When the Blues opened training camp, he was on the outside looking in. But 22-year-old forward Nikita Alexandrov has made a name for himself.

After scoring his second goal as the Blues wrapped their preseason schedule with a 6-0 rout of the Chicago Blackhawks at Enterprise Center on Saturday afternoon, Alexandrov was assigned to Springfield of the American Hockey League.

Alexandrov is waivers-exempt, so it’s possible this is merely a cap-related paper move before injured defenseman Marco Scandella goes on long-term injured reserve.

“He’s had a real good camp,” Blues coach Craig Berube said earlier this week of the young Russian winger. “I’m impressed by the details (of his game). Smart guy, always in the right position, checking and doing the right things. He makes good hockey plays.

“He got growing to do, but he’s had a real good camp.”

Alexandrov, who played in five of the Blues’ eight preseason games, turned in another solid all-around game on Saturday, scoring on his second deflection goal of the preseason.

“I want to be a good all-around player,” said Alexandrov, who’s 6-1 and weighs 177 pounds. “I’ve worked hard on my 200-foot game, trying to do the job offensively and defensively. I didn’t have a lot of expectations coming into camp; I just wanted to work hard and hopefully make some noise.

“I thought I was more confident this camp. I put in a lot of work this summer, and I think being bigger and stronger has worked to my advantage. I’m able to protect pucks more, to make some plays happen and that’s where my confidence improved.”

Drafted at the end of the second round in 2019, Alexandrov has drawn comparisons by NHL personnel men to Tyler Bozak and Lars Eller. He spent most of last season with Springfield in the American Hockey League. Despite being limited somewhat by COVID, he played in 67 games and finished with 30 points on 12 goals and 18 assists. And he was strong in the playoffs.

“He’s earned the right to be here. He’s a phenomenal player,” Blues captain Ryan O’Reilly said after Saturday’s game. “Watching him in the preseason, he’s extremely smart. He reads the game well, makes smart plays.”

Like O’Reilly, veteran Blues defenseman Robert Bortuzzo likes what he’s seen of Alexandrov.

“I think it’s his compete level; he’s not the biggest guy, but he’s tenacious on the puck,” Bortuzzo said. “I think as a (coaching) staff, they appreciate him being hard on the puck. They don’t want him to murder guys, but he plays with a bite and an intensity. He competes and he’s doing that all camp. He’s made his way to the end, played in that last preseason game today, which I’m sure was exciting for him.

“I thought he was really solid (today), played with good poise along the walls.”