Inaugural report for 2026-27 takes a look at Blues prospects across the globe
The past two St. Louis Blues first-round picks are off and running, looking to care out each respective path to one day in the near future playing on the NHL surface at Enterprise Center.
Forwards Justin Carbonneau and Tynan Lawrence have each scored in their first two games for the respective squads to open the new season in 2026-27.
Carbonneau, a first-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft who is in his first season playing at Springfield of the American Hockey League, has scored in each of the Thunderbirds' two games to kick off the new season that has included two wins, and Lawrence, a first-round pick in 2026, also scored twice for Boston University in the Terriers' first two games as we kick off a new year of prospect reports for the new season.
It's been a hot start for Russians Matvei Korotkey and Dmitry Buchelnikov, as well as Maddox Dagenais, another first-round pick in 2026, as well as Carter Stevens and Colin Fitzgerald.
Let's get right into them:
* Justin Carbonneau -- The Blues believe they have their next sharpshooter, sort of in the mold of what Vladimir Tarasenko was not too long ago, and the goal scorer, who scored 128 goals -- 97 the past two seasons, including 51 last year -- the past three seasons for Blainville-Boisbriand of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League the past three seasons, is off to a good start with Springfield with three points (two goals, one assist) in back-to-back games to kick off the season for the Thunderbirds.
He would get a goal and an assist, including his first AHL goal here on Saturday in a 3-2 overtime win over Wilkes-Barre Scranton:
He would also get the Thunderbirds on the board Sunday with a power-play goal in a 2-0 win over Providence:
The goals for Carbonneau, who played in three Calder Cup playoff games for Springfield last season, came on five shots on goal playing on a line with Aleksanteri Kaskimaki and T.J. Tynan.
* Tynan Lawrence -- Lawrence would also get off to a ripping start, accounting for each goal on Friday with a goal and an assist, including the game-winner in overtime, in a 2-1 win over Alaska-Fairbanks, doing so on six shots on goal:
The 18-year-old would add an empty-netter on Saturday in BU's 4-0 win over the Nanooks, which is Blues defenseman Colton Parayko's alma mater, to extend his goal streak to three games dating to last season.
* Dmitry Buchelnikov -- In the KHL, they've been playing for a month in Russia already, and the second-round pick in the 2022 draft, acquired from the Detroit Red Wings on March 6 as part of a package that sent Justin Faulk to Motown, is off to a really nice start for CSKA Moscow with seven points, including five goals, in 12 games.
He began the season with a three-game goal-scoring streak, then tailed off going without a point in five straight before ripping off two goals and two assists in the past four games, including a goal and an assist on Saturday in a 4-3 shootout win over Dinamo Minsk, which included this absolute beauty of a goal:
Here is his first goal of the season on Sept. 7 in a 3-2 loss to Spartak Moscow:
When the Blues held their prospect camp here in late June-early July, Buchelnikov was in St. Louis and told me he's playing one more year in Russia then will make his decision on where to play next but is eager to get to the NHL and play for the Blues, appreciating their belief in the 23-year-old.
* Matvei Korotky -- As for the 20-year-old, selected by the Blues in the seventh round of the 2024 draft, it's also been a really positive start to his KHL season with two goals and five assists in nine games that includes a five-game point streak (one goal, five assists) for SKA St. Petersburg.
He scored the overtime winner of a 4-3 victory over Laga Togliatti on Sept. 5:
He had a goal scorer's goal in the shootout of a 6-5 win over Admiral Vladivostok on Saturday:
* Maddox Dagenais -- The first-round pick this past summer and son of former NHLer Pierre Dagenais feels like he has NHL material in him and going to Quebec this season looking to play for a championship is his greatest motivation, along with making it to the NHL one day.
With five points (two goals, three assists) his first four games for the Remparts, including a season-opener for the ages with two goals and two assists, the forward is off to a flying start.
He opened the scoring on Sept. 25 against Shawinigan:
Then added some insurance with the fifth goal in a 7-3 thumping of the Cataractes:
Dagenais was a point-per-game player last season (62 points; 30 goals, 32 assists) in 62 games and wants to follow up on it or even be better.
* Kaskimaki, Romanov, Cranley connection in Springfield -- Let's not forget about this trio that's helped the Thunderbirds off to a 2-0-0-0 start to their season.
Kaskimaki, who Blues general manager Alex Steen had a lot of great admiration for what he was able to accomplish in training camp last week, had three assists in Springfield's two games, and Romanov likely helped the Thunderbirds steal a point Saturday against the Penguins with a 43-save effort including this beauty in the third period of a 2-2 game:
Cranley was a perfect 24-for-24 in the win over the Bruins Saturday for his first AHL shutout.
* Colin Fitzgerald -- After being held without a point in Soo's opener, the 2026 seventh-round pick is on a five-game point streak that includes three goals, three assists.
Fitzgerald, who has committed to playing for Providence next season, scored twice in a 4-3 overtime win over Sarnia on Friday.
The opening goal made it 1-0:
He would then give the Soo the lead at 3-2 in the third period:
And then on Saturday, Fitzgerald would score this snipe from the top of the right circle that broke a 1-all tie of a 3-2 win at Flint giving him three goals in 24 hours:
* Carter Stevens -- The 2026 fifth-round pick is also scoring these days with two goals, four assists over his past four games.
He's got a trio of two-point games for Guelph, including a goal and assist on Sunday in a 6-0 over Kitchener on Sunday, including this net front tip-in goal that made it 4-0:
* Antoine Dorion -- A teammate of Dagenais last season in Quebec, Dorion is playing his hockey these days in Missouri and for Maryville University.
He would get two goals and assist on the overtime winner, 3-2 over St. Lawrence, then add another goal and assist in a 3-1 win over the same team in Saturday.
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