Top prospects for St. Louis Blues

NHL.com is providing in-depth prospect analysis for each of its 32 teams from Aug. 1-Sept. 1. Today, the top five prospects for the St. Louis Blues, according to NHL.com.

1. Justin Carbonneau, F

How acquired: Selected with No. 19 pick in 2025 NHL Draft

2025-26 season: Blainville-Boisbriand (QMJHL): 60 GP, 51-29-80

Carbonneau (6-foot-1, 203 pounds) has been a goal scoring machine the past three seasons in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League with 128 goals, including a career-high 51 last season that tied for the league lead. The right wing is expected to begin next season with Springfield of the American Hockey League after playing three Calder Cup Playoff games last season, but he is knocking on the door of becoming a top-six forward in the NHL.

"Every summer, I get to the summer and there's always different things I want to work on," the 19-year-old said during development camp in June. "When you're young, it's about getting bigger and getting faster, whatever. But every summer and I sit down, I note some things. I talk with St. Louis, my coaches, everyone around me. It's all little details that can make me better. I just wrote that down and I try and work as much as I can this summer. ... I saw it in Springfield. Every detail matters. You can't take one shift off."

Projected NHL arrival: Next season

2. Adam Jiricek, D

How acquired: Selected with No. 16 pick in 2024 NHL Draft

2025-26 season: Brantford (OHL): 55 GP, 19-40-59

Jiricek (6-3, 185) has tremendous range and a high two-way upside that allows him to jump into the play offensively, quarterback a power play or be called upon to be a shutdown defenseman when needed. The 20-year-old is expected to start the season in Springfield after playing six Calder Cup Playoff games there last season, but it wouldn't be a shock if the 20-year-old got into NHL games at some point this season.

"We think that Jiricek is going to come in and have a great training camp," Blues president of hockey operations Doug Armstrong said in June, "... but the NHL fails more people than players fail the NHL, so we don’t want to put someone in a position where they’re surviving. We want to put them in a position where they can potentially thrive. Jiricek is going to have the opportunity to come in here and push, but we're in for the marathon with this young man."

Projected NHL arrival: Next season

3. Theo Lindstein, D

How acquired: Selected with No. 29 pick in 2023 NHL Draft

2025-26 season: St. Louis (NHL): 17 GP, 2-2-4, Springfield (AHL): 59 GP, 6-8-14

Lindstein (6-0, 197) was put through the hard times last season for Springfield when he was playing top-pair minutes prior to the team's run to qualify for the AHL playoffs. When the left-shot defender was promoted to St. Louis, the Blues paired him with veteran Colton Parayko, and the 21-year-old displayed calmness and poise, was positionally sound and wasn't overwhelmed playing in the NHL for the first time.

"I think his brain and his feet are NHL-ready," St. Louis coach Jim Montgomery said. "The position is hard on young players, and a lot of credit should go to Colton Parayko because he's made his life real easy. He's talking to him on every shift. I don't know exact words he's telling him, but he's probably saying, 'Don't be afraid to have a great gap. I'll cover everything up.' It's really reassuring when someone you're playing with is telling you to be aggressive, don't worry, I've got your back, and he can clean everything up because he's done it his whole career."

Projected NHL arrival: This season

4. Otto Stenberg, F

How acquired: Selected with No. 25 pick in 2023 draft

2025-26 season: St. Louis (NHL): 32 GP, 3-7-10, Springfield (AHL): 36 GP, 4-13-17

Stenberg (5-11, 188) got his first taste of the NHL last season and was trusted in a variety of situations by Montgomery, who likes the left-shot center's high hockey IQ while being positionally responsible in all three zones. The 21-year-old likely won't be a high-scoring forward but one who will fill a bottom-six role, checks well and plays all over the ice with pace.

"He definitely has an NHL brain," Montgomery said. "His game management is high end. His play without the puck is really good, really solid. Again, needs to continue to develop his offensive side of the game."

Projected NHL arrival: This season

5. Dmitri Buchelnikov, F

How acquired: Trade from Detroit Red Wings on March 6

2025-26 season: CSKA (RUS): 44 GP, 14-11-25

The Blues acquired Buchelnikov (5-10, 163) as part of the trade that sent veteran defenseman Justin Faulk to Detroit, and St. Louis feels it has a player that's dynamically skilled and will be a scorer. The 22-year-old has played the past four seasons in the Kontinental Hockey League and will play in Russia again this season, but the goal is to be in North America for 2027-28.

"This is like when I was a kid, the dream to play in the NHL," Buchelnikov said during Blues development camp. "This needs to be (the) goal, not to be (just) a dream right now because you (feel) you have the skill, you have the potential. You need to work with that and be better every day. ... This team believes in me. It's a great opportunity for me. I have one more year in Russia. I need to spend (that) time to be better, more physical. I need to work for that."

Projected NHL arrival: Next season