St. Louis Blues May Hire Vaclav Prospal
- After spending the last three years with the AHL’s Rochester Americans, former player Václav Prospal may be headed to the NHL for the first time in his coaching career. On his 32 Thoughts podcast, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman indicated that Prospal may join the St. Louis Blues next season as an assistant coach. The last time we worked in the NHL was in the 2013-14 season when he served as a professional scout for the New York Rangers.
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Blues Sign Will Cranley To One-Year Extension
The St. Louis Blues have signed goaltender Will Cranley to a one-year, two-way contract extension. Cranley spent last season as the third-string netminder for the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds. He has slowly risen the ranks of the pro circuit since making his ECHL debut in 2023, three years after the Blues selected him in the sixth-round of the 2020 NHL Draft.
Cranley racked up six wins and a .892 save percentage in 10 AHL games last season. He posted much more encouraging numbers in the ECHL, where he totaled 14 wins and a .915 Sv% in 18 games during the regular season. Despite those strong numbers, Cranley was not included in Florida’s race to the ECHL’s Eastern Conference Finals. While that limited his postseason appearances to part of one start with Springfield, it also served as a small bode of confidence in Cranley’s spot in the AHL.
After racking up 34 wins and a .896 save percentage in 74 career ECHL games, Cranley seems well-set for a full-time promotion next season. He will compete with Vadim Zherenko and Georgi Romanov for starts in Springfield’s crease. Zherenko posted the best statline of the bunch last season, with 17 wins and a .902 Sv% in 42 games. Romanov recorded nine wins and a .896 Sv% in 28 games. His numbers should be surmountable for the 24-year-old Cranley, though Zherenko appears set to hold onto the starting role for the foreseeable future.
Leo Lööf Signing With Liiga Club Ilves
A St. Louis Blues prospect is taking his talents back to Scandinavia.
As first reported by Mike Meyer of STL Sports Central, defenseman Leo Loof is signing a two-year contract with Ilves in Finland for the 2026-27 season. According to the club’s press release, the 24-year-old defenseman will return to his former club, where he previously spent two seasons before his journey to North America.
Loof finished his 2025-26 season in the AHL, scoring six points in 47 regular-season games played with Springfield. He did not dress during their Calder Cup playoff run, which ended via an 8-1 Game 5 loss to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The former third-round pick in 2020 spent three seasons under the St. Louis Blues organization on a three-year entry-level contract signed back in 2023 that paid him $2.6MM ($867,500 AAV). The 6-foot-1, 201-pound Swede did not see an NHL debut, playing all three of those ELC seasons with the Thunderbirds for a total of 168 AHL games.
Leading into the 2020 NHL Draft, Loof was profiled as a tough player in his own end, who was efficient in his poise and ability to make strong reads on a play and deliver heavy hits. His accolades before coming across the pond included Bronze Medals with Ilves and the Swedish World Juniors team. He also won a Hlinka Gretzky Cup Bronze in 2020 and was considered the J18 Best U18 Defenseman while scoring the most points (12) by a defenseman in the J18 Allsvenskan in 2018-19.
The former 88th overall pick was in a logjam in comparison to other left-handed defensemen in the Blues system. St. Louis already extended Philip Broberg through 2032 at $48MM ($8MM AAV), Cam Fowler through 2030 at $18.3MM ($6.1MM AAV), as well as Tyler Tucker, who has a year left at $925,000. Among his counterparts in the pool, ELCs were signed by Lukas Fischer, at age 19, in late March, and Colin Ralph put ink to paper out of Michigan State in early April. Already in the AHL, Theo Lindstein and Michael Buchinger both played more games than Loof this past season.
New general manager Alexander Steen will inherit three selections in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft, where some prominent defensemen could potentially be available for the taking, who would rank high among their prospect pool if selected. St. Louis could use those picks to take a defenseman at either the guaranteed 11th or 15th overall picks (Colorado’s standing to be determined). As the Blues look to build back into playoff contention out of their fifth-place finish in the Central Division, they currently carry $15.7MM in cap space.
