St. Louis Blues prospects Adam Jiricek, Justin Carbonneau, and Otto Stenberg featured in The Hockey News' top 100 NHL-affiliated prospects.
The Hockey News released their edition of the top 100 NHL-affiliated prospects in their Future Watch 2026 issue.
Featuring in these rankings were three St. Louis Blues players. Those being defenseman Adam Jiricek, and wingers Justin Carbonneau and Otto Stenberg.
Adam Jiricek, D, Brantford Bulldogs
Coming in at No. 14 in THN.com’s rankings was Jiricek, a 6-foot-3, right-handed defenseman. Jiricek is enjoying a stellar season with the Brantford Bulldogs in the AHL, finishing the regular season with 19 goals and 59 points in 55 games. His Bulldogs team enters the OHL playoffs as the No. 1 seed and the favorites to win it all.
In addition to his strong OHL campaign, Jiricek posted five goals and six points in seven games at the world juniors, forming a shutdown top pairing and leading Czechia to a silver medal.
Jiricek was the third-highest-ranked defenseman in these rankings. The former 16th overall pick of the 2024 NHL draft will join the Blues organization next season, likely starting with the Springfield Thunderbirds in the AHL. But he'll have every opportunity to impress and attempt to make the roster out of training camp.
Justin Carbonneau, RW, Blainville-Boisbriand Armada
It would be challenging to find a player the Blues organization is more excited for than Carbonneau. The 19-year-old did everything he could to earn a roster spot out of training camp this season, and fell just short. But he didn’t pout or mope around; instead, he scored 51 goals and 80 points in 60 QMJHL games. His 51 goals tied him for the most this season.
Carbonneau was a surprise omission from Team Canada’s World Junior Championship team, as his shot and physicality could have helped the Canadians in the medal round.
Nevertheless, Carbonneau ranked 29th and will also join the Blues organization next season, and he could very well start the season in the NHL. Standing 6-foot-1, 205 pounds, Carbonneau could develop into a power forward with a real strong scoring touch. His talent will fit in nicely with the U-25 core the Blues have built.
Otto Stenberg, LW, St. Louis Blues
Stenberg’s season has been split between the NHL and AHL, but his game hasn’t altered, which brings him in at No. 62 in these rankings.
Despite being listed at just 5-foot-11, Stenberg shows no fear flying into puck battles and getting to the front of the net.
In the NHL, the 20-year-old has posted two goals and nine points in 24 games, averaging 13:48 of ice time. In the AHL, he scored four goals and 15 points in 33 games. Although the production isn’t eye-popping, he contributes in several ways.
He’s not necessarily a lock to make the team out of training camp next year, but the NHL experience he’s accumulating as the season winds down should provide him with the confidence to stand out during pre-season.
Future Watch 2026 looks at the world's best prospects from every angle. We analyze the top 10 in the pipeline for each NHL club and count down the top 100 in the game.
In addition, we take an in-depth look at how the Seattle Kraken are refining their development system, and we profile several of hockey's best youngsters, including Anton Frondell, Tij Iginla and Sebastian Cossa.