There is a story to tell here with the 20-year-old rising star of the St. Louis Blues, Dalibor Dvorsky. He has been electrifying in the preliminary round of the 2026 Olympics in Milano Cortina, Italy, and there is a steady chance that he will be able to bring this consistency home.
He has helped the current underdog of the tournament, Slovakia, to a 2-0-0-0 record in this first round of games. Dvorsky is tied for sixth-place in the entire tournament with a goal and two assists in the two games, and sits behind Montreal Canadiens star Juraj Slafkovsky for the teamlead for Slovakia.
Everyone, and I mean everyone, is talking about the emergence of San Jose Sharks budding superstar Macklin Celebrini of Team Canada, but Dvorsky should also be getting some love. If you were to throw Dvorsky out there with Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, and Sidney Crosby, with a man-advantage, there is a great chance that he would pot a bunch of goals, too.
Believe the hype
As a part of the Blues, Dvorsky has been in the shadow of another top prospect since he made his NHL debut at the end of last season. Jimmy Snuggerud, rightfully so, earned General Manager Doug Armstrong's trust with his initial tryout when the Blues were in the midst of their late-season playoff push after the Four Nations Face-off last season.
Dvorsky was a part of that, but only suited up for minimal minutes in two games before being evaluated as not being ready. Then, this current 2025-26 season opens up, and injuries overtake the Blues. Hence, Dvorsky gets called up from Springfield on October 29 and earns his keep this season with a whole new dynamic. No. 54 is lethal on the power play, and now seems to be up-to-speed with the NHL game.
This Olympic tournament is a great showing for this young star, and it is a chance for him to gain a global following. Dvorsky has been a solid player for the Blues this season, on a team filled with mediocrity and disappointment. Finishing this slew of games, and hopefully sending Slovakia into Medal-contention, should give him some newfound confidence.
It seems like, with every new level of adversity in front of Dvorsky, he overcomes it. It was seen on the international stage of the World Juniors, and then with the Blues' AHL-affiliate, Springfield. Finally, he took that notion that he was not ready, and was overtaken by Snuggerud as this team's top prospect, and used that to fuel a solid season so far.
How much higher can this kid go?