Blues Trying To Move Up In 2026 NHL Draft
Three picks in the 2026 NHL Draft first round may not be rich enough for the St. Louis Blues. The club is putting concerted effort into trying to move up from their current standing at 11th-overall, TSN’s Darren Dreger shared on Hockey Sense with Andy Strickland. Dreger added that the San Jose Sharks, who currently sit at second-overall, could be willing to move down from their current selection.
The last top-three pick to be traded also belonged to the Sharks, who sent what would become the 2020 third-overall pick to the Ottawa Senators in their September 2018 acquisition of star defenseman Erik Karlsson. Toronto also traded what would become the 2010 second-overall pick to Boston in September 2009, setting up the Bruins’ selection of Tyler Seguin. The last instance of a top-three pick changing hands after it was declared came in 2003 – when the Pittsburgh Penguins moved from the third-overall pick up to first-overall to select Marc-Andre Fleury.
St. Louis could feel driven to pull off a trade of this magnitude by a rare opportunity in front of them. While star scorer Gavin McKenna has dominated attention for first-overall, Swedish phenom Ivar Stenberg – the younger brother of Blues prospect Otto Stenberg – has formed a strong case behind him. The younger Stenberg is currently lighting up the IIHF Men’s World Championships with seven points in six games. He has cemented a top-line role on Team Sweden, capping off a year that saw him earn a similar spot on Frolunda HC, who finished second in the SHL regular season.
Stenberg is a true dynamo, capable of dominating games with his breakaway speed and heads-up playmaking. He can hold the puck for as long as needed to create sneaky and successful scoring chances. He is just as involved away from the puck, staying focused in scoring areas and working to make plays on defense. That full-ice impact made Stenberg hard to ignore since he made his SHL debut last season.
The older Stenberg also made waves over the season, earning his NHL debut in mid-December and ultimately scoring 10 points in 32 games of what would become his NHL rookie season. That was only seven points fewer than the scoring total he posted in 36 AHL games. He seemed comfortable at the top level and – after easing into the role – embraced a much-needed center position in St. Louis. His arrival could help St. Louis justify selecting yet another winger headed likely headed for a top-six role, after they landed Justin Carbonneau in the 2025 class.
Ivar Stenberg would bring true top-end ability to the Blues lineup. It would be a final piece for St. Louis, who has already seen wingers Dylan Holloway, Jake Neighbours, and Jimmy Snuggerud excel in their top-nine roles. But while they have each excelled in limited top-line minutes, they’ve proven most effective when rotating through the lineup with each other. Stenberg could add another strong impact to that mix until he can graduate into a lineup-leading role.
The cost of pulling off the first top-three trade in more than two decades wouldn’t be cheap. Many expect San Jose to target an addition on defense after adding Michael Misa with the second-overall pick last season. The Sharks would likely find strong defenders still on the board outside of the top-five, just as they would at second-overall, in a draft class filled with high-end, defense prospects. Moving down would offer a chance to add even more to their riches – potentially emerging defense prospect Theo Lindstein or shutdown defenders Colin Ralph or Arseni Koromyslov from St. Louis’ pool. The Sharks could also ask for multiple first-round picks from a Blues club currently wielding picks 11, 15, and the Colorado Avalanche’s undetermined first-rounder. Packaging all three picks could be enough to make a deal – though adding another prospect could prove a worthwhile supplement.
The St. Louis Blues have made multiple bold decisions to revamp the lineup from its 2023-24 state. They surprisingly fired Drew Bannister mid-season and offer-sheeted Edmonton Oilers free-agents Holloway and Philip Broberg. Those additions helped push them to the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, but couldn’t return them to the 2026 postseason. That could be cause for one more bold decision before Doug Armstrong leaves the post he has held for longer than a decade. In doing so, St. Louis – a team that began built around a trio of brothers – would be hoping to land their eighth set of siblings in franchise history.
Photo courtesy of Jerome Miron-Imagn Images.
