St. Louis Blues captain and former Minnesota State star David Backes joined Hockey On Campus on SiriusXM's NHL Home Ice recently and made a quick declaration about the growing number of NCAA alums in the NHL: "The league is definitely getting smarter!"

Beyond that, Backes told host Bernie Corbett about:

• His pride in Minnesota State's success this year
• His development at the high school, USHL and college levels
• His experience with the Mavericks, and
• His return to school to finish his degree

"For me, the college route was a no brainer," Backes said. "You've got something to fall back on if the hockey thing doesn't work out, and statistically speaking, the hockey thing probably isn't going to work out."

Listen to the full interview here: