Thomas learned from some of the best, now is Blues' best, first-time All-Star

He was the lone teenager on a roster that was striving for great things, and it had leaders that helped pave the way.

Ryan O'Reilly, Brayden Schenn, David Perron, Tyler Bozak, Jaden Schwartz, Pat Maroon, Alexander Steen, guys that have been there, done that; guys that have gone through the rigorous schedule of an NHL season, guys that can lend a helping hand on and off the ice to help a young player with budding potential how to fulfill all his aspirations.

"He was always quiet and reserved," Schenn said of Thomas. "I think he pays attention quietly. He's obviously been lucky to play with a lot of good veterans, whether it was the O'Reillys or Bozaks or Perrons or guys guys that, Schwartzs, guys like that helped him at an early age. When you learn from guys like that on and off the ice and also being a part of a winning team, it definitely helps. Obviously he's taken another step. We rely on him every night and he's been unbelievable for us.

"I don't like giving myself credit, so I'll leave it to the other guys."

Thomas came into the league as a center but adjusted to playing the wing in order to help the Blues be not just a competitive team but a complete team. And although he didn't finish the Stanley Cup Playoffs that season because of a wrist injury sustained against the Boston Bruins -- and current teammate Torey Krug -- in the Stanley Cup Final, Thomas sat at the top of the mountain, in his first year, knowing he has a long and full career remaining to try and accomplish something so difficult again.

"A lot of things leading up to the moment," Thomas said of being named an All-Star. "They showed a little bit of my childhood on the backyard rink up there. A lot of things played into getting to where I am today. Pretty cool to kind of sit back and reflect on it all."

Now that most of those guys are gone, Thomas has ascended into the Blues' top center, and his season thus far is more than reflective of just how far he's come.

Forget the fact Thomas, 24, leads the Blues in goals (16), assists (25) and points (41) through 38 games, but he's become more than just an offensive weapon in this organization. He's the guy that the Blues call upon to go up against the opposition's top lines.

He's not just going up against them, he's shutting them down. Ask Nathan MacKinnon, whose 19-game point streak was broken up going against Thomas and the Blues on Dec. 29; ask Elias Pettersson, who was blanked against the Blues here last Thursday; there's Sidney Crosby, who in two games didn't register a point in even-strength situations going against Thomas this season. The list goes on and on.

"There's just a lot of maturity," Blues interim coach Drew Bannister said. "I think he's becoming a more mature professional hockey player and understanding what he needs to do as a player to give our team an opportunity to have success. I think the offensive side comes very easy to him. Obviously he has to work at it, but he sees the ice so well. He's shooting the puck a lot more, like he's built that into his game. The defensive side for any skilled hockey player is always the one thing that kind of lags a little bit, but I think with Robby, we're starting to see him really mature into a really good two-way hockey player that can be relied on offensively, defensively, first out the door on the PK ... and he's a real good power-play guy. He deserves the minutes, he's earned the minutes and he's going to continue to grow. I don't think he's reached his ceiling, like he's going to continue to get better."

It takes a certain mindset.

"Consistency, especially those kind of players, you need all five guys to be on the same page," Thomas said. "'Leds' [Nick Leddy] and 'Pary' [Colton Parayko] get those matchups every night and do a good job of limiting their chances. It's probably one of the toughest gigs going against the top guys every night. Those two guys really start that and as forwards, we kind of follow them.

"... We're all competitors. We love the challenge. The challenge of getting to go against the best guys is something that a lot of people get excited for. I think that's the way I look at it."

Thomas is averaging 20:50 per game, which is a career-high; he's obviously shooting the puck more, already at 80 shots on goal through 38 games after just 106 through 73 games last season, and shooting 20 percent; and his face-offs are at 53.5 percent, which would be a career-best.

"He play really well this season all-around defensively," Thomas's linemate Pavel Buchnevich said. "I think he doesn't get credit for how he plays against top lines every night. Good two-way player. If we got a better record, it should be for Selke [Trophy] probably. I'm proud of him. Good to see how he grow every year I was with him. Happy for him.

"I don't think any line in the league dominate us. We all (are) in the plus. He did a great job against top guys like Crosby, MacKinnon, it doesn't matter who, [Jack] Eichel. He (is an) elite player right now. Good to see him grow and hopefully keep going."

Thomas now wears an 'A' with the Blues, signifying his ascension to leadership with a group that includes Schenn as captain, and Colton Parayko and Justin Faulk as alternate captains. It's a part of the growth process that Thomas has taken on with pride.

"You've always got to keep growing and continuing to learn and continuing to be receptive to feedback. It's a never-ending cycle," Schenn said. "And that's just not in hockey, that's life in general, right? That's most people that want to keep on learning, and that's how you get better. The moment you feel like you know it all, that's probably when you're in the wrong cell. You've just got to keep on growing year by year. It's obviously his job to help the next guys. That's just the reality of it. The guy's been in the league for ... this is Year 6 already. This is time when guys look up to him and he's got to keep on taking steps as a leader."

A native of Aurora, Ontario, which is roughly 40 minutes north of Toronto, Thomas said be will have roughly 10-15 family members there on the weekend of Feb. 1-3 for All-Star weekend, and his first trip to the NHL's annual event couldn't have come at a better venue.

"Yeah. Obviously you want team success, but obviously that's something that's a pretty special moment in your career and something that I'm excited for," Thomas said. "Pretty cool accomplishment, especially it being in Toronto. My family and friends are so excited. My grandma is super-stoked to be there. It should be a cool experience for all of us."