Could Fowler Be A Trade Candidate; Jiricek Could Push For A Roster Spot In Camp
- When Cam Fowler was traded to the Blues and signed an extension, he hoped to be getting out of a rebuild situation and onto more of a win-now club. However, with St. Louis now rebuilding or at least retooling, he finds himself in a very similar situation to his time in Anaheim, observes Matthew DeFranks of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (subscription link). The 34-year-old is beginning a new three-year, $18.3MM deal next season and he could very well become a trade candidate before too long. While Fowler has full trade protection, a chance to go to a team with aspirations of short-term success might be enticing enough for him to consider it.
- If Fowler winds up staying with the Blues, he’ll be asked to play a mentorship role for some of their young blueliners. One of those could be Adam Jiricek, who will be a full-time pro next season for the first time. Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic spoke with Jiricek’s junior coach (long-time NHL rearguard Jay McKee), who noted that Jiricek should warrant a long look in training camp and could be ready to play at the top level next season. The 19-year-old was the 16th pick in 2019 and had a dominant year with OHL Brantford, amassing 59 points in 55 regular season games and 22 more in 15 playoff contests. He’s now getting his feet wet with AHL Springfield, jumping right into their lineup as they look to move on to the Eastern Conference Finals tonight.
Breaking Down Possible Destinations For Jordan Binnington
The St. Louis Blues are no longer in win-now mode, but they have some promising young players in their NHL lineup and on the way up. However, one player who doesn’t figure into their future contention window is veteran goaltender Jordan Binnington. The 32-year-old is set to enter the final year of his contract, and given his age and uneven play, it doesn’t make much sense for the Blues to keep him around if he isn’t part of their plans beyond next year. St. Louis isn’t going to compete next season, and with many of their veterans already moved out and several teams desperate for help in goal, the time is right for St. Louis to trade Binnington.
Binnington is clearly beloved in St. Louis for helping the city win its first Stanley Cup in 2019. He did so as a 25-year-old rookie and continued his strong play through his first few NHL seasons, earning Vezina Trophy consideration in several of those years. He then inked a long-term deal in March 2021, giving him a $6MM AAV over six years.
Binnington would remain an above-average netminder for most of the next three seasons before his play began to decline during the 2024-25 season and carried into this past year. It was then that the Blues reportedly became interested in moving Binnington at the NHL Trade Deadline, though they ultimately kept him. Now, with Binnington in the final year of his deal and most of his trade protection removed, the likelihood of a trade is high.
The Edmonton Oilers feel like the logical fit for Binnington, given their ongoing struggles to find solid netminding during the Connor McDavid era. The Oilers thought Tristan Jarry would be the answer after a mid-season trade this past December, but it was clear at the time that the Jarry experiment was a panic move, and the results were tepid, to put it generously. Binnington’s big-game history is a complete 180 from Jarry’s track record in big games, but both veterans have lacked consistency over the past two years, so it’s tough to call Binnington an upgrade for the Oilers. That said, Binnington has performed well for Team Canada over the past couple of years, but behind poor defense, his numbers haven’t been good, and that would likely be the experience in Edmonton as well.
Another potential suitor could be the Florida Panthers, who could lose Sergei Bobrovsky to free agency. Bobrovsky is five years older than Binnington and is likely seeking his last big payday. While his relationship with the Panthers has been highly productive, anything can happen in free agency, and his departure is possible. Binnington would offer Florida a big-game goaltender at a low cost, with a chance to play behind a solid defensive team. This would be of interest to the Panthers, since the only other realistic option would be Stuart Skinner, whom the Panthers twice defeated in the Stanley Cup Finals while he was with the Edmonton Oilers.
The Los Angeles Kings did not get the goaltending they hoped for from starting netminder Darcy Kuemper, who posted a 19-14-15 record with a 2.78 GAA and an .891 SV%. The 36-year-old is entering the final year of his contract and may not be the answer for a Kings team hoping to finally make noise in the playoffs after years of first-round exits. Binnington wouldn’t be the Kings’ long-term answer, but in the short term, he could be an upgrade over Kuemper and is four years younger.
