Exciting Performance from Younger Brother of Blues Prospect at Day 1 of the Hlinka Gretzky Cup

One of the top performers on day one of the Hlinka Gretzky Cup has a last name that is familiar to Blues fans

The 2025 NHL Draft scouting season has officially begun, with the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup kicking off in Edmonton, Alberta.

The Hlinka Gretzky Cup is an annual summer tournament featuring the top U18 prospects Canada, USA, Sweden, Finland, Czechia, Switzerland, Slovakia, and Germany have to offer.

*Important note, USA does not bring their National Team Development Program squad to the tournament.

Sweden faced off against Slovakia in the tournament’s opening match, which ended in a thrilling 4-3 overtime victory for the Tre Kronor.

Sweden’s player of the game was St. Louis Blues top prospect Otto Stenberg’s younger brother, Ivar.

In all fairness, the player of the game should’ve gone to either Viktor Klingsell (registered one goal and three points) or Filip Ekberg (two goals including the overtime winner).

Alas, that does not mean that Ivar didn't deserve the award.

Stenberg was all over the ice for his country in their opening match, using his speed and puck-handling skills to create in transition and off the cycle. He was noticeably one of Sweden’s most skillful players and craftiest handlers.

His ability to maneuver around the ice with the puck looks eerily similar to his older brother. He was noticeable all game long. 

Otto loves to set up in the right-side faceoff circle on the powerplay to let off his powerful one-timer. His younger brother operated the same way and had numerous quality looks on the man advantage to get his first tally of the tournament.

Ivar’s lone assist came from a redirected point shot in the second period, which created a rebound for his teammate Klingsell to put home.

The younger brother even showed a bit of the competitiveness that we’ve seen out of the Blues’ 2023 first-rounder by not being afraid to get right up in the face of his opponent if they give him one too many whacks.

Otto was a star for Sweden at the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. He captained his country to a silver medal finish, leading his team in goals (five) and points (nine), and really put his name on scouts radars through his tournament performance.

Ivar has also been a star at the international level for his country in the past. He led Sweden in goals (seven) and points (10) in seven games at the U17 World Hockey Challenge last November.

Additionally, he was one of the top players in Sweden’s U18 junior division (J18 Nationell), recording 18 goals and 30 points in 13 games with Frolunda, the same organization Otto developed with.

Ivar is only 16 years old, with a late 2007 birthday (September 30), making him ineligible for the NHL Draft until 2026.

There’s still lots of time before we start projecting where he will go in the draft, but the early indications are that we could see another Stenberg go in the first round of the NHL Draft.