MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- Theo Lindstein feel like he's prepared himself for this moment.

A first-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft (No. 29 overall) by the St. Louis Blues, the 20-year-old defenseman is a bit of a veteran when it comes to development camp in St. Louis, his third one, but as a younger player playing in Sweden with and against grown men, Lindstein is now ready to make the jump to North America.

"That's the next step," Lindstein said. "I'm going to come over for camp here in September and do my best here and see what happens. Let's see after camp what happens.

"It's the third time here and just try to be myself, bring everything in, get to know all the guys that are different here for every year. It's fun to be here. I get to see all the staff and get to know them better also."

Lindstein, who was one of three first-round picks by the Blues in 2023 (Dalibor Dvorsky was No. 10, Otto Stenberg was No. 25), has toiled in Swedish amateur and professional leagues since 2019-20, most recently for Brynas IF of the Swedish Hockey League, where Lindstein had four goals and five assists in 44 regular-season games and two goals and three assists in 17 playoff games last season.

As one of the youngest players playing with and among grown men as a defenseman, the experiences were of great value for Lindstein (6-foot-1, 180 pounds), experiences he feels will be a tremendous benefit as he shifts to North America.

"Oh yeah for sure," he said. "I've been playing with (and against) grown men since I was 16. I think that's helped me a lot. We had a good good year with my team back home in Sweden last year and lost the finals. I got to play with good players that played in NHL before, Jakob Silfverberg, Oskar Lindblom, Christian Djoos and a bunch of other guys too. They're really good players. I'm just learning from them and doing my best."

The Blues have taken the cautious path with Lindstein, understanding growth is important for a young player but also knowing he's likely got a leg up on a lot of the other prospects knowing he's already been playing in a grown man's league.

"We're excited," said Blues assistant general manager Tim Taylor. "He's had two years over in the (Swedish) Elite League. He went right to the finals this year; he played right to the end. He's played in some big games and now this is the next step in his career is to come over and see how he can handle the North American ice. He was good in the World Junior again. I hate to keep saying this, but it's just the strength. He's playing against men now. Over here it's a little bit tougher of a league and at the AHL, I would say a little more physical. So that's the next step in his growth in seeing how he can move the puck with these guys.

"You've got to give them a little runway too. You can't expect them to come over the first 10-15 games and look like that they belong. There's going to be some growth with them. Obviously he's done a lot of really good things and habits. We're hoping that that'll help and instill lots of confidence in him. That's what the development team's there for, to help these kids along the way to making that they understand that this is just after five games and we don't make judgments. It's a whole steppingstone for them, and we see a huge difference when these kids come over from Europe after that first year. They come in the second year, I watch the confidence and they know what the play's all about and obviously get used to a different sized rink too."

Lindstein has represented Sweden at the past two U20 World Junior Championships and played well, bursting onto the scene in 2024 when he had eight points (two goals, six assists) in seven games when he was a late addition to that squad, and following it up with four assists in seven games in 2025. And being put in big roles for Brynas was eye-opening but of great benefit in development.

"I think I've been taking step by step every year," Lindstein said. "I got to play in the playoffs there and played a lot last year. To have that experience and to take that with me is good for me. I feel good, I feel strong and good.

"I want to get bigger and stronger every summer. I've been working on that when I'm home in Sweden. I know I need to get more bigger playing over here now. Of course I feel good, but I always want to be bigger and stronger. That's the goal."

Lindstein's good friend, Stenberg, already has a leg up on making the jump to North America when he came over last season and played in 38 games for Springfield of the American Hockey League (five goals, 12 assists), but the two of them have dreamed of playing together since they were drafted by the same NHL team.

It looks like now they'll get their opportunity, unless one or both woo and wow the Blues and make the NHL team out of training camp. Otherwise, they'll be destined to be in Springfield together.

"We've been texting a lot since last year and this summer too," Lindstein said. "We're planning on coming over here together. That would be cool to one day play together."