Finally, a handful of other teams could use an upgrade in goal for this upcoming season. The San Jose Sharks and New Jersey Devils have both gone through difficult rebuilds and are at different stages of emerging from them. The Devils have had a failure to launch after their rebuild, making a couple of playoff appearances and even winning a series, but they haven’t been a playoff team in two of the last three years, and their one appearance was a five-game exit. Those years in which the Devils missed the postseason have largely been due to poor goaltending, including this year, when Jacob Markstrom played poorly after signing a two-year extension. Markstrom’s play coincided with the Devils’ fall, and it’s fair to wonder whether the Devils trust him to be the guy as they try to get some traction after their rebuild. Binnington has a better resume than Markstrom, in terms of playing in big games and winning, but it’s hard to imagine the Devils moving out one inconsistent veteran for another. That being said, the Devils’ goaltending has been inconsistent, and given that the team has struggled to find stability in net, they may be open to making a change for the sake of making a change.
Lastly, the Sharks are trying to move beyond their rebuild and took some small strides this year, competing for a playoff spot but ultimately falling short. The Sharks have Yaroslav Askarov, whom they hope will be their goalie of the future, but last year showed the team that he wasn’t ready to be a full-time NHL starter. The Sharks have a capable backup in Alex Nedeljkovic, whom they re-signed to a two-year, $6MM deal. The jury is still out on Askarov, but at the moment he simply needs NHL reps behind a competent defense to further develop. The Sharks appear set to go hunting for defensemen this summer, which should be exactly what the doctor ordered for Askarov. Given the Sharks’ depth at the position in the NHL, acquiring Binnington makes little sense unless Askarov struggles to start the season and San Jose looks like a team that could challenge for a playoff spot. If that were to happen, it would make sense for the Sharks to look for an in-season upgrade, which is where Binnington could be an option given his contract status and capabilities, but for now it doesn’t make sense for San Jose.
One last option for St. Louis is to wait until the season starts to find out which contending team has a goaltender injury to start the year, or which team is unhappy with their goaltending and looking for an upgrade. Last season, the Pittsburgh Penguins entered the year with Jarry as their starter, and after less than two months of above-average play, they were able to trade him for a massive haul to the Edmonton Oilers. They did this despite the fact that Jarry had been on waivers less than a year prior, but Pittsburgh GM Kyle Dubas was fortunate to find a team desperate enough to take Jarry off his hands. A similar play could be the Blues’ best option for Binnington if they can’t find reasonable trade offers in the summer.
Offseason Checklist: St. Louis Blues
The offseason has arrived for half of the league’s teams that aren’t taking part in the playoffs plus those who have already been eliminated. Accordingly, it’s now time to examine what they will need to accomplish over the coming months. Next up is a look at St. Louis.
After a year that nearly saw St. Louis eliminate the Presidents’ Trophy winners in the opening round, the hope was that the Blues would be able to build off that. Instead, they took steps back across the board, resulting in some veterans being moved at the trade deadline and others being dangled in trade talks. Incoming GM Alex Steen will have a busy offseason ahead of him as a result. Here are some items on his summer checklist.
Choose A Direction
Considering that the Blues moved Justin Faulk and Brayden Schenn at the trade deadline while having a deal in place for Colton Parayko get nixed by the blueliner’s no-trade clause, this might seem a little obvious already. But St. Louis finished the season strong, winning 10 of their last 14 games to find themselves surprisingly in the playoff race until close to the end of the season. And with Steen taking over from Doug Armstrong, does he have a different opinion on the direction that needs to be taken? Aside from simply maintaining the status quo, he has three different routes to choose from.
The least likely is reversing course but with how they finished the year, it can’t be ruled out entirely. St. Louis picked up first-round picks for both Schenn and Faulk, giving them three in next month’s draft. One or more of those could plausibly be trade chips if they want to add. They also have nearly $16MM in cap room for next season, per PuckPedia, with only a few roster spots to fill. It’s rather unlikely and given the current state of the division, probably unwise, but they have the ability to flip the switch if they want to.
