Back in June, the Blues made center Dalibor Dvorsky their top pick, selecting him tenth overall. However, they’ll have to wait a little while longer for him to make his debut in North America as CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that St. Louis has loaned Dvorsky to IK Oskarshamn of the SHL for the upcoming season.
Dvorsky spent last season in AIK’s system in Sweden, playing at three different levels. The bulk of his playing time came at the Allsvenskan level, their second-tier pro division. The 18-year-old held his own against the pros, picking up six goals and eight assists in 38 games.
However, it was his production against his own age group that moved Dvorsky up draft boards. He averaged more than a point per game on AIK’s Under-20 squad, then picked up seven points in four games in the Under-18 playoffs. Internationally, Dvorsky played for Slovakia at both the World Juniors and the World Under-18s, finishing sixth in tournament scoring for the latter with 13 points in just seven contests.
Dvorsky has a two-year deal in Sweden so this loan comes as little surprise as it’s unlikely that he would have competed for a roster spot in training camp. The loan means that he’ll be eligible to have his contract slide next season (as long as he doesn’t play in ten or more NHL contests later on in the year) which means it would still have three seasons remaining on it in 2024-25.