The St. Louis Blues’ prospect pipeline had a busy week, with roster shuffling at the NHL and AHL level and a long list of young players keeping their momentum going in junior, college, and overseas leagues.
The biggest movement came in St. Louis, where defenseman Theo Lindstein was assigned to the Springfield Thunderbirds on Oct. 23 after appearing in four NHL games and picking up one assist.
He was also a frequent healthy scratch, with Justin Barron getting most of the starts. Forward Dylan Peterson was sent back to Springfield too after three games, including his NHL debut.
To fill those spots, the Blues recalled forwards Aleksenatari Kaskimaki and Otto Stenberg, along with defenseman Quinton Burns. Kaskimaki and Stenberg both dressed in two games and each recorded one point. Forward prospect Zach Dean was also placed on waivers, went unclaimed, and was reassigned to Springfield, where he has settled in as one of the Thunderbirds’ top-six centers.
Springfield had plenty of reasons to like the week beyond the transactions. Simon Robertsson turned in the most productive stretch among the club’s AHL skaters, posting three points in two road games at Charlotte. The 23-year-old winger now has 1 goal and 2 assists through five games, and the 2021 third-round pick is still trying to carve out his offensive game in North America.
Michael Buchinger also chipped in from the back end, scoring his second goal of the season and adding an assist against the Checkers. In six AHL games, the 2022 third-round pick has 2 goals and 1 assist.
Theo Lindstein made an immediate impact after his return, putting up a goal and an assist in his first two games back with Springfield after the assignment from St. Louis.
Peterson found the net for the first time this season in Springfield’s 2-1 win over Charlotte on Saturday, just a week after making his NHL debut. He now has 1 goal in five AHL games and should continue to see top-six minutes with the Thunderbirds.
In goal, Will Cranley keeps giving Springfield something to think about. He allowed 1.00 goals against average and posted a .929 save percentage in his lone appearance last week, and on the season he sits at a 1.22 GAA, a .957 save percentage, and one shutout in four games.
Elsewhere in the system, the KHL group continued to produce. Dmitri Buchelnikov scored twice in three games, including once against fellow prospect Matvei Korotky.
He has 7 goals and 2 assists through 19 games, and is on pace for a career-high 25 goals over 68 regular-season games. Korotky added three assists for SKA St.
Petersburg, including two in a 6-3 win over Sibir Novosibirsk. His 13 points in 17 games have him ranked third among all U21 skaters in the KHL.
In the OHL, Colin Fitzgerald kept rolling for the Soo, putting up 2 goals and 1 assist in three games. That included a two-point night in a 5-4 overtime win Thursday against the Windsor Spitfires. The 2026 seventh-round pick now has 7 goals and 7 assists in 14 games, a strong start after moving onto the Soo’s top line.
Maddox Dagenais was productive on the QMJHL road trip for the Remparts, scoring once and adding an assist over three games. The Blues’ 2026 first-round pick, taken 16th overall, has 6 goals and 4 assists in 11 games and is tracking toward a career-high 34 goals and 57 points.
At Boston University, Tynan Lawrence continued settling in after a rocky start to his NCAA path. The Blues’ 2026 11th overall pick scored his fourth goal of the season and collected his second multi-point game of the year. In six games, he has 4 goals and 3 assists, and leads his team in both categories.
A few more prospects kept their seasons moving across Europe. Love Härenstam posted a 1.00 GAA in his lone HockeyAllsvenskan appearance and now owns a 2.19 GAA, .915 save percentage, and two shutouts in 11 games, good for sixth-best save percentage in the league.
Lars Steiner picked up one assist in three NL games and has 1 goal and 3 assists in 16 games. After a 30-goal, 55-point season in the QMJHL last year, the 18-year-old is now playing against men and is third among U19 point producers in the league.
In Other News...
Blues May Be Near A Tough Dalibor Dvorsky Decision
Dalibor Dvorsky has shown enough to keep the Blues interested in his long-term upside, even if his early NHL looks have been uneven. The high draft pick has flashed a strong shot and the kind of defensive responsibility that coaches appreciate, but the offensive production has not come quickly, and his role has reflected that limited impact.
Jim Montgomery has made it clear the next step has to come on the scoring side, which helps explain why Dvorskys ice time has stayed so modest this season. With St. Louis weighing whether he needs more seasoning in the AHL, the decision is starting to feel less about whether he belongs in the organizations plans and more about where those plans are best served right now. If he does go down, the Blues may have to adjust the roster around him. [Read more 🡒]
Blues Still Have One Clear Gap Before They Can Chase Contenders
Robert Thomas is still the face of the Blues next push, and the conversation around him only gets sharper when hes measured against the leagues better centers. A recent matchup with Carolina offered a clean reminder of where St. Louis stands, with Sebastian Aho bringing the more polished all-around game and the kind of offensive consistency the Blues are still trying to build toward. Thomas remains a centerpiece for a young core that has room to grow, but the gap between being promising and being a true contender is still easy to see.
Ahos edge is not just about one night, either. His career production has come at a steadier clip, and that matters when youre comparing a team trying to climb with a player who already has a long track record of driving results. For the Blues, the encouraging part is that Thomas and the group around him are still in position to improve, but closing that gap will take more than internal growth alone. It will take more finishing ability from the top end of the lineup, and the kind of consistency that contenders tend to have before everyone else catches up. [Read more 🡒]