Otto Stenberg’s path into the Blues’ future just got a lot less straightforward.
After a promising first taste of the NHL in 2025-26, the 21-year-old forward looked like a real candidate to be part of St. Louis’ next wave. In 32 games, he posted three goals and seven assists for 10 points, a solid return for a player who had only recently turned 21.
But the picture around him has changed. The Blues are in the middle of reshaping their roster, and Stenberg is no longer just dealing with competition from within. The bigger wrinkle now comes from his own family.
His brother, Ivar Stenberg, was taken second overall by the San Jose Sharks at the 2026 NHL Draft, and that raises the pressure in a different way. The Stenberg name is suddenly part of the same kind of brotherly comparison that has followed other NHL families, from Brady and Matthew Tkachuk to Markus and Liam Ruck. The Sedin twins, Henrik and Daniel, remain the rare exception where the debate ended in a tie.
For Otto, that means the spotlight gets brighter while his own role in St. Louis remains unsettled.
Ivar looks headed for the Sharks in October, while Otto still has to prove where he fits with the Blues. And with Connor McMichael, Mason McTavish, Tynan Lawrence and Maddox Deganais all part of the mix, the center picture has become crowded fast.
That leaves four centers battling for three spots behind Robert Thomas, and Otto Stenberg will have to push harder than before to carve out his place. His first NHL stint was enough to earn another look, but there are still plenty of questions left to answer before training camp opens.
In Other News...
Ranking The Blues Prospects Who Could Define St. Louis Next Core
The Blues shift from Doug Armstrong to Alexander Steen has put the organizations next phase squarely in the spotlight, and that means the prospect pipeline matters more than ever. With St. Louis leaning into a youth movement and focusing on players under 25, the names drawing the most attention are the ones expected to shape the roster in the years ahead, from junior hockey to overseas development.
Among that group, Justin Carbonneau stands out as the most important offensive piece, while Adam Jiricek looks like one of the likeliest candidates to reach the NHL first. Tynan Lawrence brings a different kind of intrigue with his high-end draft pedigree and stylistic comparisons, and the same goes for Dmitri Buchelnikov and Maddox Deganais, both of whom add to the sense that the Blues next core could arrive in waves rather than all at once. [Read more 🡒]