The St. Louis Blues hired former player Alexander Steen to join their hockey operations staff in June 2023. One of the storylines from then on was a deep dive into Sweden's pool of prospects. In the first round of the 2023 draft, the club selected two Swedish prospects (Otto Stenberg and Theo Lindstein) out of three picks. Needless to say, their other pick (10th overall) was used on Slovakian center Dalibor Dvorski, who was playing in Sweden.
They are very interested in bringing in talented players from Sweden and I think that is a good thing. Before Steen's arrival, the Blues had not drafted a Swede in the first round since defenseman David Lundblad in 2009. Let's take a look at the recent additions and the future of this club in Sweden.
Stenberg and Lindstein look like quality players.
In the 2023 draft, the Blues took Stenberg with the 25th pick and Lindstein with the 29th pick. On May 1, the club signed Stenberg to a three-year entry-level contract. The 18-year-old center played in 31 games in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) last season. It's not easy for a newly drafted teenager to play at the SHL level, so don't be discouraged if he only scored six points last season.
Stenberg has a lot of upside, especially as a center. The press release about his entry-level contract sums up the last few years well: “Overall, Stenberg has spent parts of the past three seasons in the SHL, playing a total of nine games in 54 regular season games. He scored points (4 goals, 5 assists). He also won three other championships with Team Sweden, including a gold medal at the 2022 U-18 World Championship and silver medals at both the 2023 U-18 World Junior Championship and the 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. has won a medal. There are many reasons to like Stenberg, and it wouldn't be a surprise if he gets a chance to play in the NHL in 2024-2025.
Lindstein is a defenseman who signed an entry-level contract in March. He is already 19 years old, so he is a little older than Stenberg. Lindstein, who spent the past two seasons in the SHL, played 49 games in Hockey Allsvenskan this season, one level below. He scored 15 points overall and made an impact in 13 playoff games. He played for Brynas IF and led the team to a first place finish.
There's a lot to look forward to for Blues fans as Stenberg and Lindstein move steadily closer to making an impact at the NHL level in St. Louis.
Blues sign Silvegard, Johannesson from SHL
Just before May, the Blues announced the signing of forward Marcus Silvegard and defenseman Samuel Johannesson from the SHL. Silvegard signed a one-year entry-level contract and Johannesson signed a two-year entry-level contract.
Silvegard is a 24-year-old winger who has appeared in over 40 games in the SHL in each of the past six seasons. He's really taken his game up a notch the past two seasons. He played for the Malmö RedHawks in 2022-23, scoring 17 goals and 24 assists for 41 points in 52 games. He spent the 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons at Vaxjo HC, before returning to Vaxjo HC for the 2023/24 season. He had an impressive performance with 23 goals and 18 assists for 41 points in 51 games.
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If he can bring some of that scoring ability to the Blues' system, that would be a huge boost. Elite Prospects has a lot of great things to say about him. “Silvegard is a flashy player who stands out for his great speed and physical play. He has a great shot. He's not afraid to express his emotions on the ice. “He's missing a little bit of routine.'' He seems to be bringing a lot of fire, which is something this organization desperately needs.
Johannesson is a 23-year-old right-handed defenseman who spent five solid seasons in the SHL. He was selected by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the sixth round of the 2020 draft. He scored 27 goals in 43 games for Orebro HK in the 2023-24 season, leading the team and second on the club in goals scored.
Back in 2020, Elite Prospects had this to say about his game: He can take the puck off quickly under pressure and doesn't seem to get stressed even when there's little time. His puck skills look good and he can handle it well to give himself extra time. There was a real quietness in Johannesson's game. He's never chasing plays. ”
I'm looking forward to seeing how the Blues use both Silvegard and Johannesson. Both should have a chance to be on an NHL-level roster in 2024-25, but even if that doesn't happen, they'll likely be part of an American Hockey League (AHL) team.
Could the Blues draft another Swede this year?
The Blues have one lottery pick and four other picks between the second and third rounds in the 2024 draft. In addition to that, they have two picks in the fourth, fifth, and seventh rounds. There aren't many, if any, elite prospects from Sweden in this draft. I wouldn't be surprised if they take on the Swede in the second or third round, but I doubt it will happen in the first round unless a center like Lukas Pettersson develops quickly. They could take a defenseman like Leo Sarlin Wallenius if he's available in the second round, but that might not be a safe bet.
Don't ignore Steen's power in the front office when it comes to evaluating Swede talent and adding it to the organization. General manager Doug Armstrong clearly trusts his opinion, and this could be just the beginning of great Swedish talent coming to St. Louis. They have a number of important decisions to make this summer, and it starts with the draft.
