MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- For the past two days, the St. Louis Blues have experimented with their prospects what they hope will be a sign of things to come in the future, a future loaded with first-round draft picks.
Among them is forward Otto Stenberg, a first-round pick (No. 25) in the 2023 NHL Draft, who made the jump to North America last season from Sweden where he was playing in Malmo to Springfield of the American Hockey League, a move he was ready for.
“I felt like it was the perfect time,” Stenberg said. “I was ready when I came here.”
Stenberg will be on the Blues’ featured line against the prospects of the Minnesota Wild on Friday and Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday at the Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase in Minnesota playing with Dalibor Dvorsky, (first round, No. 10 overall in 2023) and Justin Carbonneau (first round, No. 19 overall in 2015). That line was working the past two days with fellow first-round picks, defensemen Theo Lindstein (2023, No. 29) and Adam Jiricek (2024, No. 16) showcasing a glimpse of what’s to come with the Blues in the future.
“Yeah I hope so. It’s fun,” Stenberg said. “It’s a lot of good players. It’s really fun and exciting to play with them. I hope we can play together sometimes in the future here. That’s the goal and I think all of us wants to do that.”
Stenberg made the transition from Malmo, where he had six points (three goals, three assists) in 25 games for the Swedish Hockey League club last season, after the 2025 World Junior Championship representing his country for the second straight tournament. The 5-foot-11, 180-pound multi-position forward would go to the Thunderbirds and fit in rather nicely, putting up 17 points (five goals, 12 assists) in 38 games playing up and down the lineup, along with scoring and adding an assist in his first AHL game.
“It was a good first game,” Stenberg said. “It was nice to jump right at it. I just tried to play my game and I have good teammates. A lot of Swedes so they helped me a lot. It was just small things, easy to talk Swedish and ask questions. They helped me a lot. The whole team was great. We had a great group of guys last year. It was really fun to come over.”
“It's not easy to come in midseason, but I think he adjusted really well,” Dvorsky said. “Yeah, I've known him for a long time. I was happy he got there. I think he played well last year.”
The Blues were pleased with Stenberg’s progression with the Thunderbirds and the expectation is that he will benefit from having played in those games.
“Coming over as a 19-year-old playing in that league, it’s a really tough league to play,” Blues assistant general manager Tim Taylor said. “Players go up and down all the time and there’s some heavier guys that play, stronger guys. Coming over and getting a grasp of what it’s all about, [Simon] Robertsson was here last year, [Aleksanteri] Kaskimaki, all those guys. But at 19 playing in that league is a really tough league. I think that [Stenberg’s] going to come over with a wealth of confidence now in his second year. He played really well for us and gave us a lot of really good games.”
Stenberg said it was great for him to experience the change in game styles because it gave him a glimpse of what to expect and how to improve his game.
“The game is so different,” he said. “From the bigger ice to the smaller ice. Everything is quicker. You need to act quicker, you need to think quicker, be aware all over the ice. Everything is closer to the net and I really like it. I would say think quicker, act quicker. That’s the biggest thing.
“… I feel way more comfortable coming over than last year. I get to know everybody and get used to everything more. It feels good and I’m really excited to be here and start the season.”
Stenberg is a natural center but has played on the wing the past couple seasons, and will do so as one of Dvorsky’s wingers the next two games.
“Last like three years I played wing,” Stenberg said. “When I played juniors, I played center from the beginning, but when I was sent up to the U-20 team, I started playing wing. After that, I keep playing wing.
“I think I can play both, but right now, it feels like right now I like playing wing. It feels good.”
Playing a net front style of game is what seems to suit Stenberg most. It’s where he was able to do his damage playing for Sweden in the World Junior Championship, and those will be the areas as training camp approaches where the biggest improvements will have to come from.
“I feel like I can play all four lines,” Stenberg said. “I can play first line, but I can also play hard on the fourth line if I had to. I just try to get better in everything. But right now coming over, I try to get stronger on the puck, battles on the boards and stuff like that, get to the net a little bit more and stay in front. I would say board battles and battling in front of the net and try to find space there.”
In the meantime, try and make some headwaves this weekend with Dvorsky and Carbonneau.
“I hope so,” Stenberg said. “We are three different players. I think we can use our strength, take care of each other and help each other all over the ice and try to find some good plays and work hard.”
Justin Carbonneau Is All-In On Making Blues Roster, Returning To Junior
MARYLAND
HEIGHTS, Mo. -- There
was no second-guessing for <a href="https://www.nhl.com/blues/player/justin-carbonneau-8485382">Justin Carbonneau</a>.
Blues Dressing Five First Round Picks In Prospect Showcase Opener
Tonight at 7 p.m. CST, the St. Louis Blues' prospects will take on the <a href="http://thn.com/minnesota">Minnesota Wild</a>'s top prospects in the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/st-louis-blues/latest-news/blues-announce-roster-schedule-for-tom-kurvers-prospect-showcase">Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase</a>.