More likely, the decision will be to rebuild or retool. A few months ago, it looked like the former was the plan. By putting the bulk of their veterans in play (including Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou), they seemed to be signaling a willingness to do a longer-scale rebuild, one that would likely see them out of playoff contention for several more years. If that’s the case, basically anyone 26 and up (or thereabouts) would likely be in play at the right price. And with a lot of teams looking to buy, Steen could generate some strong returns for their services. They should have a good idea of each player’s trade value going back to talks from before the deadline.
Meanwhile, the retool option would likely see them pull players like Thomas and Kyrou off the block and look to move some of the older players like Parayko (who could still be moved to a team he’s willing to go to) or goaltender Jordan Binnington. That would still allow them to add to their prospect pool while allowing them to build around their current offense instead of overhauling it. This is the safer route and with a first-time GM, this might the path that the Blues are likeliest to take. With that in mind, the focus of this piece won’t be on possible win-now additions or roster upgrades.
Work On Neighbours Extension
The Blues already took care of one significant transaction this offseason when they re-signed pending RFA Dylan Holloway to a new five-year deal. With an RFA list that isn’t particularly large this summer, they can turn their focus toward trying to get an extension done with one of their other young core forwards.
That would be winger Jake Neighbours. The 2020 first-round pick quickly established himself as a top-six winger and surpassed the 20-goal mark in his first two full NHL seasons. There’s a good chance he’d have gotten there this year had he not missed 13 games due to injury. Between his steady secondary production is his physicality. Neighbours has posted between 138 and 172 hits over the last three seasons, making him a rare top-six power forward. Those players aren’t particularly easy to come by and it’s safe to say that he’s a building block that they’ll want to build around.
He’ll be owed a qualifying offer of $4MM next summer with salary arbitration rights. To get him to sign early, it’s fair to say that it would cost considerably more than that to get him signed a year early, especially with the big increases set to come to the Upper Limit of the salary cap. We can use the deal they just handed out to try to benchmark what an extension might look like.
Holloway signed for $7.75MM three years away from UFA eligibility. Neighbours’ next deal will only be two years away. Holloway has the better track record offensively so it’s fair to say that his new price tag should be the upper limit in a negotiation. Considering that there is typically a premium for power forwards though, the gap between Holloway’s new price tag and a potential Neighbours extension might not be as large as it might seem. Speculatively, a long-term deal (around six years) would carry a price tag of between $6.5MM and $6.75MM, even with the fact he’s coming off a lower year offensively. If they’re not willing to go that high, the winger is probably better off waiting. And if they are, locking up another piece of the long-term puzzle early would be a wise move.
Set The Starter
One of the storylines from the start of last season was if Joel Hofer would take over the starting role from Binnington. The two wound up with very similar start totals with Hofer having 43 and Binnington 39. But after the Olympic break, it was Hofer who received the bulk of the workload as St. Louis looked to make the improbable late-season push to a playoff spot.
Both goaltenders have one year left on their contracts. Technically, they could keep this tandem intact for one more season but that wouldn’t be the prudent approach. If the plan is for Hofer to be the starter moving forward, then the time is right to move Binnington.
In-season goalie moves aren’t too frequent so this offseason will probably be their best time to try to move him for value. And while the 32-year-old isn’t coming off a good season, there will be teams who look at his track record and think that with a change of scenery, they can get him back to form. Chances are that they’d have to take a goalie back as part of the swap but if not, a second netminder can be signed in free agency.
Then, the time might be right to look at trying to extend Hofer. There are some reasonable comparables in Karel Vejmelka and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen ($4.75MM each) and Joey Daccord ($5MM) to build the foundation of a contract off of. In a higher cap environment, Daccord’s equivalent cap percentage would be $5.45MM next season and $5.98MM in 2027-28 when the contract would begin. Basically, Hofer is probably heading for Binnington money if he signs an early extension this summer.
