2025-26 NHL Prospect Pool Breakdown: St. Louis Blues’ Top 10

[seattleblue]

1. Dvorsky
2. Snuggerud
3. Lindstein
4. Stenberg
5. Carbonneau
6. Fischer
7. Mailloux
8. Stancl
9. Jiricek
10. Pekarcik
11. Kaskimaki
12. Dean
13. Burns
14. Ralph

(I don't include goalies, they are their own thing)

How this should be interpreted IMO:
– that's how much this Carbonneau appreciator likes the 4 players listed above him, a lot
- this ranker thinks a LOT of Lukas Fischer and is skeptical of NHL futures of defensemen whose weakness is defense
- this ranker has much more confidence in Jakub Stancl than in Adam Jiricek
- this is an ongoing fluid list; as the season progresses they move up and down. numerous lower-ranked prospects have potential to rise quickly including the Russian wild cards

[Harry S Deals]

1. Dvorsky
2. Snuggerud
3. Lindstein
4. Stenberg
5. Carbonneau
6. Fischer
7. Mailloux
8. Stancl
9. Jiricek
10. Pekarcik
11. Kaskimaki
12. Dean
13. Burns
14. Ralph

(I don't include goalies, they are their own thing)

How this should be interpreted IMO:
– that's how much this Carbonneau appreciator likes the 4 players listed above him, a lot
- this ranker thinks a LOT of Lukas Fischer and is skeptical of NHL futures of defensemen whose weakness is defense
- this ranker has much more confidence in Jakub Stancl than in Adam Jiricek
- this is an ongoing fluid list; as the season progresses they move up and down. numerous lower-ranked prospects have potential to rise quickly including the Russian wild cards

I think you are probably right on. Fascinating to see the RW futures of Carbonneau vs Snuggerud both could be exceptional both different styles of play its great the Blues finally have some RH depth. Im still very high on Jiricek lets hope for the sake of the franchise he rises higher than a #9 prospect I know folks around Brantford are pumped for him this year

[seattleblue]

1. Dvorsky
2. Snuggerud
3. Lindstein
4. Stenberg
5. Carbonneau
6. Fischer
7. Mailloux
8. Stancl
9. Jiricek
10. Pekarcik
11. Kaskimaki
12. Dean
13. Burns
14. Ralph

(I don't include goalies, they are their own thing)

How this should be interpreted IMO:
– that's how much this Carbonneau appreciator likes the 4 players listed above him, a lot
- this ranker thinks a LOT of Lukas Fischer and is skeptical of NHL futures of defensemen whose weakness is defense
- this ranker has much more confidence in Jakub Stancl than in Adam Jiricek
- this is an ongoing fluid list; as the season progresses they move up and down. numerous lower-ranked prospects have potential to rise quickly including the Russian wild cards

I think you are probably right on. Fascinating to see the RW futures of Carbonneau vs Snuggerud both could be exceptional both different styles of play its great the Blues finally have some RH depth. Im still very high on Jiricek lets hope for the sake of the franchise he rises higher than a #9 prospect I know folks around Brantford are pumped for him this year

I'm just waiting to see him consistently put it all together. It's truly wildly variable with him. You can see this aspect or that aspect but it's not cohesive, there is the opposite of flow to it. His season starts Sept 19, 20, 27, Oct 3, 4.

[LGB73]

- this ranker thinks a LOT of Lukas Fischer and is skeptical of NHL futures of defensemen whose weakness is defense

Amen! Amen! Amen! I like points from my defensemen, but it's kind of in the name that they need to be able to play defense. I wouldn't play/draft/sign any defenseman that wasn't at least rated average at defense.

Thanks for all the list from you and other posters. I think we're going to be happy fans in about 2-3 years with Thomas/Kyrou/Holloway all 30 or younger and quite a few interesting prospects getting into the NHL.

Holloway-Thomas-Snuggerud
Neighbours-Dvorsky-Kyrou

That could develop into a really nice top 6 with good prospects filling out the 3rd line like Stenberg and Carbonneau. If we find a decent 3C (Dean or FA), that could be 3 really deep young lines.

[seattleblue]

- this ranker thinks a LOT of Lukas Fischer and is skeptical of NHL futures of defensemen whose weakness is defense

Amen! Amen! Amen! I like points from my defensemen, but it's kind of in the name that they need to be able to play defense. I wouldn't play/draft/sign any defenseman that wasn't at least rated average at defense.

Thanks for all the list from you and other posters. I think we're going to be happy fans in about 2-3 years with Thomas/Kyrou/Holloway all 30 or younger and quite a few interesting prospects getting into the NHL.

