The St. Louis Blues have two picks in the first 15 selections of the 2026 NHL Draft, and they made need to use one of them to move up a few spots. One of the key areas to try and fix this summer is going to be the blueline, and they can do it by looking no further than this draft.
We already looked at another d-man, who will likely be a long shot to grab in Chase Reid.
Carson Carels, the WHL product out of Prince George, is likely going to be taken inside of the top-five picks of this draft. It might be a risk to package both the 11th and 15th picks to get inside that window, but the payoff could result in a complete turnaround of this franchise.
Profile
Carels is a big defenseman at 6-foot-2, just under 200 pounds. He has speed, athleticism and poise with the puck, which are all things that this Blues blue line desperately needs. One of his other key attributes is the ability to captain a powerplay, which he did wonderfully in 2025-26.
He was raised on a farm, in the very small town of Elora, Ontario. And now, he is going to take his talents to a major-league city somewhere in the United States or Canada. Let's just hope he ends up in the beautiful city of St. Louis.
Likelihood of coming to the Blues
Carels is projected much like Reid, gone in the top-five to seven picks of the draft. The only real chance of the Blues grabbing him at No. 11 is if something crazy were to happen, or those two top-15 picks get used in a package to move up. It might not even take that much, as the Blues also hold the rights to the Colorado Avalanche's first-round pick as well.
The Blues likely need to grab a defenseman with their first selection of the first-round, and there are still plenty of others to choose from. Carels is the dream, but it is not likely going to be possible.
What they can bring if selected by the Blues
This Blues defensive core is getting a bit of a shake-up, and there is still plenty of more moves to come. Cam Fowler is on thin ice after this past season's shaky performance, and Colton Parayko was 99.9% on his way to Buffalo before he envoked his No-Trade Clause.
Carels brings the identity of the Blues, to the Blues. Tough, physical and undeniable spirit is his game, and the Blues need to bring him in, at whatever cost.
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