The St. Louis Blues on Tuesday sent former Michigan forward Aaron Palushaj to the Peoria Rivermen, the team's American Hockey League affiliate. Palushaj, 20, was among 10 final cuts made by the Blues, who trimmed their roster to 30.

Aaron Palushaj, shown while at Michigan, was among the final cuts made by the St. Louis Blues.

The Blues drafted Palushaj, a Northville native, in the second round (44th overall) in the 2007 NHL draft. He left Michigan after last season, his sophomore year, when he led the Wolverines with 50 points (13 goals and 37 assists). For his career, he had 23 goals and 94 points in 82 games.

Michigan coach Red Berenson, who has questioned Palushaj's decision to leave school early, said Palushaj could have developed just as fast - if not faster - if he had stayed at Michigan.

"Our vision for players is for them to step into the NHL," Berenson said before practice Tuesday. "For a player to leave college and step into the American League, that's a tough decision. You can stay in college and grow your game and become more mature."

Berenson, who's looking for players who can replace Palushaj's production on year's team, said he wishes Palushaj well.

"From my perspective, I'd love to see Aaron have a good career, but I hate to see him start in the American League," he said.

Palushaj reportedly had a strong training camp for the Blues, but suffered a freak injury just a couple days before the team made its final cuts. Still, his chances of making the NHL team were slim, and Berenson said that's a risk players have to assess when they consider leaving school early.

"An NHL coach has never seen you play, and he's not interested in developing some college kid who's 20 years old," Berenson said.