL. He'll now go back to the minors and resume his development, looking to build on a strong season in which he has played in 21 AHL games, collecting two goals and 11 assists.

Forward Zach Sanford, who suffered an upper-body injury in the Blues' loss to the Maple Leafs on Saturday night, did not skate with the team during Sunday's practice, and the Blues were already operating at below the standard complement of 14 forwards prior to Poganski's reassignment to the AHL. Though Oskar Sundqvist and Alexander Steen are both skating, neither will be available for Tuesday's game at Buffalo, so head coach Craig Berube told reporters that another forward will be called up prior to the matchup with the Sabres, per The Athletic's Jeremy Rutherford.