The St. Louis Blues added some offensive flair on the right side in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft on Friday night. General manager Doug Armstrong only had one first-round pick to work with -- and three in total -- and it looks like he may have made the most of it.
The Blues selected right winger Justin Carbonneau from the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada in the QMJHL. He scored 46 goals and added 43 assists for 89 points this past season, and even had 59 points (31 goals, 28 assists) in 68 games the year prior.
Carbonneau met with the media after being selected and had some spicy quotes.
Carbonneau: "I compare myself to Adrian Kempe and Travis Konecny. Kempe, I think his size, speed and shot. I think I bring that, and Konecny, his mindset. I’m not scared of anyone. I score goals in the paint and dirty areas." #stlblues
— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) June 28, 2025
Carbonneau is listed at 6'2", which is the same size as Kempe but a few inches taller than the feisty Konecny. Kempe was drafted with the 29th overall pick in the 2014 NHL Draft and has made a nice career for himself with 401 points (194 goals, 207 assists) in 630 games across nine seasons with the Kings.
Konecny was drafted 24th overall in 2015 and embodies the spirit of the Broad Street Bullies despite being a bit undersized (for NHL standards) at 5'10". Konecny has 476 points (198 goals, 278 assists) in 646 games during his nine years in Philadelphia.
If Carbonneau can turn into either of those players, the Blues will be happy with their 2025 draft.