Blues prospects embark on new seasons

The St. Louis Blues prospect pool is in great shape. General Manager Doug Armstrong has been able to stockpile picks and young players for the first time in a long time to continue building around his team’s young core.

“We have seven first-round picks since 2020,” Armstrong said before the season. “We want to give them the opportunity to succeed in our organization.”

Fans can find a full breakdown of prospects and players in the system here, but here's a look at some of the top storylines involving Blues prospects as they begin their seasons:

Snuggerud starts strong sophomore season

Jimmy Snuggerud, the 23rd overall pick in 2022, has been making waves at the University of Minnesota. As a freshman, he scored 50 points in 40 games (fifth-most in the NCAA). He's been to the Frozen Four, represented the United States in the IIHF World Junior Championship and dazzled crowds with his shooting prowess.

His sophomore campaign has been more of the same. He has five goals in six games with the Golden Gophers, including this laser:

"[Shooting is] just in his DNA," Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko said about Snuggerud. "It's crazy how [the puck] comes off his stick. It hurts, too. It hurts if you're in the way of it."

Snuggerud isn’t the only Blue in the Big Ten, however. Defenseman Paul Fischer, taken in the fifth round in 2023, will suit up for Notre Dame this season. Snuggerud and Fischer face off against each other for the first time Nov. 17-18 in Minneapolis, their games available on Big Ten Network, Big Ten Plus and Peacock.

Dvorsky’s fresh start

Dalibor Dvorsky was drafted 10th overall in June. He started the season in the Swedish Hockey League, but he was re-assigned to the Sudbury Wolves in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). 

“After evaluating Dalibor’s situation in Sweden and talking with him and his representatives, we jointly decided that the opportunity to play regular minutes at Sudbury against his peer group in the OHL would be the best thing for his development at this time," Armstrong said in a press release. "We look forward to watching his continued growth as a player.”

Turns out that fresh start was all he needed. The 18-year-old wasted no time scoring with an impressive power-play goal in his first OHL game.

Blues coach Craig Berube thinks the move will be great for Dvorsky’s development.

“He’s playing against his own age bracket,” he said. “Juniors is a competitive league. It’s a good league, so it’ll be very good for him.”

Fans can follow along with Dvorsky and the Wolves here.

One Zach, two Zachs

Zachary Bolduc and Zach Dean played with the Blues in the preseason, and now they're making a statement in the AHL.

Bolduc, the 17th overall pick in 2021 was an electric scorer in junior hockey, leading the Québec Remparts to a Memorial Cup Championship in June with a 110-point campaign.

Dean was drafted 30th overall that same year. He came to St. Louis in the trade that sent Ivan Barbashev to the Vegas Golden Knights. The 20-year-olds now play for the Springfield Thunderbirds, the Blues’ AHL affiliate, and they've already connected for a goal.

Follow the Thunderbirds on social media for more highlights from both this duo and other Blues prospects.