First night, first goal: Carbonneau starts his Springfield season on the right note

Justin Carbonneau did not waste any time to announce himself in the AHL. Three minutes and 11 seconds into the Springfield Thunderbirds' 2026-27 opener, the St. Louis Blues' 2025 first-round draft pick banked home the first goal of his AHL career and the first goal of Springfield's season. His goal was the start of a goal and an assist night in a 3-2 overtime win at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins

Thunderbirds Head Coach Steve Ott started Carbonneau on the second line, right wing, with center T.J. Tynan and left wing Aleksanteri Kaskimäki. The trio clicked immediately and could be set to pay huge dividends for the team this season.

The second line off and running

At 3:11, Kaskimäki and Tynan worked the puck to the doorstep, and Carbonneau swatted a backhand past Penguins goaltender Joel Blomqvist for a 1-0 lead. The Penguins were able to tie the game at 5:05 on a rebound by Atley Calvert, but Springfield managed to reclaim the lead at 16:32. Kaskimäki headed up the puck to Carbonneau at the Penguins' blue line, and Carbonneau fed Tynan through the slot for a 2-1 lead. Kaskimäki's second assist of the night grabbed another three points for the line through the first 17 minutes of the season.

Tynan, 34, is a veteran playmaker with 581 assists to his name who has spent years creating goals for young wingers. Kaskimäki has shown adjustment and progress in his game to the point where he could have contended for a bottom-six role in the NHL. Carbonneau's job on that wing is to hunt for loose pucks, finish the first chance, and keep the cycle alive for the return pass. He did both of those tasks in the opening period.

While it is only the first game of the season for Carbonneau, this is exactly what the Blues drafted him 19th overall to be. During the 2025-26 season with Blainville-Boisbriand in the QMJHL, he scored 51 goals and 80 points in 60 games, tying for the league lead in goals. He managed a short, scoreless look with Springfield during the Calder Cup playoffs, but a wonderful introduction to the AHL nonetheless.

What the rest of the year has to look like for Carbonneau

After being reassigned to the AHL to start his season with the Thunderbirds, the next test for Carbonneau is repetition. Springfield will continue their season on Oct. 4 in Providence, taking on the Bruins, and Carbonneau will be tasked once more to create offensive chances against a tighter-checking team. If Tynan can continue to feed him in the low slot and Kaskimäki continues to stretch the ice, the Thunderbirds should have a second line that can carry the team.

For the Blues, they will likely want to see that Carbonneau is able to not only put points on the scoreboard but also to find success along the boards and stay on the right side of the puck. A call-up to the NHL could still be in the cards later in the season if the scoring holds and the details of his game continue to develop.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow