St. Louis Blues prospect Zach Dean placed in NHL/NHLPA assistance program

By Canadian Press on September 10, 2025.

TORONTO — St. Louis Blues prospect Zach Dean has entered the NHL and NHL Players’ Association’s Player Assistance Program.

The league and the union said Wednesday in a joint release that Dean will be in the program for an indefinite period and will return to the Blues when cleared by the program administrators.

The release did not detail why Dean is getting assistance from the program, which provides confidential support and treatment for players and their families dealing with mental health, substance use or other personal issues.

Dean, a 22-year-old centre who was born in Grande Prairie, Alta., and raised in Mount Pearl, N.L., was selected by Vegas in the first round, 30th overall, at the 2021 NHL draft. St. Louis acquired him in a February 2023 trade that sent forward Ivan Barbashev to the Golden Knights.

He played nine games with the Blues in 2023-24. He has 10 goals and eight assists in 60 games over two seasons with the American Hockey League’s Springfield Thunderbirds.

Dean helped Canada win gold at the 2023 world junior championship in Halifax and Moncton, N.B. He had a goal and two assists in seven games at the tournament.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 10, 2025.

The Canadian Press