*Editor’s Note: This article was updated on Dec. 24 to reflect Sweden adding Theo Lindstein to its roster
With the 2024 World Juniors tournament set to begin on Dec. 26th, St Louis Blues fans will have seven players to watch as they ready themselves to participate in the tournament and represent their countries.
Here’s a look at the Blues prospects and the countries they will be playing for this year.
Czechia – Jakub Stancl
Drafted 104th overall in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, Stancl is currently playing with the Växjö Lakers HC in Sweden. The left-shot winger bounced up and down the organization, playing primarily with the J20 Nationell squad, scoring three goals and five points through 16 games. Stancl has appeared in six games in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) this year, scoring one goal.
Related: Blues November Prospect Report: Europe
The 6-foot-3, 203-pound, 18-year-old boasts a wicked wrist shot and a strong one-timer that could provide Czechia with a good scoring threat option. With a heavy frame, Stancl is effective in his own zone and creates space for his teammates in the office zone. He will look to rebound from a disappointing 2023 U-18 tournament, where he registered only one assist in five games.
Finland – Aleksanteri Kaskimäki
The 19-year-old Kaskimäki is heading into the World Juniors red hot, scoring five goals and nine points in his last 10 games and five points in his last five games. It took him a little while to get going this year for HIFK in Liiga, but has found himself just outside of the top 10 point producers for his team. Through his first two games in pre-tournament play, Kaskimäki has recorded one goal and one assist with a plus-two rating.
Kaskimäki has seen consistent deployment as HIFK’s third-line left winger. After failing to register a single point in the 2023 U-20 tournament, Kaskimäki could be an underrated player headed into the 2024 tournament.
Slovakia – Dalibor Dvorsky and Juraj Pekarcik
Drafted 10th overall by the Blues in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, Dalibor Dvorsky has become a superstar for the Sudbury Wolves in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) this season. After starting the year overseas with IK Oskarshamn, Dvorsky received minimal deployment and a decreasing number of opportunities per game to assert himself on the ice. In his final games in the SHL, he played only 1:35 and 0:44 throughout the game. The Blues decided to relocate their top draft choice to the OHL to play amongst his peers. Since his relocation, Dvorsky has played on the top line with the Wolves, producing 11 goals and 22 points over his last 10 games. To date, he has 18 goals and 34 points in 20 games in the OHL. The 18-year-old is already impressing in pretournament play with a brilliant overtime goal over Team Germany.
Possibly one of the biggest surprises of the Blues 2023 draft class, Juraj Pekarcik has taken his transition from Slovakia to the United States Hockey League (USHL) with little to no issue. Playing in his first year with the Dubuque Fighting Saints, Pekarcik has produced five goals and 22 assists through 18 games. Pekarcik has appeared in four games in December, producing nine assists and a plus-three rating.
In a recent interview, Pekarcik revealed his struggles to get onto the ice and his potential risk to play in the coming World Junior Under-20 tournament: “I have had health problems for the past two weeks. I had a lot of blood in my thigh muscle, and I was also suffering from torn tendons. I trained non-contact last week and classically since Monday. I should start already this week.”
Sweden – Otto Stenberg & Theo Lindstein
Another top draft choice by the Blues in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, Otto Stenberg has been a mainstay for Frölunda HC in the SHL this season. Stenberg continues to earn second-line minutes with teammates David Edstrom and Erik Borg and has produced three goals and six points through 22 SHL games this year. Despite only being 18 years old, he continues to be relied upon by his team in a critical top-six role while averaging over 13 minutes of ice time each game.
Stenberg projects to get third-line minutes throughout the tournament but has already logged three assists in two pre-tournament games. As the former 2023 U-18 team captain for Sweden, Stenberg should be a true threat every time he is on the ice.
Team Sweden had a last-minute addition to their squad with defenseman Theo Lindstein named to the tournament roster. The decision came alongside an injury to Jakob Norén after leaving Thursday’s game against the United States. Lindstein, the Blues’ third first-round pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, heads into the international tournament with three points (one goal, two assists) in his last three games. To date, he has produced 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in 27 games in HockeyAllsvenskan.
The hosting country, Sweden, will have a multitude of defensemen available at this year’s tournament and Lindstein should step up to the challenge with whatever amount of ice time is allocated to him. Lindstein produced five points (one goal, four assists) through seven games at the 2013 U-18 tournament and could become an underrated point producer for a talented Sweden team.
United States – Jimmy Snuggerud
Among the top prospects in the Blues organization, Jimmy Snuggerud is set to take his place on the top line on what is considered a heavily favored United States team. The right winger has appeared in 18 games with the University of Minnesota this season, scoring 11 goals and 16 points with a minus-one rating. While it is unlikely that he will reproduce the standout freshman season that saw him 21 goals and 50 points through 40 games, Snuggerud could return to an offensive force once again and be among the top point producers in the tournament. Through only one pre-tournament game thus far, he has produced one goal and three points and a plus-two rating.
The Blues have the second-most prospects of any team in the tournament. Five of the representatives all stem from the club’s 2023 draft class. The World Juniors tournament should turn out to be a very good showing all around for the Blues and their prospects.