Jimmy Snuggerud didn’t make The Athletic’s annual Top 150 players list, and that omission stands out.
The Blues had four players included when the list was released, with Robert Thomas landing in the third of five tiers, Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway in the fourth tier, and Colton Parayko placed in the bottom tier. Thomas also had his own headline on the day, as he was named the 25th captain in franchise history. The new home for watching the Blues was also announced, with local fans set to turn to Prime for their viewing needs.
But Snuggerud was nowhere to be found, and that’s the part that feels off.
He’s only got one year and a very little bit of NHL experience, but what he’s shown so far has already made a case. His rookie season was strong enough to earn him a first-team all-rookie nomination, and that kind of recognition doesn’t happen by accident. The Athletic’s list is supposed to reflect the best 150 players in the world, and Snuggerud’s name at least belonged in that conversation.
It’s especially hard to ignore when the two other rookie forwards named ahead of him, Ivan Demidov and Beckett Sennecke, also made the list. If there was room for them, there should have been room for No. 21 too, even if he ended up as the final player included.
That’s why the upcoming season feels like the one where Snuggerud can force the issue. The source material frames it as a breakthrough year, and with good reason: he’s still young, still ascending, and still not fully on the league’s radar.
The Blues, according to the piece, have a diamond in the rough on their first line. Snuggerud is expected to line up alongside Holloway, with a captain and an alternate in the mix, over the course of the next 84 games. The expectation is simple enough: he could go from overlooked to impossible to miss.
So while The Athletic left him off the list this time, the bigger question is whether the 22-year-old uses 2026-27 to make that snub look worse in hindsight.
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Blues Fans Already Have One Big Debate About Their New Forwards
The Blues offseason additions have already given fans something to chew on, and it starts with how the new forwards fit into an offense that is still taking shape. Mason McTavish and Connor McMichael both bring scoring upside, but they arrive with different expectations attached, and that alone has made for an early debate about which pickup matters more in the long run.
McTavish looks like the cleaner bet to become a bigger part of the attack. He is younger, carries more of a well-rounded offensive profile and seems better positioned to be a steady presence in the lineup, while McMichaels usage appears more fluid as the coaching staff sorts out roles and line combinations. For a team trying to deepen its forward group, the intrigue is not just what either player can do, but how much room there will be for each to do it. [Read more 🡒]
Blues Fans May Not Have To Wait Long For Carbonneau
Robert Thomas being named the 25th captain in Blues franchise history at 27 gives St. Louis a clear new face for the room as the organization moves into another season with expectations attached. It also frames the next wave of talent behind him, including first-round pick Justin Carbonneau, whose arrival is already part of the conversation even before he skates in an NHL game.
Carbonneau is expected to begin the year in Springfield, but the timetable around him may not stay quiet for long. St. Louis has a critical December stretch on the schedule, and the way the Blues handle that month could shape when the winger gets his shot, especially if the season turns bumpy or the roster gets tested by injuries. [Read more 🡒]