joshua_16x9

Dakota Joshua will make his NHL debut on Monday when the Blues meet the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center (9 p.m. CT, FSMW, 101 ESPN).
Joshua will center the fourth line with Kyle Clifford and Mackenzie MacEachern. That position was previously occupied by Jacob de la Rose, but he won't be in the lineup due to a lower-body injury he sustained in Saturday's 7-6 win against San Jose.

Blues Head Coach Craig Berube said de la Rose will be out for a signficant amount of time.
The Blues acquired Joshua in a trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs in July 2019. He played four seasons with Ohio State University from 2015-2019, posting 41 goals and 59 assists (100 points) in 128 career NCAA games. Since signing a two-year entry level deal with the Blues in 2019, Joshua has played 30 games with the San Antonio Rampage, 20 with the ECHL's Tulsa Oilers and four this season with the Utica Comets.
"I'm very excited," Joshua said after Monday's practice. "I've been waiting my whole life for this chance, so it's a good thing to finally get here and get to it."

Joshua ahead of NHL debut

"He's big, got good size and skates well," Berube said of Joshua. "He was playing well down there in Utica and doing a good job there. He was one of their better players. We're excited to see him, and he's excited to play obviously... It's his first NHL game, you don't want him overthinking too much, just go out and use his ability more than anything."
Berube said the team's plan was to use Ville Husso in Monday's game and he still stick to that plan.

PROJECTED LINEUP

Forwards
Sanford - O'Reilly - Kyrou
Walker - Schenn - Perron
Blais - Sundqvist - Hoffman
Clifford - Joshua - MacEachern
Defense
Krug - Faulk
Dunn - Scandella
Mikkola - Bortuzzo
Goalie
Husso