The annual World Junior Showcase kicked off in Plymouth, Michigan, on July 26 and will continue until August 3. Its purpose is to present the best U-20 players, whether on their teams last year or looking to sneak into the upcoming rosters for the first time for the 2025 World Junior Championship (WJC). Amongst the teams in the showcase are Sweden, USA, Canada, and Finland, and the St. Louis Blues have prospects from three out of the four nations playing in the World Junior Showcase.
Let’s look at the top five Blues prospects in the Showcase that the team could keep their eyes on for a potential spot on the Blues’ main roster ahead of the WJC.
5. Paul Fischer
The Blues drafted defenseman Paul Fischer in the fifth round (138 overall) of the 2023 NHL Draft. He has yet to play in the WJC with Team USA; however, he did play for them in the WJC U-18 tournament, where he only scored one point in seven games. Fischer has played with the United States National Team Development Program (USNTDP) since 2021. He left to play his first season in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) during the 2023-24 season at the University of Notre Dame.
In his first season with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, he played 34 games with 16 points. Even though he wasn’t the top point-producing defenseman, he had the third most blocked shots (44) on the team, which shows he can be a perfect defensive option for both the Blues and Team USA.
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So far, in the World Junior Showcase, he’s got two points through three games with USA Blue. Standing at 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds, Fischer is one of the bigger defensemen on this USA roster, and he uses it very well in tight defensive situations where he is required to strip the puck off an offensive opponent and make a quick pass. He reads the play well and is excellent for shutdown situations.
4. Lukas Fischer
Defenseman Lukas Fischer, unrelated to Paul, is one of the Blues’ most recent prospects from the 2024 NHL Draft. He was drafted in the second round (56th overall) and is looking to use this Showcase to make his first selection on the WJC roster for Team USA. Interestingly enough, Fischer is the son of former Detroit Red Wings and Czechia defenseman Jiri Fischer, now the director of player personnel for the Red Wings.
Lukas Fischer did not choose to go through the USNTDP, but instead, he went to play for the Ontario Hockey League’s (OHL) Sarnia Sting. In his first season with the Sting, he scored 10 points in 47 games and then had a stellar performance in 2023-24, when he scored 34 points in 68 games. At 6-foot-3 and 191 pounds, Fischer is not an offensive defenseman but plays more on the physical side of the game, with excellent mobility for his size.
Right now, Fischer has two points through three games in the Summer Showcase, which is an excellent start before his third OHL season and the 2025 WJC. Although he is not a first-choice defenseman for Team USA, with all of the incredible talents they’ve developed through the years, he should be worth considering as an excellent shutdown defenseman for Team USA in December/January for the WJC.
3. Quinton Burns
Quinton Burns was drafted by the Blues in the third round (74th overall) of the 2023 NHL Draft. His only international performance was in the 2023 U18 WJC, where he played three games but did not score a single point with Team Canada. He won a bronze medal at that tournament and has yet to be selected for the U20 team. If selected for the 2025 WJC in Ottawa, it would be his first selection for the tournament.
Burns played three seasons in the OHL with the Kingston Frontenacs, scoring 35 points in 58 games in 2023-24 and one point in five playoff games. His point totals in 2023-24 were among the top 30 in the league among defensemen. Burns is another defenseman on this list who is very good at shutdown plays, mainly on the passing lanes, where he is skilled at reading the play the most.
Burns has played two games under Team Canada White so far, scoring no points with the squad, showing he may need some work on the offensive side of his game. However, his defensive game is where the focus should mainly be if Canada wants to fix their mistakes in the last WJC.
Overall, this is great for Burns as he heads into his last year of eligibility in the OHL and will be able to step up his game to what hopefully could be a breakout year for him. In terms of international play, Team Canada will have a lot of great options to choose from for their defensive roster; therefore, Burns will have to be on his best game if he wants a good shot at making the 2025 WJC roster and so far has worked hard to gain some recognition for this squad finally.
2. Theo Lindstein
Theo Lindstein has grown into a great defensive prospect for the Blues, as he should be after being selected in the 2023 NHL Draft in the first round (29th overall). He’s become a great offensive defenseman for Team Sweden and the Swedish Hockey League’s (SHL) Brynäs IF.
In 2024, he made his first appearance for Sweden in the WJC and set the tone, scoring eight points through seven games in that tournament. He also had the most assists (6) and points by a defenseman and landed on the WJC All-Star list. His efforts were enough to push Sweden to the final against Team USA, which lost 6-2 and had to settle for the silver medal.
Last year, with Brynäs IF in HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden’s second-tier hockey league below the SHL, he scored 15 points in 49 games. In 2024-25, he’s been loaned to the senior team for Brynäs, which will give him a shot at redemption. His last appearance with Brynäs was in 2022-23, where he scored two points through 32 games.
Lindstein signed an entry-level deal with the Blues in March, giving him a potential shot at playing some games with the Blues roster.
In the Summer Showcase, Lindstein has three points in three games, and Sweden has one more game to play where he can add to his incredible performance. After this, I would say he is worth returning to the Sweden roster for the 2025 WJC, after all it is his last year of eligibility.
1. Otto Stenberg
Otto Stenberg is the only Blues prospect forward in this Summer Showcase and is one of their top ones. Drafted in the 2023 NHL Draft in the first round (25th overall), Stenberg is looking to play on the Sweden WJC team again for his final year of eligibility.
In the 2024 WJC, Stenberg scored nine points in seven games and was a crucial part of Sweden’s offensive roster to push to the gold medal game. He was one of the top goal-scorers in that tournament, ranking within the top 10 with five goals.
For his leading club, Frölunda HC, he scored six points in 31 games before being transferred on loan to BIK Karlskoga in the HockeyAllsvenskan. With BIK Karlskoga, he seemed more offensively sound, with nine points in nine games. In 2024-25, he will play on loan in the SHL for the Malmö Redhawks.
In the Summer Showcase, Stenberg has three points in three games, all from assists. His remarkable ability to pick the puck off his opponent and incredible stick-handling skills are something to look forward to. After this Summer Showcase, he could undoubtedly be a top forward to make the 2025 WJC for Sweden.
