AHL schedule 2012: Blues affiliate Peoria Rivermen begin season on Friday

The Peoria Rivermen are the AHL affiliate of the St. Louis Blues, and they begin their 2012-13 season Friday night when they go on the road to face the Abbotsford Heat at 9 p.m. CT. The Riverman will face the Heat on consecutive nights, with the Saturday game also beginning at 9 p.m.

The third game of the week is a Wednesday tilt against the Chicago Wolves at 7 p.m. These first three games can be heard on the SiriusXM NHL Network Radio (Sirius 207, XM 92), and there is the potential of more games to be broadcast.

With the NHL still currently in a lockout, the focus can turn to the Blues' minor-league affiliate to see which players could be in the NHL down the road.

The player to watch on the Riverman is center T. J. Hensick, who led the team with 70 points last season, scoring 21 goals and 49 assists. Hensick has played in three AHL All-Star games, and he had a short 13-game stint with the Blues back in the 2010-11 season.