Blues Early 2025-26 Preseason Takeaways

The St. Louis Blues wrapped up the first weekend of their 2025 preseason with a pair of road setbacks, edging out a 2-1 loss to the Dallas Stars on Saturday before falling 4-1 to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday. 

While the results sting, preseason is less about the scoreboard and more about evaluation—especially for a Blues team leaning heavily on unproven talent in these games. A majority of the players in these lineups were fresh from junior hockey, some lacking even AHL experience from last season. 

These prospects are not only new to pro-level competition but also adapting to head coach Jim Montgomery’s structured system, often playing in elevated roles that expose them to tougher matchups than they may have seen in at this point in their young careers.

With this in mind, let’s look at some of the early trends from the first two Blues games of the preseason and what it could mean as they fine-tune their roster ahead of the regular season opener.

Offensive Output

The Blues mustered just one goal per game, combining for a disappointing two goals on 36 shots good for roughly 5.6% shooting rate. For a group dominated by juniors transitioning to the pros, this isn’t entirely unexpected; the pace and physicality at this level demand quicker decisions and sharper finishing.

Shot attempts ticked up from 15 against Dallas to 21 versus Columbus, and showed the team is starting to generate more opportunities as they settle in. 

However, even-strength production was limited (zero EV goals in Game 1, one in Game 2), plagued by high giveaway totals (10 and 16, respectively). PTO forward Milan Lucic grabbed an assist in the loss to Columbus, providing a fine but not spectacular veteran presence. At this point, his leadership and grit could be assets to the club moving forward, though he’s best suited as a 13th forward at this stage, nothing more. 

The power play is needing some work. One for two in their game against Dallas was fine but a zero for three on the man-advantage against Columbus really set the team back. 

In Short: Turnovers are hurting attack efforts. As the young players acclimate to Montgomery’s emphasis on quick puck movement there should hopefully be drills more focused on possession and high-danger chances to ramp up. 

Defensive Lapses

Conceding six goals across the two games, the Blues’ blue line revealed vulnerabilities, especially in even-strength situations. Young defensemen like Logan Mailloux and Adam Jiricek were logging heavy minutes and likely against heavier competition than Jiricek is used to seeing in the OHL, and potentially than Mailloux has seen in the AHL. 

Shot suppression improved slightly, from 34 allowed in Game 1 to 22 in Game 2, but the quality of chances surrendered escalated, resulting in four even-strength goals against Columbus. Blocked shots held steady (18 and 16), showing commitment, which is great, yet takeaways remained minimal (one per game). 

The collective plus/minus? A rough -20 overall, On a positive note, the penalty kill was flawless, killing off all power plays without allowing a goal, despite nine penalty minutes each night. 

In net, Colten Ellis started strong in the opener, allowing just two goals on 34 shots, signaling he could be NHL-ready sooner than later—it’s very likely he could earn a backup role today in the right situation, putting the Blues in a solid position with their netminders overall.

In Short: Montgomery’s system could have a bit of a steep learning curve for the younger players. However, the level of talent that has played should have played better throughout the first two games of preseason. 

Face-Off Dot

One bright spot among the struggles: face-off performance. The Blues saw a dramatic leap from 33% (15-of-46) against the Stars to 57% (30-of-53) versus the Blue Jackets. It could say something against the level of competition but that is a big jump nonetheless. 

Even-strength draws improved from 34% to 56%, and the Blues were flawless on power-play face-offs in Game 2 (4-for-4). Veterans like Nick Bjugstad (67% in Game 2) provided a steady hand when needed and could be a viable option for the Blues when needing a timely draw. 

In Short: Call it coaching tweaks, call it a change in competition, call it whatever you want. Better possession from wins could fuel more offensive zone time, and its a trend in the right direction.

Physical Edge

Physicality was constant, with the Blues dishing out 28 hits in Game 1 and 34 in Game 2—out-hitting Columbus despite the lopsided score.

Standouts like Alexandre Texier (seven hits on Sunday) and Nathan Walker (six on Saturday) led the effort. It’s not surprising given that both players are vying for one of a limited bottom-six roles. It’s something you like to see from both youth and veteran players but not at the expense of a lopsided 4-1 loss. 

In Short: For players new to the pros, this commitment to battling is encouraging, but channeling it without drawing whistles will be crucial. It’s a foundation that could define the Blues’ identity in a gritty Central Division.

Prospect Watch

Ultimately, it’s preseason. This is a time of evaluation for the young Blues who have a wide selection of prospects to integrate into their early lineups. What is becoming clear is that their top talents aren’t yet ready for the NHL grind.  Several prospects shone through the losses, giving hope and reassurance in St. Louis’ promising pipeline, though the focus remains on patient development.

Justin Carbonneau was the offensive catalyst, netting the Blues’ only goal in each game while adding an assist in the opener (+2 rating there, -1 on Sunday) while logging over 20 minutes per night. He’s already earning trust, but he’s best suited to start the season back in the QMJHL to continue maturing among peers. 

Otto Stenberg (+2 with an assist in Game 2), and Dalibor Dvorsky (42% on faceoff dot and four giveaways)—all of whom should remain ready to kick off their seasons in the AHL, honing their skills with top minutes and responsibilities there before any NHL call-up.  Defensemen like Theo Lindstein and Adam Jiricek also flashed potential in heavy roles, but Lindstein is AHL-bound, while Jiricek should return to the OHL for further growth and development.

In Short: All of this is okay—the Blues top prospects have time to grow and mature among their age peers, developing at their own pace. The Blues don’t need to rely on them just yet; they need to build experience to be ready when called upon. Players are earning early trust and could be called-up from the AHL eventually, but only after logging significant top-line minutes and responsibilities there first. 

Read More: 5 Thoughts From the Blues’ First Training Camp Line Combos