Holloway-Thomas-Snuggerud
Neighbours-Dvorsky-Kyrou

That could develop into a really nice top 6 with good prospects filling out the 3rd line like Stenberg and Carbonneau. If we find a decent 3C (Dean or FA), that could be 3 really deep young lines.

The flip side is if they do put the defense together then you suddenly have a major impact player. Just that skepticism is correct IMO

[STL fan in MN]

I actually ran into Steven at the WJSS here in Minnesota last week. Wasn’t really familiar with his work but seemed like a nice enough guy. Agree this isn’t a great list though. But these guys that try to rank all 32 teams are going to be pretty surface level observers. They just are.

Not going to argue with Snuggy at #1. I still have Dvorsky at 1 but those 2 are close and in a tier of their own IMO. And Snuggy is more NHL ready so I can see why many would have him ahead of Dvorsky. But he’s also a year older so it makes sense he’s about a year ahead in development.

The OP focused on Carbonneau so I’ll comment on him as well. Very talented obviously. Was a bit of a disappointment at the WJSS last week if I’m being honest though. That said, most of the Canadian team looked like garbage so maybe they were all just disjointed and disorganized. I expect them to be much better in December/Jan for the actual WJC but as of today, I’d be surprised if Carbonneau made the team based on what I saw last week. Reschny and Hage were the top 2 Canadians there IMO.

Here’s how I’d rank the Blues prospects. I’ll note the top 2 are very close. And I hardly see any separation between 3-6 either tbh.

1. Dvorsky
2. Snuggerud

3. Lindstein
4. Mailloux
5. Stenberg
6. Carbonneau

7. Jiricek

8. Fischer
9. Dean
10. Kaskimaki
11. Ellis
12. Stancl
13. Pekarcik

14. Burns
15. Ralph
16. Koromyslov
17. Peterson
18. Korotky

I feel even the 8-18 guys all have at least a decent shot of becoming NHLers. Obviously some won’t as it’ll eventually be a numbers game and some may end up making it in other orgs but the Blues have A LOT of quality depth.

19. Mrsic
20. McIsaac
21. Robertsson
22. Zherenko
23. Jecho
24. Kos

25-30: Buchinger, Fyodorov, Harenstam, Loof, Susuyev, Vorobyov

31-33: Dorian, Cranley, Gaudet

Not included: Alexandrov, Skinner, Johannesson and Abramov. Oh and of course no Tucker, Kessel, Scheuneman, McGing etc either.

Im wondering, after this season if we arent ranking Robertsson a bit higher the other wild card for me is Dean. In both cases they need to put in a solid, healthy AHL season to justify my thought

There are others that see more in Robertsson than I do. And I don’t see him as completely a lost cause. He did do better in the AHL last season than I expected, although he didn’t play a ton as he battled injuries most of the season. He’s solid in pretty much all areas. I just question if he brings enough to truly displace someone else and steal an NHL spot at some point. I see him as another likely tweener type but am open to the possibility he could develop part of his game that will make him a viable NHLer at some point.

[Frank Barone]

I actually ran into Steven at the WJSS here in Minnesota last week. Wasn’t really familiar with his work but seemed like a nice enough guy. Agree this isn’t a great list though. But these guys that try to rank all 32 teams are going to be pretty surface level observers. They just are.

Not going to argue with Snuggy at #1. I still have Dvorsky at 1 but those 2 are close and in a tier of their own IMO. And Snuggy is more NHL ready so I can see why many would have him ahead of Dvorsky. But he’s also a year older so it makes sense he’s about a year ahead in development.

The OP focused on Carbonneau so I’ll comment on him as well. Very talented obviously. Was a bit of a disappointment at the WJSS last week if I’m being honest though. That said, most of the Canadian team looked like garbage so maybe they were all just disjointed and disorganized. I expect them to be much better in December/Jan for the actual WJC but as of today, I’d be surprised if Carbonneau made the team based on what I saw last week. Reschny and Hage were the top 2 Canadians there IMO.

Here’s how I’d rank the Blues prospects. I’ll note the top 2 are very close. And I hardly see any separation between 3-6 either tbh.

1. Dvorsky
2. Snuggerud

3. Lindstein
4. Mailloux
5. Stenberg
6. Carbonneau

7. Jiricek

8. Fischer
9. Dean
10. Kaskimaki
11. Ellis
12. Stancl
13. Pekarcik

14. Burns
15. Ralph
16. Koromyslov
17. Peterson
18. Korotky

I feel even the 8-18 guys all have at least a decent shot of becoming NHLers. Obviously some won’t as it’ll eventually be a numbers game and some may end up making it in other orgs but the Blues have A LOT of quality depth.

