Steve Konowalchuk got his first glimpse of Otto Stenberg at Blues development camp over the summer.
“I remember at the time thinking: Dang, I’ve got to wait a year before I get to work with him,†Konowalchuk said. “Then, all of a sudden, we get him early.â€
Konowalchuk, the head coach of the Blues’ AHL affiliate in Springfield, Massachusetts, ended up with his hands on Stenberg about a month ago, when Stenberg made the jump to North American hockey in mid-January. Stenberg had a two-point game in his AHL debut on Jan. 18 and has two goals and five assists in 13 games with Springfield.
The Blues originally drafted Stenberg with the 25th pick in 2023, one of three first-rounders taken by St. Louis during that draft.
“He’s just a complete hockey player,†Konowalchuk said. “You can check all the boxes from hockey sense to skating to skill to shot to compete. He checks the boxes. For me, it’s just a matter of him keep building on those areas, but getting strong as he gets older. I can rely on him for penalty kill, and he can play power play.â€
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Stenberg was drafted as a center but has primarily played wing across the past two seasons with the Swedish under-20 team and professionally in Sweden. Konowalchuk said the Blues organization views Stenberg as a winger.
In Springfield, he’s played left wing mostly alongside center Hugh McGing and right wing Simon Robertsson.
“His line, doesn’t matter who I play them against, I can trust him,†Stenberg said. “He’s been a nice addition that we didn’t expect to get, at least I didn’t, this year. When we talk about the depth of our lineup, he’s a big part of that. Getting him is a certainly a bonus for our team.â€
As the Blues have fallen out of playoff contention in each of the previous two seasons, April has brought along with it an infusion of youth. In 2023, McGing, Matthew Kessel and Joel Hofer made late-season appearances. Last year, it was Zack Bolduc and Zach Dean.
While much of the attention has been focused on Dalibor Dvorsky’s potential NHL debut, Stenberg could also make a potential late-season cameo once the Blues have faded further from the postseason race. Of course, as long as his adjustment to North American hockey continues.
“It’s a pretty fast, north-south hockey game,†Konowalchuk said. “You get that puck in your end, you get going north and you get going on the attack, whether it’s a rush or whether it’s a forecheck. I think the European game sometimes likes to slow it down, there’s more space and you can do set breakouts and set regroups a little bit more.â€
And what about Dvorsky, the No. 10 pick in the 2023 by the Blues?
Dvorsky is fourth among AHL rookies with 35 points in 43 games, and represented Springfield at the AHL All-Star Game two weeks ago. He’s got nine points in his past seven games.
“I really like offensively where he’s trending with the puck the last couple weeks,†Konowalchuk said. “He’s strong on it, cycling it. He’s holding that puck and making the right play with it, confidence with it. You know he has a good shot, so I like that part where he’s stronger on pucks and having it on his stick more. That’s good.
“Defensively, he’s better. He’s grown as the year’s went on, but for the NHL, we’d still like to him get a little bit better in that area. Mistakes in the D-zone end up costing at the NHL level. They do here as well, but certainly at the NHL level. That’s, again, where all young guys (need to improve). It doesn’t come easy to a lot of young guys, but he’s certainly working on it. He’s certainly better than he was. As soon as that gets there, I think he’s off and running.â€
Aleksanteri Kaskimaki has 28 points in 46 games, putting him 15th in scoring among AHL rookies. For most of the season, Kaskimaki (third-round pick in 2022) has played on the same line as Dvorsky.
“He’s grown all year, and he grew into a big role for us when guys were hurt,†Konowalchuk said. “He was playing 20 minutes a game. Smart hockey player, with and without the puck, 200-foot game, doesn’t cheat the game. Plays with the kind of character you’re looking for in the NHL.â€
