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Every playoff series ends with a handshake line. Right before a rookie’s first game, he skates out alone for warmups, followed momentarily by the rest of his new team. Upon winning the title, each player and staff member from the champions gets a day at home with the Stanley Cup. And hockey has playoff beards, stick taps and hats tossed on the ice if a fellow scores a third goal in a game.

And there’s one perhaps you don’t know about. When a young top prospect gets the call to the National Hockey League, he will sometimes move in and live with a veteran teammate.

Such was the case in ӣ����Ƶ last spring and for some of the summer. Jimmy Snuggerud, 20 years old at the time, became an honorary Schenn.

“He’s a heck of a kid,” said Blues captain Brayden Schenn, now 34, who of course was on the 2019 Cup-winning club. “He’s respectful and polite — I’m not saying just to me, I’m saying to my kids and family, which is obviously more important. Helps out around the house. And he’s so easy. He’s one of those guys where he’s good with my kids, he plays with them. … He’s quiet, smart … and he’s only going to get better.”

Snuggerud is now 21, which is his jersey number and a goal for goals — since 2005, the most goals scored by a Blues rookie was 21 by Patrik Berglund in 2008-09.

And look, it’s easy to get hyped about, well, any young player who shows some potential. Hype means letting your imagination run wild. Hype means the unknown. Hype means an undefined ceiling. Hype means hope. But this isn’t simply blind hype. Jimmy showed up last season with seven games left and, instantly, looked like he fit in. His University of Minnesota career had just ended and suddenly he was a part of the hottest team in hockey, ӣ����Ƶ’ Blues, who won 12 straight games in March and April … and 13 of their final 16 to crack the postseason.

And in the playoffs, his line with Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich tilted the ice. Guys looked so good together. And they’re together again at Blues training camp this September.

Asked what he believes he’ll see in Snuggerud this season, coach Jim Montgomery said: “I anticipate a forward that is going to play good, 200-foot hockey, who is going to bring energy and excitement to two veterans who have had a lot of success in the league. And sometimes that energy, that youthfulness, makes them feel young, too. And now they play with more energy.

“And (Friday) in practice, when they’re three-on-two, the creativity that was going on, you can tell that it seems like they enjoy playing with each other. And that’s an energy, like last year when we put Schenn, (Jordan) Kyrou and (Dylan) Holloway, they gave our whole team energy. Just every time they went over the boards, it’s — what are they going to do this shift?“

Snuggerud soaked up as much Schenn-ness as he could during his time with the captain. Brayden, as we know, is a caring guy and is, really, the ultimate team player. He’ll stick up for his teammates and step up to bullies and fight the opposition (another tradition, albeit a bit controversial to some). And he’ll humbly switch to the third line to help the team. And yet he’ll still produce, for stretches, like a first-liner.

“Honestly, there’s a lot of different things I’ve taken from him as a person and as a player,” Snuggerud said of Schenn, who bought the kid a Wagyu steak after his first NHL goal. “And I feel like there are so many things off the ice he can teach you. I have so many questions for him on the ice, like what to expect and things like that. He’s willing to answer everything, because you know the type of person he is. …

“I (enjoyed) just hanging with his kids too, him and his family, and hanging with his dog — just kind of the whole family aspect. That’s something you want one day — family while playing in an area with great fans, great city. I feel like that’s kind of the dream. So just being able to see it was really cool.”

As for this season, his rookie season, Snuggerud will face mental and physical adversity that just didn’t exist on campus. The number of games — and the number of flights — can wear down a dude. And he’s likely going to make a couple mistakes — with stakes involved. How will he respond? You want to think well, considering his makeup. But these are things to consider as a kid begins his first full NHL season.

Incidentally, he’s now living on his own.

“There’s a lot of hype around him, people are excited about him,” Schenn said. “But he’s young, so you have to be patient with him, and there’s going to be ups and downs and mistakes, and that’s the reality of pro sports. It’s a tough league, but I think the Blues got a good one in Jimmy Snuggerud.”

And he arrives this season with a bit of experience in his hockey bag. In his seven regular-season games, Snuggerud (called “Snuggie Bear” by Montgomery, likely an homage to a “Starsky & Hutch” character) averaged 15:28 minutes of ice time. The Post-Dispatch sportswriter Matthew DeFranks calculated it was the most average ice time by a ӣ����Ƶ rookie since T.J. Oshie in 2008-09.

“Intelligent, caring, very thoughtful — those are the words that come to mind,” Montgomery said. “And he’s so level-headed. It doesn’t matter what I talk to him about — sometimes you worry about talking to a young guy about what you’re giving them, because you’re afraid they’re going to get comfortable, it’s human nature. He doesn’t get comfortable. He handles it like a five-year pro.”

Another tradition in hockey — rookies don’t win a basic Rookie of the Year award; they win the Calder Trophy, in honor of the first NHL president Frank Calder (before his death in 1943, Calder personally purchased a trophy each year to give to the winner). Right now, Snuggerud is fifth in many Vegas odds to win the Calder. A Blue hasn’t won the award since Barret Jackman in 2002-03 ... the season before Snuggerud was born.