19. Mrsic
20. McIsaac
21. Robertsson
22. Zherenko
23. Jecho
24. Kos

25-30: Buchinger, Fyodorov, Harenstam, Loof, Susuyev, Vorobyov

31-33: Dorian, Cranley, Gaudet

Not included: Alexandrov, Skinner, Johannesson and Abramov. Oh and of course no Tucker, Kessel, Scheuneman, McGing etc either.

It looks like PTO season has begun. Will be interesting to see if the Blues sign a PTO with a vet LD. If they don't, it may mean that they want Lindstein to be on a fast track to playing time with the Blues this coming season, even at his young age.

[STL fan in MN]

I actually ran into Steven at the WJSS here in Minnesota last week. Wasn’t really familiar with his work but seemed like a nice enough guy. Agree this isn’t a great list though. But these guys that try to rank all 32 teams are going to be pretty surface level observers. They just are.

Not going to argue with Snuggy at #1. I still have Dvorsky at 1 but those 2 are close and in a tier of their own IMO. And Snuggy is more NHL ready so I can see why many would have him ahead of Dvorsky. But he’s also a year older so it makes sense he’s about a year ahead in development.

The OP focused on Carbonneau so I’ll comment on him as well. Very talented obviously. Was a bit of a disappointment at the WJSS last week if I’m being honest though. That said, most of the Canadian team looked like garbage so maybe they were all just disjointed and disorganized. I expect them to be much better in December/Jan for the actual WJC but as of today, I’d be surprised if Carbonneau made the team based on what I saw last week. Reschny and Hage were the top 2 Canadians there IMO.

Here’s how I’d rank the Blues prospects. I’ll note the top 2 are very close. And I hardly see any separation between 3-6 either tbh.

1. Dvorsky
2. Snuggerud

3. Lindstein
4. Mailloux
5. Stenberg
6. Carbonneau

7. Jiricek

8. Fischer
9. Dean
10. Kaskimaki
11. Ellis
12. Stancl
13. Pekarcik

14. Burns
15. Ralph
16. Koromyslov
17. Peterson
18. Korotky

I feel even the 8-18 guys all have at least a decent shot of becoming NHLers. Obviously some won’t as it’ll eventually be a numbers game and some may end up making it in other orgs but the Blues have A LOT of quality depth.

19. Mrsic
20. McIsaac
21. Robertsson
22. Zherenko
23. Jecho
24. Kos

25-30: Buchinger, Fyodorov, Harenstam, Loof, Susuyev, Vorobyov

31-33: Dorian, Cranley, Gaudet

Not included: Alexandrov, Skinner, Johannesson and Abramov. Oh and of course no Tucker, Kessel, Scheuneman, McGing etc either.

It looks like PTO season has begun. Will be interesting to see if the Blues sign a PTO with a vet LD. If they don't, it may mean that they want Lindstein to be on a fast track to playing time with the Blues this coming season, even at his young age.

I’d like to see them do precisely that - bring in a vet d-man on a PTO to push Kessel, Tucker and Mailloux for a spot. If Kessel can’t beat out someone like Jon Merrill for the 7th d-man spot then he simply doesn’t deserve it.

Besides Merrill, there’s Martinez, Brodie, Barrie, Smith…could even make it full circle and invite EJ back to his starting place.

[kimzey59]

It looks like PTO season has begun. Will be interesting to see if the Blues sign a PTO with a vet LD. If they don't, it may mean that they want Lindstein to be on a fast track to playing time with the Blues this coming season, even at his young age.

1- Yes, it's PTO season.
But this is the Blues we're talking about. It's extremely rare for them to announce individual PTO's(the only time I really remember them doing it was with Hoffman; and we all knew up front that he was getting signed, it was just a matter of playing the "cap mechanics" game to get Vladdy on LTIR).

What we're really waiting for is the full Training Camp roster and practice schedule(which should be coming out any day now; it's usually released a full month before camp starts).


2- I think the PTO situation will have a lot more to do with the likes of Skinner, Loof, Schueneman and Johannessen than it will Lindstein.
Lindstein is young and still incredibly early in his development process.
In theory, they older prospects should be at the point where they're actively contributing. If they aren't, we need to start making some decisions on these guys.

[TAFKAP]

When you think of Stenberg and what he's going to be able to do, ask yourself, what was Alex Steen able to do.

