ST. LOUIS -- Justin Carbonneau made his intentions recently about whether to go to college this fall or remain eligible for junior play. In electing to play in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, he also left the door open to sign an entry-level contract, come to St. Louis Blues [http://thn.com/stlouis] training camp starting Sept. 18 and vie for a roster spot in the NHL. Those wheels continued to be set in motion when the first round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft (No. 19 overall) signed a three-year, entry-level contract on Wednesday along with 2023 seventh-round pick, Nikita Susuev. Each gets a two-way contract. Carbonneau, 18, who will be in St. Louis Thursday and Friday to practice with fellow Blues prospects before departing to face the Minnesota Wild and Chicago Blackhawks prospects in Minnesota on Friday and Saturday [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/st-louis-blues/latest-news/blues-announce-roster-schedule-for-tom-kurvers-prospect-showcase], respectively, played the past three seasons with the QMJHL’s Blainville-Boisbriand Armada and is eligible to return there again this season barring a change in plans by the organization. He made his decision on July 11 to return to junior [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/st-louis-blues/latest-news/blues-2025-first-round-pick-justin-carbonneau-to-play-in-qmjhl-in-2025-26], thus leaving the window open to perhaps win a job out of training camp with the Blues this season. Carbonneau said after development camp in early July [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/st-louis-blues/players/st-louis-blues-2025-first-round-pick-looks-like-a-keeper-on-and-off-the-ice-decision-looms-junior-or-boston-college-1] that the relationship with the Blues has been rock-solid from the get-go and that the trust has already been instilled. It's evident that he wants to give it his best shot to become an NHL player immediately after putting up 89 points (46 goals, 43 assists) in 62 games a season ago. The 6-foot-1, 192-pound forward was impressive when he was in town two months ago. Susuev [https://www.nhl.com/blues/player/nikita-susuyev-8484476], 20, has spent his playing career in Russia, including 2024-25 when he had 18 points (eight goals, 10 assists) in 42 games across all competitions, including MHK Spartak Moskva and Taifun Primorsky Krai of the MHL and Admiral Vladivostok of the KHL last year. The 6-0, 172-pound forward has posted nine points (six goals, three assists) in 55 career games in the KHL, including stints with Spartak Moskva and Admiral; he had 54 points (20 goals, 34 assists) in 72 career games in Russia’s top junior league, the MHL.
