It's the off season, which means that, with no NHL hockey, it's a good time to assess prospects and young players. Elite Prospects released their Top 100 ranking of affiliated prospects, which means prospects that have been drafted and are linked to an NHL team. To make the list, players must still be Calder eligible, so young players of a certain age or number of NHL games played are excluded.
The St. Louis Blues were one of seven teams that had six (6!) prospects appear between the Top 100 and the Honorable Mentions; the Chicago Blackhawks led all teams with eight prospects, and the Utah Mammoth, Washington Capitals and Nashville Predators were all represented seven times.
So, which Blues prospects made the cut, and where did they rank? Let's dig into it!
Justin Carbonneau at #25
No surprise that Carbonneau ranks the highest of the Blues prospect pool--that he ranks so high, however, is impressive. At No. 25, Carbonneau is notably ahead of prospects Anton Frondell (selected 3rd overall this summer!) and Berkly Catton, and one spot behind 2025 5th-overall selection Brady Martin. The folks at Elite Prospects are high on Carbonneau, calling him a "complete offensive force" and speculating that his "power forward build and all-around high-end tools could make him a top-six forward, provided he works on his defensive game and risk management."
Yeah, that's a pretty good prospect to have in the system!
Jimmy Snuggerud at #36
Since Snuggerud only played a handful of games at the NHL level, he remains Calder eligible--thus included in these rankings. EP predicts that "he will be an NHLer for a long time," and call him "a complete prospect." They're highest on his shooting ability and forechecking, and say that building consistency is what'll make him an excellent player.
Dalibor Dvorsky at #38
Not far behind Snuggerud is Dvorsky, selected tenth overall in the 2023 draft. Dvorsky had a good rookie AHL season, and the writers at EP say they "could see him play the same type of supportive, complementary scoring role in the Blues’ middle-six." If Dvorsky improves his defensive play, they continue, it would increase his upside.
Adam Jiricek at #99
And (almost) last but not least is defenseman Adam Jiricek, selected 16th overall in the 2024 draft. His ranking is due to the concerns that've plagued him since his draft year: mistake prone and a poor skater. The good news is EP sees a path where Jiricek's "skill level, confidence, physicality, and activity rate could make him a No. 4 or 5 defenseman." Not necessarily what you want from such an early draft pick, but a useful NHL player is a useful NHL player any way you slice it.
Honorable Mentions: Otto Stenberg and Theo Lindstein
At the top of the article, the writers state that 125 prospects could've been included in the ranking, as many are of a similar caliber; however only 100 can make it. As a result, the second and third 1st-round selections of the Blues in 2023--Otto Stenberg and Theo Lindstein--only make the Honorable Mentions. When you consider just how many prospects are in NHL pipeline's, however, that's still an admirable position to be in.
Will we see any of these prospects make the NHL jump full time in 2025-26? Anything can happen between now and Game One but, of all the prospects here, Snuggerud seems the most likely to be in the lineup at the start of the season. If that's the case, watch for him to take a run at the Calder Trophy.