The St. Louis Blues are continuing to shape their roster as the 2025-26 NHL season approaches.
On Sunday, President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Doug Armstrong announced a series of moves, assigning 18 players to the team's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds. Additionally, two of the club's top prospects were returned to their respective junior leagues to continue their development.
The assignments include a mix of forwards, defensemen, and goaltenders who impressed during training camp but will gain valuable experience in the AHL as they look to build toward hopeful NHL careers. The forwards heading to Springfield are Nikita Alexandrov, Sam Bitten, Hugh McGing, Matthew Peca, Juraj Pekarcik, Dylan Peterson, Simon Robertsson, Jakub Stancl, Sam Stange, Nikita Susuev, and Christopher Wagner. On the blue line, the Blues assigned Michael Buchinger, Quinton Burns, Marc-Andre Gaudet, Samuel Johannesson, and Anthony Kehrer. Rounding out the group are goaltenders Will Cranley and Vadim Zherenko.
These moves come as part of the Blues' annual preseason roster reductions, allowing the organization to evaluate depth while providing younger players with more playing time in a competitive environment. The reassignment also confirmed that Alexandrov and Peca both cleared Saturday's waivers and have not been claimed by other clubs across the NHL. The reassignment will allow prospects like Pekarcik, Robertsson, Peterson, Buchinger, and Stancl, among others the chance to head to Springfield ready to take on larger roles in their respective camps as they prepare for their futures with the franchise.
In separate transactions, forward Justin Carbonneau was returned to the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), and defenseman Adam Jiříček was sent back to the Brantford Bulldogs of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Both players, still in their junior eligibility years, will look to build on strong camps with the Blues by dominating at the junior level.
While Carbonneau was a player who stood out among the top prospects, the decision to send him back to the junior leagues now made the decision clear that there was not a chance that he would have made the squad's opening night roster. Armstrong's decisions, though difficult as it may have been, reflect the Blues' focus on balancing immediate competitiveness with long-term development. Carbonneau has stood out and may have accelerated his timeline to the NHL with strong prospect and training camps early in his time with the Blues. Should their season's align, the Blues could certainly look to add a player of his quality to the roster down the stretch as they did in 2024-25 with Jimmy Snuggerud.
The Blues will resume their 2025 preseason slate on Tuesday, September 30, when they host the Dallas Stars at Enterprise Center. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. CT.
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