Czech left winger Jakub Štancl has signed an entry-level contract with the St. Louis Blues, the team that drafted him in the fourth round of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. The three-year, two-way deal is reportedly worth up to $2.75 million US. If the Blues had not signed him by 5pm ET on Saturday (23:00 CEST), they would have lost their exclusive signing rights.
The Blues have been busy getting entry-level deals signed before the deadline. In the past week, they've also inked 18-year-old Slovak Juraj Pekarčík and 20-year-old Finn Aleksanteri Kaskimäki to three-year contracts.
Štancl, 19, is a product of Slavia Prague but has played the past three seasons in Sweden for the Växjö Lakers. He has spent most of that time with the club’s U18 and U20 teams but he’s also got his feet wet in the top-tier Swedish Hockey League, scoring two goals in 15 games. He also had three assists in two Champions Hockey League games last season.
Štancl turned in a memorable performance in last winter’s IIHF World Junior Championship, where he recorded six points in seven games for Czechia, en route to a bronze medal. He scored twice in the team’s 3-2 quarterfinal win over Canada, including the game-winning goal with just 11 seconds remaining in regulation time.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnwxJGJOM5o[/embed]
There are a few possibilities where Štancl will play the upcoming 2024-25 season.
He could potentially make the Blues roster out of training camp, but given he’s not yet managed to become an SHL regular, this seems unlikely. The Blues could also assign him to their AHL farm club, the Springfield Thunderbirds.
With still a year of junior eligibility, Canadian junior hockey is also an option. The Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League hold Štancl’s CHL rights.
The most likely outcome, though, is for Štancl to be loaned back to the Lakers, where he would likely be given a chance to play a full season in Sweden’s top pro league. That could either happen immediately, or after training camp if the Blues prefer to have a look at him there before making a decision.