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Brayden Schenn understood early on that his career arc in the NHL wouldn’t be a straight line.

Ups and downs. Twists and turns. Drafts and trades. Heartache and jubilation.

As the Blues captain prepares to play his 1,000th career game Thursday night in Washington, the lessons across a 16-year career become plain.

“You have to come each day and prepare and work,� Schenn said. “Every day is not going to be great. Every game is not going to be great. Sometimes, you’re going to have bad games, or sometimes you’re going to be taking a seat on the bench. Don’t agree with coaches all the time, you don’t agree with some things.

“But at the end of the day, you keep on battling and you keep on battling for your team and playing hard for your teammates and enjoying being around the guys.�

Schenn will become the 403rd player in NHL history to reach the 1,000-game milestone, and he’ll do so in the same season that his brother Luke also hit the plateau. They became the first set of brothers in the NHL to each hit 1,000 games in the same season.

Schenn, 33, is in his eighth season in St. Louis and his second as Blues captain. Currently, he ranks 19th in games and 13th in goals and points in Blues franchise history.

Blues coach Jim Montgomery called Schenn “as old school as you get.�

“There’s not one easy game he’s played where he physically and mentally hasn’t been involved for his team,� Montgomery said. “It’s an amazing accomplishment but not surprising because he’s played with a lot of injuries. He’s played with pain, and he’s inflicted a lot of pain.�

Schenn has taken the hard path to 1,000 games, playing a style that can gently be called hard-nosed, and that’s about the only thing gentle about it.

He’s been in 38 career fights, including four this year to tie for the team lead. He’s levied 2,115 hits. While the league only started tracking hits 20 years ago, Schenn will become just the 14th player in NHL history with 1,000 games and at least 2,000 hits.

“He plays the right way,� Blues forward Jake Neighbours said. “He fights. He hits. On top of that, he’s a very skilled player and creates offense, obviously leads for his team. He does it all, that guy. You can’t do that without doing things away from the rink that set yourself up.�

Schenn said he grew up watching a lot of Jarome Iginla, the former Flames captain who impacted many parts of a game with his scoring and hitting. Schenn said, “When I grew up, watching hockey was not just scoring goals.�

“Hopefully, when people describe me one day, they describe me as just a hockey player,� Schenn said. “Just tried to have a quality of a little bit of everything. I’ve always felt like sticking up for teammates, one, goes a long way in the room, so I’ll still continue to do it.�

Schenn was originally selected with the No. 5 pick in the 2009 draft by Los Angeles. He made his NHL debut with the Kings on Nov. 26, 2009, but was traded to Philadelphia in a 2011 deal that netted the Kings forward Mike Richards and two eventual Stanley Cups.

Schenn spent six seasons with the Flyers, blossoming into a true top-six center before the Blues acquired him in the summer of 2017 for Jori Lehtera and two first-round picks. The next season, of course, Schenn won the Stanley Cup with St. Louis, scoring one of four goals during a Game 7 win over the Bruins in Boston.

Now, Schenn finds himself the subject of trade rumors ahead of next week’s trade deadline, though he holds a full no-trade clause.

“I’ve always said it: St. Louis has been the best thing for me, playing here,� Schenn said. “I’ve got a great opportunity and love it here, spent many good years here. To hit a milestone here in St. Louis, it obviously means a lot to me.�

Schenn has become a popular player in the Blues dressing room for his ability to relate and care for different teammates, including housing Neighbours when he entered the league. Even around the league, Schenn has ties thanks to his travels through the NHL, his play for Team Canada and his relationships built through his brother.

Montgomery said Schenn was one of the first people to text him when he was first hired as an assistant coach by St. Louis in 2020. Neighbours said he learned how to be a professional from Schenn.

“He’s never satisfied,� Neighbours said. “He always wants to continue to improve. Even at this age, at this many games, it’s inspiring for someone as young as me to see someone so far along in their career and still aspiring to be the best.�

Schenn will become the fourth current Blues player to reach 1,000 games, joining Ryan Suter, Nick Leddy and Cam Fowler. Justin Faulk could hit the milestone next season.

Schenn said his wife, Kelsey, and parents, Jeff and Rita, will be in Washington for the game.

“As you go throughout your career, there’s so many ups and downs,� Schenn said. “You look back on your career and people just think it’s uphill all the way. You go through a lot on a day to day basis and you have to rely on a lot of people around you. That’s just the reality of it. That’s why you have good teammates, that’s why you have good coaches, and the support staff with your family, my wife, parents.�

Practice notes

The Blues had a brief practice Wednesday morning at Enterprise Center before flying to Washington, exiting the ice after less than 30 minutes of work. Montgomery said the Blues will monitor their practice time having just finished three games in four days and as they enter another three in four this weekend.

“What I did like is we were 22 minutes and the 22 minutes was crisp,� Montgomery said. “There was energy, and we were really professional about going the way we went about things.�

Defenseman Colton Parayko and goaltender Jordan Binnington were not on the ice as they were each given the day off as they recover from playing in the 4 Nations Face-Off.

“You come off a world-class tournament like they did, and you win it, the emotions preparing for it before the games, the emotions during games and the adrenaline and emotions after the game, they wear (on you),� Montgomery said. “There’s an emotional toll that a lot people, I don’t think, can comprehend that happens to your body, and mentally, you need more rest.