The St. Louis Blues prospect report is back reviewing the club’s prospects playing in Europe for various teams in Sweden, Russia, and Finland. As a reminder, this will be published monthly covering prospects in the minor leagues as they continue to develop their skills to one day reach the NHL.
Here’s a look at some of the top players in Europe for the Blues currently playing in Europe.
Simon Robertsson
After missing nearly two months of games due to injury, Blues forward prospect Simon Robertsson has returned to action in Sweden for Skellefteå AIK. The 2023 third-round draft pick by St. Louis seemed poised to take the next step in his development this season, only to be derailed due to the early season injury. Since his return, he has appeared in five games for AIK scoring two points (one goal, one assist) while averaging 12:36 of ice time.
Robertsson has been progressing well in Sweden, but it is unclear whether he will turn into the productive forward that scored nine goals and 20 points through 15 J20 Nationell games during his draft season. At 20 years old, he still has plenty of time to continue his development before he reaches North America. He still possesses a wicked NHL-caliber shot that can beat goalies but could likely find himself in the NHL one day as a valuable two-way, bottom-six forward rather than the top-six goal-scoring forward some may have projected him to be.
Otto Stenberg
Otto Stenberg has split his time this month with both Frölunda HC of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) and international play with Sweden’s Under-20 (U20) squad. With Frölunda, Stenberg continues to earn second-line minutes with teammates David Edstrom and Erik Borg and though he has not registered a point in the SHL this month, he continues to earn opportunities and is being put in a good position for growth and development with his team.
In international play, Stenberg has now logged seven games with Sweden’s U-20 team scoring one goal and four points. He is currently tied for 12th on the team in total points and should be considered a lock for the upcoming World Juniors tournament in the coming weeks. Should he make the squad, it will be his first U-20 tournament after an impressive seven-goal, 16-point U-18 tournament during the 2022-23 season when he captained his team to a 3-2 overtime loss in the tournament’s gold medal game.
Theo Lindstein
One of the three first-round draft picks by the Blues in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, Theo Lindstein is off to a productive season with Brynäs IF in HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden’s second-highest professional hockey league. Through 18 games, Lindstein has scored two goals and seven points, while also scoring one goal in six games with Sweden’s U20 national squad.
November has been a quiet month for the 18-year-old defenseman as preparation for year-end international tournaments begins. While playing in HockeyAllsvenskan, he has managed two points (one goal, one assist) and a plus-three rating while averaging 15:30 of time on ice. Lindstein has also produced one goal in international junior play over the past few weeks, including a game-winning goal on Nov. 11 against Czechia U20 squad.
Nikita Susuyev
The 18-year-old Russian, Nikita Susuyev has spent the better part of November shuffled between the KHL, Vysshaya Hokkeinaya Liga (VHL), and Molodyozhnaya Hokkeinaya Liga (MHL). While he has played a majority of his games in Russia’s top league, he has not played very frequently averaging only 4:52 per game through six games as of this writing. Meanwhile, Susuyev saw a substantial increase in ice time when he played in both the VHL with Khimik Voskresensk and MHK Spartak Moskva’s games averaging 16:51 of time on ice.
Related: Projecting St. Louis Blues’ 2024 World Juniors Participants
Susuyev has only appeared in two MHL games this season, his most recent resulted in a three-point (one goal, two assists) performance where he logged just over 20 minutes of ice time. The Blues’ 2023 seventh-round pick (202nd overall) has proven his worth in the lower-level leagues in Russia this year scoring three goals and 10 points through eight MHL games and one assist in two VHL games. Despite his limited ice time in the KHL, he has registered two assists through 23 games. It is important to note that his club continues to keep the young forward in the KHL as he continues his development.
