ST. PAUL, Minn. — In describing Otto Stenberg as a hockey player, two words might jump to mind: compete and complete.
Stenberg, a 2023 first-round pick of the Blues, is entering his first full season in North America this fall after making the midseason jump from Sweden to AHL affiliate Springfield (Massachusetts) last season. He made a big enough impression during his time with the Thunderbirds and continued that in two games of the Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase in Minnesota.
Stenberg had two primary assists on Friday night during a 6-4 win over the Wild, including a sneaky cross-crease pass that set up Justin Carbonneau for the game-winning goal. On Saturday night, in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Blackhawks, Stenberg scored just 1:18 into the first period, disrupting a Chicago zone exit before finishing a pass from Juraj Pekarcik at the net.
Unofficially, Stenberg’s three points led all Blues for the prospect tournament.
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“Last year in Springfield was a good step for him,†said defenseman Theo Lindstein, who knew Stenberg from playing together on Team Sweden. “He’s very, very skilled with the puck and a great player without. Likes to forecheck and finish hits. I think he’s getting used to it for every game here.
“He’s maybe a different player here than he was in Sweden, but he’s skilled, likes to hold onto the puck and make some great plays. You saw that (Friday), good passes and some nice apples. He’s been awesome so far.â€
During Friday’s game vs. Minnesota, Stenberg helped form an all-first round top line for 51ºÚÁÏ along with Dalibor Dvorsky (2023) and Carbonneau (2025). Stenberg assisted on Dvorsky’s goal in the first period when his rebound caromed right to Dvorsky the finish. Then he found a loose puck in the third period and quickly slid it to Carbonneau for the winner.
The Blues changed up their top six for Saturday’s game against Chicago, as Stenberg shifted to play alongside Jakub Stancl and Juraj Pekarcik. The trio scored on their first shift together.
Springfield coach Steve Konowalchuk got to see Stenberg up close for 38 AHL games last season and again over the weekend when he coached the prospects.
“His compete is really good,†Konowalchuk said. “He’s just tenacious and has a lot of energy. He has an all-around skill set: He can skate well, he can think well, good hands. He had two real strong games for us. Put him on a different line just to give a different look (Saturday). He played well on both lines.â€
The Blues took Stenberg with the 25th pick in 2023, a pick acquired at the trade deadline in the deal that sent Ryan O’Reilly to Toronto. He split time between the top-tier SHL and second-tier Allsvenskan in 2023-24, which included five goals in 12 playoff games for BIK Karlskoga.
In 2024-25, Stenberg averaged 12:28 of ice time in 25 games with Malmo before he made the transition to North America following the World Junior Championship. The move to the AHL allowed Stenberg to begin his transition process to the smaller ice and faster style of play.
“The game is so different from the bigger ice to the smaller ice,†Stenberg said. “Everything is quicker. You need to act quicker, you need to think quicker and be aware all over the ice. I would say that, and everything is close to the net.â€
In his 38 AHL games, Stenberg had five goals and 12 assists.
Stenberg was drafted as a center but has played exclusively at the winsg for the past two seasons and projects as a winger moving forward. This season, he figures to be back in Springfield but could present himself as an in-season recall option to 51ºÚÁÏ.
“I feel like I can play on all four lines,†Stenberg said. “I can play first line, I can play hard on the fourth line if I have to. Try to get better at everything. I guess now, coming over, try to get stronger on the puck, battles on the boards, get into the net a little bit more and stay in front. I would say board battles and battling in front of the net and trying to find space there.â€