Now you have your answer

I'll take a shorty in OT of the playoffs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssbwhzl29Yw

[STL fan in MN]

1. Dvorsky
2. Snuggerud
3. Lindstein
4. Stenberg
5. Carbonneau
6. Fischer
7. Mailloux
8. Stancl
9. Jiricek
10. Pekarcik
11. Kaskimaki
12. Dean
13. Burns
14. Ralph

(I don't include goalies, they are their own thing)

How this should be interpreted IMO:
– that's how much this Carbonneau appreciator likes the 4 players listed above him, a lot
- this ranker thinks a LOT of Lukas Fischer and is skeptical of NHL futures of defensemen whose weakness is defense
- this ranker has much more confidence in Jakub Stancl than in Adam Jiricek
- this is an ongoing fluid list; as the season progresses they move up and down. numerous lower-ranked prospects have potential to rise quickly including the Russian wild cards

I think you are probably right on. Fascinating to see the RW futures of Carbonneau vs Snuggerud both could be exceptional both different styles of play its great the Blues finally have some RH depth. Im still very high on Jiricek lets hope for the sake of the franchise he rises higher than a #9 prospect I know folks around Brantford are pumped for him this year

I'm just waiting to see him consistently put it all together. It's truly wildly variable with him. You can see this aspect or that aspect but it's not cohesive, there is the opposite of flow to it. His season starts Sept 19, 20, 27, Oct 3, 4.

This is where I’m at with Jiricek too. I see the potential but he also has a lot of the characteristics of a prospects that doesn’t reach his potential. Lots of red flags or at least legit concerns. Hopefully he’s been able to bulk up a bit this summer and get 100% healthy and he has a monster season. This will be a very important season for his development.

[a smell of green grass]

Im amazed by the amount of effort many put in this ranking. Most of these players will never see a Blues jersey. And some that do will only go the Bolduc route. That said, it is fimr to grt to know the players better,

Imo, I only care to know who is good enough to be a Blue.

So who will go out on limb and predict who is good enough for the NHL?

[LGB73]

In 3 years I would guess our top 9 forwards will include Holloway, Thomas, Kyrou, Dvorsky, Neighbours, Snuggerud, Carbonneau and Stenberg. Really just missing a C to make that group complete which they'll probably have to sign in FA and whether it is a 2 or 3 will depend on Dvorsky.

[seattleblue]

In 3 years I would guess our top 9 forwards will include Holloway, Thomas, Kyrou, Dvorsky, Neighbours, Snuggerud, Carbonneau and Stenberg. Really just missing a C to make that group complete which they'll probably have to sign in FA and whether it is a 2 or 3 will depend on Dvorsky.

Dvorsky is a scoring center in waiting. This is a player in the Thomas category, who just hasn't proven it yet

However at 19 he was named to the AHL all prospects team in his one season there.

[LGB73]

In 3 years I would guess our top 9 forwards will include Holloway, Thomas, Kyrou, Dvorsky, Neighbours, Snuggerud, Carbonneau and Stenberg. Really just missing a C to make that group complete which they'll probably have to sign in FA and whether it is a 2 or 3 will depend on Dvorsky.

Dvorsky is a scoring center in waiting. This is a player in the Thomas category, who just hasn't proven it yet

However at 19 he was named to the AHL all prospects team in his one season there.

I agree and unless he [censored] the bed in camp should be the 3RW. Think the team would benefit long term getting his and Snuggerud's NHL experience started this season before guys like Carbonneau and Stenberg need their rookie seasons. Space that rookie indoctrination out a bit. Next year move him to C and then the following you'll have both Dvorsky/Snuggerud going into year 3 and ready to help the team be contenders.

[Frank Barone]

In 3 years I would guess our top 9 forwards will include Holloway, Thomas, Kyrou, Dvorsky, Neighbours, Snuggerud, Carbonneau and Stenberg. Really just missing a C to make that group complete which they'll probably have to sign in FA and whether it is a 2 or 3 will depend on Dvorsky.

Dvorsky is a scoring center in waiting. This is a player in the Thomas category, who just hasn't proven it yet

However at 19 he was named to the AHL all prospects team in his one season there.

I agree and unless he [censored] the bed in camp should be the 3RW. Think the team would benefit long term getting his and Snuggerud's NHL experience started this season before guys like Carbonneau and Stenberg need their rookie seasons. Space that rookie indoctrination out a bit. Next year move him to C and then the following you'll have both Dvorsky/Snuggerud going into year 3 and ready to help the team be contenders.

I think Dvorsky will play a lot for the Blues this season, including a lot of time at center. It may not be first game of the season, but probably more than half the season. His progression (whatever that is) has to be a top priority for the organization due to his upside.