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Dylan Holloway’s importance becomes more evident with each passing week of the Blues season, for reasons that jump out at first glance as well as those beneath the surface.

Whether you turn on the television or sit down at Enterprise Center, Holloway’s speed and skill with the puck immediately strike you.

The fact that the Edmonton Oilers didn’t match the two-year offer sheet from the Blues this past offseason made it easy to wonder if Holloway was a bit of a project with clear gifts, but with some rough edges to smooth out and glaring deficiencies to fix.

Well, the season is more than half over and Holloway continues to look the part of a top-six forward. He isn’t simply hunting shots. He’s competitive getting to pucks. He helps get more out of his linemates. He’s attentive to the details as well as the things that make the highlight reels.

A 6-foot-1, 206-pound former first-round draft pick (14th overall in 2020), Holloway enters the weekend second on the Blues in goals (15), assists (22) and points (37) in 49 games. In two previous seasons with Edmonton, he’d collected 18 points (nine goals, nine assists) in 89 games and more time on ice than he’s logged this season.

“I’ve been counted on in the past with other teams, growing up and stuff,� Holloway said when asked about going from averaging less than 10 and a half minutes on ice per game for Edmonton to becoming a relied upon figure in the Blues lineup.

“It’s not that I’m unfamiliar with that. At this level, it’s definitely a bit of a transition. But it’s something that I’ve dreamed about. I’m not taking this opportunity for granted, and I’m not feeling too stressed about it either. I’m just having fun with it, and trying to be the best as I can be.�

Holloway, the 23-year-old winger who the Oilers let slip through their fingers, plays a vital role as the Blues seek to stay in the playoff picture.

Through Thursday night’s games, the Blues (23-22-4) sat in 10th place in the Western Conference with 50 points in 49 games, behind the Vancouver Canucks (50 points, 47 games) and Calgary Flames (53 points, 46 games).

You’ve also got to like that Holloway is confident enough to let you know, without being cocky, that he has even higher aspirations. Just because you didn’t know he could make an impact didn’t mean he had a doubt.

“I’ve always wanted to be that guy in the NHL, and I feel like I’m still very far away from where I want to get to,� Holloway said. “To see the puck go in a little bit more this year is definitely nice to see.�

The line centered by Brayden Schenn with Jordan Kyrou and Holloway on the wings has become the engine of the Blues lately.

They’ve logged 15 goals and allowed six this season in 5-on-5 play. They’ve registered the highest goal percentage, the most goals and the highest goals per 60 minutes of any line for the Blues. They’ve also held advantages in expected goal percentage and high danger chances in 5-on-5.

Schenn, the Blues’ captain, received a shot in the arm from the grouping. Schenn has tallied 12 points (six goals, six assists) in his past 14 games. That includes five even-strength goals, and he also has a positive goal differential (plus-7 in plus-minus).

In 35 previous games this season, Schenn recorded 17 points (five goals, 12 assists) and logged a negative plus-minus (-8).

“I think there’s a lot of trust there,� Blues head coach Jim Montgomery said of that line. “There’s an excitement to play together. They’re having fun. Scoring helps. There’s a confidence, and it makes you dig in on the work habits that you need.

“Holly is a natural worker, and when you see a guy like Kyrou skating so hard without the puck, you can tell that’s a line that’s excited to play hockey. They’re just playing. They’re not even thinking, and that’s why they’re making plays at both ends of the ice.�

Thursday night’s first Blues goal provided another example of the group’s ability to impact a game.

In the first period, Kyrou pulled the puck out of the Blues defensive zone, Holloway gathered it and skated up ice into the offensive zone, recognized he had Kyrou trailing, left a drop pass and continued toward the net as he pulled two defenders with him and created space for Kyrou to unleash a snap shot for his team-leading 21st goal of the season.

At the time, it cut the Blues’ two-goal deficit in half against the Las Vegas Golden Knights. The Blues ultimately fell 4-2.

“Holly was the unknown, but he has become the possession guy, the guy that drives the line — that’s a 200-foot player,� Montgomery said recently. “I didn’t know he was this good. I didn’t know the player that well, but, I mean, this is a complete hockey player.�

The Holloway-Schenn-Kyrou line meshed so well that it has become difficult for Montgomery to envision breaking them up in an effort to spark the top line centered by Robert Thomas with Pavel Buchnevich and Jake Neighbours on the wings.

Getting the Buchnevich-Thomas-Neighbours line on track has quickly become a concern. Montgomery put Brandon Saad with Thomas and Neighbours earlier this week in Las Vegas (they scored a goal and allowed a goal), a move that came on the heels of Buchnevich and Thomas having been benched in the middle of the first period last weekend in Utah.

The Holloway-Schenn-Kyrou line has become the known quantity of the Blues offense, and Holloway has become a known quantity for the Blues. That will be even more important as the Blues look to integrate talented young forwards like Zachary Bolduc (2021 first-round pick), (2022 first-round pick) and (2023 first-round pick).

The fact that Holloway has established himself as a reliable top-six forward gives the Blues more flexibility with how they bring along the incoming wave.