Vladimir Proskurin is getting an early taste of life in the St. Louis Blues system, and the club is giving its lone 2026 draft goaltender a closer look in training camp.
The 2026 fourth-round pick was the only goalie the Blues took in that draft, and he arrived with some buzz after showing promise in Russia’s MHL, the KHL’s minor league. St. Louis has now brought him into the mix alongside Joel Hofer and Jordan Binnington, a sign that the organization wants a better read on what it has in the net.
Proskurin is headed to the WHL’s Victoria Royals, where he will play in 2026-27 and likely beyond that. For now, though, the training camp setting gives him a chance to work in front of General Manager Alexander Steen and measure himself against NHL-caliber shooters.
That matters in a Blues goalie pipeline that is already taking shape. Hofer and Binnington sit at the top for the moment, while Springfield featured Will Cranley, Georgii Romanov, and Vadim Zherenko last season. Zherenko is now in Ottawa, leaving Proskurin and Love Harenstam as the next wave developing in juniors and Sweden.
This camp stretch could be especially valuable because of who he’s facing. Jimmy Snuggerud is already an elite goalscorer, Dylan Holloway is right there too, and Pavel Buchnevich is a 30-goal scorer. Mason McTavish and Connor McMichael have also come close to that level before.
The ideal path for Proskurin is pretty clear from here: absorb the reps, spend a season or two in juniors, then move on to Springfield. Binnington is very likely on his way out of St.
Louis, which could open the door for Cranley or Romanov first. Proskurin, though, needs to be ready when his turn comes.
For a young goalie, these days can be brutal. They can also be exactly the kind of education that sticks. Just as Justin Carbonneau got advice from Brayden Schenn in last season’s training camp, Proskurin may get a similar helping hand from Hofer or Binnington before this one is over.
Steen clearly sees something worth investing in. Now the Blues get to find out how Proskurin handles the pressure.
In Other News...
Blues Camp Split Already Hints At Opening Night Decisions
The first signs of how the Blues may sort out their roster are already in place with training camp set to open in two groups, a split that gives an early glimpse at who is being treated like a regular and who still has work to do. Group A is packed with most of last seasons mainstays and the clubs new arrivals, while Group B is loaded with hopefuls trying to force their way into the picture, the kind of camp setup that usually tells you where the toughest conversations are going to happen.
For St. Louis, the most interesting decisions are up front and on the back end, where the final spots are not likely to come easy. The battle for the seventh defenseman job is one part of it, and the second-line center race is another, with the preseason opener against the Stars on Sept. 19 offering the first real test of how those roles might start to shake out. [Read more 🡒]
Jimmy Snuggerud Contract Delay Shouldn't Worry Blues Fans
Jimmy Snuggeruds contract situation has been the sort of thing that can spark unnecessary hand-wringing in a market that has already invested plenty of hope in its 2022 first-round pick. He is entering the final year of his entry-level deal, and while the window to sign a maximum eight-year extension before the NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement deadline has closed, the Blues winger is not treating the timing like a red flag.
Snuggerud said he expects the process to work itself out naturally, and the broader tone around the negotiations suggests the same. He wants to stay in St. Louis long term, while Alex Steen and Doug Armstrong have made clear the club is watching leaguewide contract trends but sticking to its own approach, which is the kind of measured posture that usually signals patience rather than panic. [Read more 🡒]
Alexander Steen Faces A Defining First Season Running The Blues
Alexander Steens first summer running the Blues has already been busy, and not just because he took over as general manager on July 1. The franchise has moved into a new era under Steen, with significant roster changes arriving alongside the usual pressure that comes with trying to keep St. Louis in the mix. He has also leaned on Jim Montgomery to handle lineup decisions, a sign that the organization wants structure and clarity as it heads toward the 2026-27 season.
Steen has also made one of the quieter but more meaningful calls of his opening stretch in charge, settling an important leadership question while the roster keeps taking shape around him. The next test is whether the moves he has already made are enough to hold steady if the season gets rocky, because the Blues are expected to stay active if they need to correct course. In a market that wants results quickly, the early months of Steens tenure may say as much about the future as any move he makes before the deadline. [Read more 🡒]