Autumn brings hockey back into focus, and for the Blues that means training camp opens next Thursday, followed by four preseason games before the roster gets trimmed down to 23 players for the 2026-27 season.
There’s plenty to watch once camp begins, but the biggest draw may be the young talent pushing to make its mark. St.
Louis has a deep pipeline, highlighted by a strong 2026 draft class that should produce at least a couple NHL-caliber players. Most of this summer’s picks are expected to stay put for now, with Tynan Lawrence headed back to the NCAA and the rest returning to their home leagues.
That leaves the spotlight on players from earlier drafts who are suddenly fighting for real jobs.
Some of those names already look close to locked in. Jimmy Snuggerud and Dalibor Dvorsky up front, along with Logan Mailloux on the blue line, would have a lot to lose by slipping far enough in camp to end up with the Springfield Thunderbirds in the AHL.
The more interesting battles come just behind them. Adam Jiricek got a brief look with Springfield during its playoff run last season, going scoreless in six games, and now he enters his first full pro season with a chance to challenge Theo Lindstein for a spot on opening night.
Otto Stenberg is another one to watch after his cup of coffee with the Blues last season. Camp should be lively with so many younger players still in the mix.
The leadership group has also taken on a new shape. Robert Thomas is the captain, and the Blues have handed out assistant letters to Philip Broberg, Dylan Holloway and Jake Neighbours.
All three are 25 or younger, which says plenty about where the organization wants to go. The change may not show up immediately on the ice, but it does point to a club leaning harder into its younger core.
Then there are the new faces. St.
Louis had a busy summer, headlined by a pair of major trades. The Blues brought in Mason McTavish and sent Jordan Kyrou to the Washington Capitals for, primarily, Connor McMichael.
They also added Brandon Carlo from the Toronto Maple Leafs, giving Jim Montgomery a reunion with a player whose Toronto stint did not go so hot. Camp will offer the first real look at both McTavish and Carlo in Blues sweaters and a chance to see where they fit.
Free agency was quieter, but the Blues did make one notable signing in enforcer Ross Johnston. Practice won’t tell us much about his edge - teammates usually aren’t throwing punches at camp - but the preseason games should show how his presence changes the tone around the group. Teammates will know they won’t be easily pushed around.
Last season left plenty to fix, but this camp already has a different feel. A revamped leadership group, a wave of young players, and several fresh additions give the Blues a new look as they head into another difficult climb toward the playoffs.
In Other News...
Blues Right Wing Pipeline Carries One Huge Question Into 2026
The Blues right wing pipeline has a real mix of certainty and projection as the organization looks ahead to the 2026-27 season. Justin Carbonneau, Maddox Dagenais, Dmitry Buchelnikov, Lars Steiner and Dylan Peterson give St. Louis a group with different timelines, different skill sets and different levels of polish, which is exactly why this spot in the system has become worth watching. Some of the names are still in development, while others are already pushing toward roles that could matter when the roster starts to turn over.
Carbonneaus scoring jump in junior has put him in the spotlight, and the rest of the group carries its own kind of intrigue, from draft pedigree to the way each player fits the Blues long-term plans. Buchelnikovs path is especially interesting after arriving in the Justin Faulk trade deadline package, while the bigger question for the entire pipeline is which of these right wings can actually become an NHL regular and not just a prospect with promise. [Read more 🡒]
Blues Camp Will Put Early Roster Battles Front And Center
The Blues are setting the stage for a training camp that should feel more like an open audition than a routine tune-up, with the club announcing its 2026-27 camp schedule and a mix of familiar names and young talent ready to sort out early roles. Robert Thomas, Dylan Holloway and Jimmy Snuggerud are among the players expected to be in the mix as head coach Jim Montgomery begins the process of sorting through a roster that still has competition baked into just about every line.
For St. Louis, the appeal goes beyond the usual camp buzz because this is where the first real clues emerge about how the depth chart might look once the season gets going. The organization is also planning to give the younger players a chance to show what they can do in preseason action against the Dallas Stars on September 19, which should offer another important look at who is ready to push for a spot and who still has work to do. [Read more 🡒]
Jim Montgomery Enters A Make-Or-Break Season With The Blues
Jim Montgomery arrived in St. Louis with the kind of midseason rescue mission that can reshape a season, stepping in after the Blues fired Drew Bannister and helping steer the club into the playoffs. The relationship has since moved into a far less forgiving stage, though, with the team coming off a disappointing follow-up season that ended without a postseason berth and left Montgomery facing a far different kind of scrutiny.
The next chapter could be even trickier, because the Blues are expected to lean on a younger roster and that usually means a stretch of growing pains before the results catch up. Montgomery still has the benefit of his early success, but the margin for error is thin now, and the opening weeks may say as much about the direction of the team as anything that happens later in the year. [Read more 🡒]