The St. Louis Blues hired former player Alexander Steen to the hockey operations staff in June 2023. One storyline since that happened has been the deep dive into the pool of Swedish prospects. In the first round of the 2023 Draft, the club drafted two Swedish prospects (Otto Stenberg and Theo Lindstein) out of their three picks. Not to mention their other pick (10th overall) was used on Slovakian center Dalibor Dvorsky, who played in Sweden.
They’ve taken a larger interest in adding talent from Sweden and I think that’s a good thing. Before Steen’s arrival, the Blues hadn’t drafted a Swede in the first round since defenseman David Rundblad in 2009. Let’s look into the recent additions and the future in Sweden for the franchise.
Stenberg and Lindstein Look Like Quality Picks
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 deal. The center is 18 years old and played 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 by him scoring just six points last season.
There is a lot of upside with Stenberg, especially as a center. The press release on him signing an entry-level deal summarizes the last few years well, “Overall, Stenberg has spent parts of the past three seasons in the SHL, totaling nine points (four goals, five assists) in 54 regular-season games. He has also medaled with Team Sweden three other times, including gold at the 2022 U-18 World Championship and silver at both the 2023 U-18 World Junior Championship and 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.” There are plenty of reasons to like Stenberg and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he got some NHL time in 2024-25.
Lindstein is a defenseman and signed his entry-level contract in March. He’s already 19 years old, so he’s slightly older than Stenberg. After spending time in the SHL in the last two seasons, Lindstein played 49 games in HockeyAllsvenskan this season, which is a level below. He tallied 15 points overall and made an impact in 13 playoff games. He played for Brynäs IF and helped lead them to a first-place finish.
There is a lot for Blues fans to be excited about as Stenberg and Lindstein creep closer toward making an impact at the NHL level in St. Louis.
Blues Signed Sylvegård, Johannesson from SHL
Just before the month of May, the Blues announced the signings of forward Marcus Sylvegård and defenseman Samuel Johannesson from the SHL. Sylvegård signed a one-year, entry-level contract, while Johannesson signed a two-year, entry level contract.
Sylvegård is a 24-year-old winger who has played 40-plus games in the SHL in each of the past six seasons. He’s really taken his play up a notch over the past two seasons. In 2022-23, he played for the Malmo Redhawks and scored 17 goals and 24 assists for 41 points in 52 games. In 2023-24, he returned to Vaxjo HC after spending the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons there. He was terrific with 23 goals and 18 assists for 41 points in 51 games.
Related: Top 10 Swedes in the NHL Today
If he can bring some of that goal-scoring to the Blues system, it’s a great boost. Elite Prospects had a lot of great things to say about him, “Sylvegård is one flashy player, who stands out with his great speed and physical play. Owns a terrific shot. Aren’t afraid to show emotions on the ice. Lacks a bit of routine to control himself whenever the game heats up a bit.” It sounds like he brings a lot of fire and that’s something this organization desperately needs.
Johannesson is a 23-year-old right-handed defenseman who has five solid seasons in the SHL. He was drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the sixth round of the 2020 Draft. In 2023-24 for Orebro HK, he led the blue line with 27 points in 43 games and was second on the club in scoring.
Back in 2020, Elite Prospects said this about his game, “Johannesson’s offensive game revolves around making quick, simple yet effective plays with the puck. He can get the puck out of pressure swiftly and doesn’t seem to get stressed even when there’s little time on his hands. His puck skills looked good, and he can handle it well to give himself extra time. There’s a real calmness to Johannesson’s game; he’s never chasing the play.”
I’m excited to see how the Blues use both Sylvegård and Johannesson. Both should get a chance to make the roster at the NHL level in 2024-25, but even if that doesn’t happen, they’ll be fixtures on the American Hockey League (AHL) team.
Could the Blues Draft Another Swede This Year?
In the 2024 Draft, the Blues hold a lottery pick and four other picks between the second and third rounds. On top of that, they have a pick in the fourth round, the fifth round, and two in the seventh round. There aren’t many, if any, elite Swedish prospects in this draft. I wouldn’t be surprised if they took a Swede in the second or third round, but I don’t think it will happen in the first round unless a center like Lucas Pettersson flies up the board. They could take a defenseman like Leo Sahlin Wallenius if he’s available in the second round, but that might not be a safe bet.
Don’t count out the power of Steen in the front office when it comes to evaluating and adding Swedish talent to the organization. General manager Doug Armstrong clearly trusts his opinions and this might be just the beginning of great Swedish talent coming to St. Louis. They have a bunch of important decisions to make this summer and it begins with the draft.