The Blues could wait and see how next season goes. But if they do and Hofer thrives as a full-time starter, the price tag will only go up from there. They don’t have to try to sign him now but at a minimum, given the direction they’re heading, it’s time to set Hofer as the starter and give Binnington a chance elsewhere, netting some value in return in the process.
Round Out The Coaching Staff
Shortly after the season ended, the Blues made a pair of changes behind the bench but didn’t change head coach Jim Montgomery. Instead, they parted with a pair of assistants, veteran Claude Julien and first-time NHL assistant Mike Weber. Armstrong noted at the time that the intent was to build a staff that best suits the team moving forward, making choosing a direction that much more important.
One decision that will need to be made is the fate of Steve Ott. He started the season as the associate coach in St. Louis but midseason, he became the interim head coach with AHL Springfield, whose playoffs are still going after they pulled off a big upset over Providence. Does he return to the bench for the Blues or do they keep him in the minors and allow him to continue to apprentice as a head coach? If they opt for the latter, they effectively have a third vacancy to try to fill.
If the Blues opt for more of a longer-scale rebuild, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the team turn toward younger assistants with an eye on someone with a background in player development. But if it’s more of a retool, adding a veteran assistant behind the bench could be the path they choose with the hopes that the coach would still be there when the team is looking to get back into the playoff picture.
It’s a small item in the grand scheme of things but Steen will have a chance to make an early impact behind the bench with potentially resetting 75% of the coaching staff. Those hires could ultimately help signal just how long they think their roster revamping will take.
Photo courtesy of Sam Navarro-Imagn Images.
Wild Tried To Acquire Robert Thomas At Trade Deadline
An impactful top center has been atop Minnesota’s wish list for many years now. While Joel Eriksson Ek is a quality top-six middleman, they haven’t been able to find the pivot to help round out their top six. It appears that they attempted to do so before the trade deadline, however, with Michael Russo and Joe Smith of The Athletic reporting (subscription link) that the Wild made a pitch to acquire Robert Thomas from the Blues. Included in the proposed package were goaltender Jesper Wallstedt and center Danila Yurov.
Back in March, the expectation was that the Blues were seeking at least three top-15-level assets (players, prospects, or draft picks) plus maybe more if they were going to part with Thomas. Wallstedt and Yurov, though both picked just outside the top-15, probably would meet the criteria, but it’s unclear what else Minnesota was offering in their package. Their 2026 first-round pick was moved in the Quinn Hughes trade earlier this season, making their 2027 first a logical piece, although it’s unlikely that the Wild will be in the back of the lottery next summer.
Thomas would certainly have been a needle-mover for Minnesota. The 26-year-old surpassed the 80-point mark in 2023-24 and 2024-25 and would have had a chance to do so this season had he not missed 18 games due to injury. Still, Thomas put up 64 points in 64 outings. He also took a regular turn on the penalty kill and would have given Minnesota an all-around impactful center, one who is signed through 2030-31 at an $8.125MM AAV that will become even more team-friendly in the coming years.
That said, it’s understandable that the Blues wouldn’t view Wallstedt and Yurov as being viable centerpieces of a trade for their best forward. It’s not that neither is a quality player but rather that the fit on the roster is less certain.
Wallstedt’s first full NHL season was a successful one. He worked his way into a platoon with Filip Gustavsson, getting into 35 games during the regular season where he had a solid 2.65 GAA with a .915 SV% along with four shutouts. He then took over as the starter for Minnesota’s playoff run, compiling a 2.77 GAA and a .909 SV%, numbers that are skewed by the opening game of the Colorado series that saw him allow eight goals. But while he’s certainly a quality young goaltender, St. Louis has Joel Hofer in the mix already and are likely envisioning him as their goalie of the future. He and Wallstedt would make for an enticing tandem, but moving a top center for a tandem piece might not be the most practical for them.
As for Yurov, he had a decent first season in North America. The 22-year-old potted 12 goals and 15 assists in 73 games, playing primarily in the bottom six. He also stuck down the middle all season although there are some questions about his ability to stay there long-term. That’s where the fit with the Blues becomes less certain. Yes, he’s a promising player but if St. Louis is going to move their top center, they’d probably prefer a youngster coming back who is more of a safer bet to be a top-six middleman down the road.
