The St. Louis Blues began selling off key pieces last year, moving on from Vladimir Tarasenko, Ryan O’Reilly and Ivan Barbashev while bringing in some futures.

That helped the Blues in a big way, landing three of their top 10 prospects. The group is highlighted by Dalibor Dvorsky, who has top-line center potential. And he’s not alone: Jimmy Snuggerud looks like one heck of a prospect that should have no point recording 50-plus points a season.

The team’s top six prospects are solid, but it falls off a bit after that. The Blues have a midpack pool that, luckily, got significantly better at the draft in June. But there’s still a ton of work to be done for this club to reach competitive status again.

The acquisition of Kevin Hayes at least indicates the team isn’t ready to give up just yet. And a few young players should factor into the team this year too, like Joel Hofer and Scott Perunovich. But don’t expect success any time soon the way it stands.

Biggest Strength

Goal-scoring won’t be an issue. Dvorsky and Snuggerud are high-end producers, while Jake Neighbours, Zach Bolduc and Otto Stenberg should all play big roles long-term. Other guys can fit roles, like Zach Dean and Jakub Stancl, but they’ve got a versatile group.

Biggest Weakness

Defensive depth isn’t a huge strength here, with nobody really projected to be top-four option unless Perunovich can stay healthy. Matt Kessel, a 23-year-old depth guy, is the highest-profile right-hand shot defender, and he’s unlikely to ever become a full-time NHLer. The 2024 NHL Draft can help with an influx of quality blueliners available.

TOP 10 PROSPECTS

*Dalibor Dvorsky (Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff)*

Grade: B

1. Dalibor Dvorsky, C, 18 (IK Oskarshamn, SHL)

Drafted: No. 10, first round in 2023

At the 2021 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, the only forward that seemed able to keep up with Russia’s Matvei Michkov was Dvorsky. That tournament helped put him on the map, and the hype continued with his play against men last year. The raw talent is there, and it was on full display during a near-MVP effort at the U-18 World Championship last April. He’s set for his first year of SHL action with Oskarshamn, but after signing his entry-level contract, we might see him head over to North America for 2024-25.

2. Jimmy Snuggerud, RW, 19 (University of Minnesota, NCAA)

Drafted: No. 23, first round in 2022

Snuggerud was one-third of the NCAA’s best scoring line alongside Logan Cooley and Matthew Knies. Both of them left, leaving Snuggerud to lead the team as a sophomore. He’ll have a chance to play with Chicago Blackhawks prospect Oliver Moore, but it wouldn’t be surprising if Snuggerud’s offense drops a bit. That being said, he’s an excellent scoring threat with good size. He was outstanding at the 2023 world juniors and will play a huge role again with the United States in Sweden this winter.

*Zachary Bolduc (Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports)*

3. Zachary Bolduc, C, 20 (Springfield, AHL)

Drafted: No. 17, first round in 2021

Bolduc did everything he possibly could in the QMJHL – score more than 100 points in a season, win a QMJHL title and, most importantly, win a Memorial Cup. The Trois-Rivieres native is a proven goal scorer with 105 over the past two regular seasons, but he also developed a sixth sense for setting players up on the rush this year. After a year or two in the AHL, look for Bolduc to fight for a top-six spot.

4. Zach Dean, C, 20 (Springfield, AHL)

Drafted: No. 30, first round in 2021 by Vegas/traded to St. Louis in 2023

Acquired from Vegas in February for Barbashev, Dean is coming off an interesting season. He had a career-best 33 goals and 70 points and helped Canada win gold at the world juniors. His run there was a bit controversial, with a headshot resulting in a suspension. He finished the season with an incredible 26 points in QMJHL 13 postseason games,

5. Joel Hofer, G, 22 (St. Louis Blues)

Drafted: No. 107, fourth round in 2018

The 2022-23 AHL season was Hofer’s best season to date, posting a 27-15-5 record, five shutouts and a .921 save percentage, earning him a spot on the AHL’s second all-star team. He also was Canada’s backup at the IIHF World Hockey Championship, earning his second gold with Canada after his spectacular 2020 world junior performance. Hofer is no stranger to doing a bunch of heavy lifting, and he looked quite good in his short NHL stint with the Blues. He’s ready for backup duty now, and we’ll see if he can push Jordan Binnington to the bench.

*Otto Stenberg (Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports)*

6. Otto Stenberg, C/LW, 18 (Frölunda HC, SHL)

Drafted: No. 25, first round in 2023

The highs are high. The lows are low. He looked out of place in the SHL but was excellent against kids his own age. The raw talent is there, especially as a 200-foot threat that can be dangerous around both nets. His biggest asset might be his play-reads. Against his own age group, both at the recent U-18 World Championship and the World Junior Summer Showcase, Stenberg looked great. Let’s see if he can step up in 2023-24.

7. Scott Perunovich, D, 25 (St. Louis Blues)

Drafted: No. 45, second round in 2018

Perunovich was once expected to be the top prospect with the Blues, someone capable of potentially playing top-four minutes. After an excellent junior season with the University of Minnesota-Duluth in 2019-20, he turned pro – but didn’t play a game until 2021-22 after missing all of 2020-21 due to injury. Perunovich was excellent in the AHL last year but was limited to just 43 games between the regular season and playoffs in the NHL and AHL. Last year, he was a near-point-per-game player – but he only skated in 22 AHL games. He was great at the World Championship, giving Blues fans a bit of renewed hope. Staying healthy has been an issue, but his work speaks for itself. Hopefully, he can figure things out and become a full-time NHLer this year.

8. Theo Lindstein, D, 18 (Brynas, HockeyAllsvenskan)

Drafted: No. 29, first round in 2023

Lindstein made his SHL debut at 16 and was almost always ahead of his age group. But at a certain point, it seemed like his progress started to fizzle out a bit. It was great to see him play so much with Brynas’ pro team, but his previous confidence against his own age group didn’t shine through until the latter part of the season. Still, the potential for Lindstein to bounce back and become a steal is high here.

*Theo Lindstein (Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff)*

9. Michael Buchinger, D, 19 (Guelph, OHL)

Drafted: No. 88, third round in 2022

A strong skater, Buchinger is an interesting defender. He plays the game at a high pace, and it’s where he excels. His offensive game is solid too, highlighted by his 15 goals and 67 points this year. His decision-making and own-zone play leave a bit to be desired. The 2022 third-rounder will need some pro seasoning, but the raw talent is there.

10. Tyler Tucker, D, 23 (St. Louis Blues)

Drafted: No. 200, seventh round in 2018

Tucker got into his first NHL action last year, scoring a goal and four points in 26 games. He spent the rest of the season playing big minutes with Springfield in the AHL, displaying a solid physical game. Everything up to this date has made him an exciting late-round steal after getting drafted 200th overall in 2018. But for the most part, he’ll peak as a third-pairing defenseman.

Other notables: Keean Washkurak, C (22), Leo Loof, D (21), Colten Ellis, G (22), Vadim Zherenko, G (22), Simon Robertsson, RW (20), Juraj Pekarcik, LW (17), Landom Sim, RW (19), Ivan Vorobyov, C (21), Dylan Peterson, C (21), Aleksanteri Kaskimaki, C (19), Quinton Burns, D (18), Paul Fischer, D (18), Matthew Mayich, D (18), Arseni Koromyslov, D (19), Jakub Stancl, LW (18)

Previous 2023-24 NHL Prospect Pool instalments

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