Blues’ Toropchenko ejected after knee-on-knee collision with Mammoth’s Cooley

St. Louis Blues forward Alexey Toropchenko was ejected from Saturday’s game against the Utah Mammoth after a knee-on-knee collision with forward Logan Cooley.

The incident occurred in the third period after Cooley dumped the puck into the Blues’ zone, with Toropchenko attempting to finish his check but making knee-on-knee contact with the Mammoth forward.

No penalty was called on the play, but after the officials gathered and reviewed the hit, Toropchenko was given a five-minute major for kneeing and a game misconduct.

As for Cooley, he was unable to get up on his own, with teammates Clayton Keller and Brandon Tanev helping the 21-year-old off the ice. He did not return.

The Blues would go on to win 1-0, thanks to Dylan Holloway scoring his seventh goal late in the second frame.

Toropchenko, 26, finished the night with two shots, one hit, 15 penalty minutes and 8:58 of ice time. As for Cooley, he left the game with two shots in 11:01.

Toropchenko, taken in the fourth round by the Blues in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, has one goal and one assist for two points in 17 games in 2025-26. Now in his fifth NHL season, the Russian winger has 31 goals and 31 assists for 62 points in 276 regular-season games.

Meanwhile, Cooley, the No. 3 overall pick of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, has 14 goals and nine assists for 23 points in 26 games this season. Through three NHL campaigns, the Pittsburgh native has 59 goals and 73 assists for 132 points in 183 career regular-season games.