Given that Minnesota’s need still exists and Wallstedt’s value is likely higher now than it was back at the deadline based on his playoff performance, it wouldn’t be entirely shocking to see GM Bill Guerin circle back on this. And if it doesn’t pan out, the two youngsters represent intriguing trade chips to try to bring in a quality center to make their roster that much more dangerous.
Blues Assign Justin Carbonneau To AHL
The St. Louis Blues have reassigned top forward prospect Justin Carbonneau from the QMJHL’s Blainville‑Boisbriand Armada to the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds, the club announced today. The move comes just days after Carbonneau’s junior season ended in a heartbreaking Game 7 loss, but the 19‑year‑old now joins Springfield as the Thunderbirds look to close out their first‑round series against the Providence Bruins.
Carbonneau will join the AHL on the heels of one of the most dominant seasons by any junior forward in 2025–26. The Blues’ 2025 first‑round pick was a force in the QMJHL, leading the league with 51 goals and earning the Mario Lemieux Trophy as the Q’s top goal scorer. He finished his regular season with 80 points and a +31 rating in 60 games, cementing himself as one of the most productive and polished young forwards outside the NHL.
In the postseason, Carbonneau posted 20 points (9 goals, 11 assists) in 17 playoff games, finishing tied for fourth in goals and fifth in points across the entire league. He was consistently Blainville‑Boisbriand’s most dangerous forward, driving offense through pace, touch volume, and a heavy shot that translated seamlessly against tighter playoff checking. Even in the series loss, he looked every bit like a player ready for the next step.
Whether that next step includes immediate AHL action remains unclear. Springfield holds a 2–1 series lead over Providence heading into Thursday’s potential clinching Game 4, and the Thunderbirds have not yet indicated whether Carbonneau will dress. It’s not uncommon for junior call‑ups to spend time practicing before entering the lineup, especially after a deep playoff run that ends with a quick turnaround. Still, Carbonneau’s scoring touch and ability to tilt the ice at even strength give Springfield an intriguing option should they choose to use him.
The assignment also gives the Blues’ development staff a valuable window to evaluate Carbonneau against pro competition before next fall’s training camp. His blend of goal‑scoring instincts, competitiveness, and two‑way detail has already made him one of the organization’s most closely watched prospects, and a late‑season AHL cameo would offer a meaningful benchmark for where he stands in the pipeline.
Carbonneau isn’t the only Blues prospect joining Springfield this week. Defenseman Adam Jiricek, whose OHL season also ended in a Game 7 loss, has been promoted as well. Like Carbonneau, his availability for Game 4 remains uncertain.
Blues Assign Adam Jiricek To AHL
A Blues prospect appears set to make his professional debut in the near future. Per the AHL’s transactions log, the team has assigned defenseman Adam Jiricek from OHL Brantford to AHL Springfield.
The 19-year-old was highly touted heading into the 2024 draft but an injury-riddled pre-draft campaign saw him fall a bit more than expected. St. Louis was certainly content to scoop him up with the 16th selection that year, hoping he could be a mid-round gem.
Last season, the injury bug was an issue for Jiricek once again and he was limited to just 27 regular season games for the Bulldogs and even missed a couple of playoff games. However, things went a lot smoother in 2025-26. On top of putting up six points in seven appearances for the Czechs at the World Juniors, Jiricek recorded 19 goals and 40 assists in 55 games during the season for Brantford. He then produced at a higher clip in the playoffs, notching seven goals and 15 assists in 15 games. However, they were eliminated by Barrie last night, paving the way for him to be reassigned to the Thunderbirds.
While it’s not overly common for players to jump from the junior ranks right into the middle of an AHL playoff series, a prospect of Jiricek’s caliber will often get the opportunity to play. Even if he doesn’t suit up (he wasn’t in the lineup tonight against Providence), he’ll at least have a bit of time to get acclimated to the team, one he’ll likely be playing for on a regular basis next season.