Mike Stuart was born August 31, 1980 in Rochester, Minnesota. The fifth round, 137th overall selection of the Nashville Predators in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, Stuart is a graduate of the USHLs Rochester Mustangs.
After two seasons in the USHL, Stuart enrolled at Colorado College in 1998-99. A member of the WCHAs All-Academic Team (99-2000), Stuart went on to play four years at CC, tallying 47 points (8-39-47) before making his professional debut with the St. Louis Blues organization in 2002-03. Having never been a part of the Nashville organization, Stuart signed as a free-agent with St. Louis in the fall of 2002.
Over the course of his first two professional seasons, the Rochester, Minnesota native split his time between the AHLs Worcester IceCats and the ECHLs Peoria Rivermen before making his first taste of the NHL in 2003-04.
