Jaden Schwartz changes number from 9 to 17 in memory of sister Mandi

The St. Louis Blues were none too happy about Vladimir Sobotka's decision to bolt for the KHL on Thursday. They responded by re-signing Steve Ott, who wasn't very good for them, but hey, they needed somebody.

But while the Blues were annoyed, one of their players saw the silver lining immediately. With Sobotka's no. 17 now up for grabs, left wing Jaden Schwartz snagged it for a very special reason.

It's the number his older sister, Mandi, wore for the Yale University women's team before she lost her two-and-a-half year battle with acute myeloid leukemia. On Friday, Jaden let his fans know that his no. 9 jersey would become a thing of the past:

It's yet another way Mandi's legacy is being honored.

Since her diagnosis in 2008, Yale has held an annual bone marrow drive, adding about 4,000 people to the Be The Match Registry and finding over 20 matches. The Yale University women's team also holds an annual fundraising game. “White Out for Mandi” has raised tens of thousands of dollars and awareness for the Mandi Schwartz Foundation.

In January, the event fell on a weekend when Schwartz and the Blues happened to be in the New York City area, playing the Islanders. The whole team bussed to the game.