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The Blues head into training camp with their roster largely set. There will be no need to rush their top prospects to fill voids this season.

But this will be a critical year for many aspiring Blues, especially skilled forwards Dalibor Dvorsky and Justin Carbonneau and defensemen Adam Jiricek and Theo Lindstein.

To get back into the Stanley Cup chase, the Blues will need these prospects to grow into key NHL roles during the next two to four years and join the long-term nucleus of Robert Thomas, Jordan Kyrou, Jake Neighbours, Dylan Holloway, Philip Broberg, Logan Mailloux and Jimmy Snuggerud.

How are these next-generation Blues shaping up? The hockey operation will gain a much better idea by the weekend after these prospects work with the team’s development staff and test themselves against rival prospects.

Dvorsky and Co. will be back in town for two days of work at Centene Community Ice Center, then they will head to St. Paul, Minnesota, for two games in the Tom Kurvers Prospects Showcase.

After that, top prospects will take the ice with veterans in training camp and against veterans in preseason play.

Dvorsky could help the Blues sooner than later, especially with his one-time shot on the power play. But the franchise needs him to become a true top-six forward at both ends of the ice.

The Blues don’t want to promote him into a sheltered role, playing on the second power-play unit while seeing limited action at five on five. Dvorsky can score goals, but he must push his game up to the NHL pace.

He reminds longtime Blues fans of Pavol Demitra with his ability to protect the puck, read the play and beat defenders one on one.

But we’ll remind current Blues fans that Demitra didn’t stick in the NHL until he was 23, after spending most of four seasons playing in the AHL and IHL. Dvorsky is still ahead of schedule. It’s going to come.

Carbonneau, the 19th overall pick in this year’s draft, looked like an NHL player when he overpowered his peers at Blues development camp. He is big and strong. He battles. He skates. He blasts the puck. He possesses swagger.

Ah, but what about his ability to read the play at both ends of the ice? Carbonneau can dominate the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with his physical ability, but let’s see if he develops a Snuggerud-like feel for the game.

Carbonneau could have jumped to Boston College, gained extra training time and competed against older players. But he returned to the Q instead, so this preseason will be especially important as he measures himself against adult players.

While the Blues got younger on the blue line by clearing out Ryan Suter and Nick Leddy and acquiring Mailloux, further transition will be needed given the advancing age of Justin Faulk, Cam Fowler and Colton Parayko.

This is a massive campaign for the injury-plagued Jiricek, the 16th overall pick in 2024. His goals for this season are simple: stay healthy and play lots of hockey.

If Jiricek can do that — then follow up a full campaign with another summer of weight training to fill out his frame — he could step up in the AHL in 2026-27 and perhaps get some NHL time.

Lindstein played two full seasons in Sweden after the Blues drafted him 29th overall in 2023, so he’s ready to move on to the smaller North American rinks for a full AHL season.

There is nothing flashy about his game. But given his heady play under pressure on the international junior hockey stage, Lindstein could emerge as a reliable puck mover in another year or two.

He makes good decisions with the puck, but he’ll need to make them quicker on this side of the Atlantic.

This is a big season for several other prospects too. Otto Stenberg, the 23rd overall pick in 2023, got a half-season of AHL experience last year after coming over from Sweden.

Like Lindstein, he excelled against his age group in international play. Now that Stenberg has adjusted to the smaller rink and embraced the AHL grind, he should be poised for take-off in this campaign.

He could blossom into a middle-six winger — and the Blues must give him the time needed to fulfill his offensive potential before graduating him to the NHL. Otherwise, the franchise risks lowering his ceiling.

Meanwhile Zach Dean, who came to the Blues in the Ivan Barbashev trade more than two years ago, could provide more near-term depth if he can advance his game in the AHL. He got his first NHL look two years ago, then he lost most of last season to injury.

Dean, the 30th overall pick in the 2021 draft, must regain developmental traction to move into line for a bottom-six forward role.

Over the longer haul, the Blues would love to see forwards Adam Jecho and Jakub Stancl and defensemen Lukas Fischer and Colin Ralph join the scene. All four are rangy players who are still early in their development.

They look good stepping off the bus, as the saying goes, but will they look good on the NHL ice some day?

The growth of these four and the others must continue this week, this fall and the next few seasons for the Blues to ultimately get where they want to go.