STL Sports Central 2026 NHL Draft Watch – Version 2.0

The Blues don’t know their lottery fate yet, but the direction of the franchise is no mystery. At 20‑28‑9, the standings have done the work for them. A rebuild is underway, the deadline is shaping up to be a liquidation of the aging core, and Doug Armstrong is preparing to turn veterans into futures. The pick they make in Buffalo this June will be one of the most consequential decisions this organization has made since the Pietrangelo era.

With the way the standings are shaking out, the Blues could be looking at the fourth overall pick. With that in mind, the scenario here is simple: the consensus top three selected which could be in some order of Ivar Stenberg, Gavin McKenna, Tynan Lawrence, and Keaton Verhoeff, are gone. The Blues step to the podium with the board wide open and a franchise‑shaping choice in front of them.

STL Sports Central Draft 1.0

This isn’t a consolation prize. The 2026 class doesn’t fall off after the top three. The tier from four through eight is rich with players who fit where the Blues are headed and what they’re trying to build.

The organization’s identity is shifting. Dalibor Dvorsky and Jimmy Snuggerud aren’t “prospects” anymore, they’re NHL players in their first full seasons. Justin Carbonneau, Adam Jiricek, and Theo Lindstein are close behind. 

The gap is on the blue line. Philip Broberg has established himself as a legitimate top‑four player, maybe even a top-pairing, but he’s not a franchise anchor. Cam Fowler stabilizes the group, Logan Mailloux brings upside, but the Blues don’t have the defenseman you build around for a decade. Justin Faulk and Colton Parayko are aging out of the timeline.

Best player available is the right philosophy at No. 4. Conveniently, in this draft, best player and organizational need intersect almost perfectly.

Alberts Smits - LD 

Smits has become one of the cleanest answer if the Blues want a true No. 1 defenseman. His rise has been meteoric from relative unknown to top‑five fixture, and he’s done it playing top‑pair minutes against men in Liiga as a draft‑eligible teenager. That alone helps separate him from the field.

Tony Ferrari calls his mobility, size, and raw offensive tools the best “draft‑and‑develop” package in the class. McKeen’s highlights his fluid skating, seamless transitions, and a point shot that’s a legitimate weapon. He led Jukurit rookies in goals and ice time and ranked second among rookie defensemen in assists on a team fighting relegation, not riding a contender’s wave.

Central Scouting has him No. 2 among international skaters. He was Latvia’s best player at the World Juniors, then played in the Olympics at 18. No defenseman in this class has faced tougher competition. The Seider comparison isn’t lazy. It’s the right archetype: big, mobile, assertive, and capable of driving play in all three zones. For a franchise that hasn’t had that profile since Pietrangelo, Smits could be the most direct path back to it.

The Fit:

Smits and Jiricek could become a long‑term top pairing with a deployment of two complementary and athletic players built for the modern game. The timeline matches perfectly: Smits arrives in two years, just as the Blues’ young core hits its stride.

Chase Reid - RD

Reid’s rise didn’t come from a single breakout moment but through a year of steady, undeniable progression. He began the 2024-25 season in the NAHL, made the decision to move on from Bismarck after scoring 12 points (6-6-12) in 18 games and made the mid‑season move to Sault Ste. Marie, and once he arrived in the OHL, everything clicked. He’s been one of the league’s most productive defensemen since joining the Greyhounds, piling up 40 points in 39 games to conclude the 2024-25 season, and currently 47 points in 42 games. He’s emerged as a legitimate power‑play driver with one of the best wrist shots in the draft.

The shot is the skill that changes his projection. It’s heavy, accurate, and comes off his blade with almost no tell, giving him a weapon that forces penalty killers to respect him high in the zone. His offensive abilities and U20 World Junior performance putting up four points in five games while averaging over 20 minutes for Team USA, only reinforced the sense that he’s still climbing.

At 6’2”, Reid has the frame and presence to handle real minutes, and his defending has taken a noticeable step forward as he’s adjusted to OHL pace. His skating remains the biggest question. His foot speed and pivots lag behind the elite defenders in this class, and he can be overly ambitious at times with long stretch passes. However, the growth curve is steep, and the combination of size, shot, and offensive instincts gives him one of the higher ceilings among defensemen in the draft.

The Fit

Reid fits St. Louis in a way that’s hard to ignore. The organization’s biggest long‑term need is a defenseman who can grow into a top‑pair role, and Reid brings a profile the Blues don’t currently have much to speak of in the system: a right‑shot puck‑driver with a legitimate power‑play weapon. Outside of Adam Jiricek, the Blues top-end options on the right side are limited. Broberg shoots left, and pairing a left‑right duo at the top of the lineup is exactly how modern contenders structure their blue lines. 

Reid’s trajectory with steady improvement, adaptability, and a willingness to take on more responsibility as the competition level rose mirrors the mentality the Blues want in their next core. If they believe his skating can continue to come, Reid becomes one of the most compelling swings they could take at No. 4.

Viggo Björck - C/RW

Björck is the most polarizing player in the class, and the reason is obvious: he’s 5’10” and 172 lbs. However, the production, the intelligence, and the pace are undeniable.

Before he ever touched the SHL, Björck had already rewritten Sweden’s junior record book. In the 2024-25 season, he led the J20 Nationell league in assists and points, posted the best plus‑minus in the circuit, and became the highest‑scoring U17 and U18 player ever to come through the modern junior system with 74 points and 47 assists in a single season. It wasn’t just dominance; it was historic production for his age, the kind of statistical profile that almost always foreshadows a top‑six NHL forward.

The Fit:

The Blues don’t need a center. However, Björck’s ceiling is high enough that positional need shouldn’t override talent. If the front office believes he’s the best player available, the pick is defensible. He’s the kind of player who makes your other good players better.

Ethan Belchetz - LW

This one might be a bit of a swing. However, Belchetz is the most physically overwhelming forward in the class. At 6’5”, 227 pounds, he’s already built like an NHL power forward, and he plays like one. The production backs it up — he’s pacing toward 38 goals and 68 points in the OHL at just 17 years old.

The Tkachuk comparison might not be too far off. A strong‑front dominance, relentless forechecking, a heavy shot, and a disruptive presence every shift. The skating is the concern. It’s improved, but it’s not a strength, and that’s why his rankings swing wildly.

The Fit:

The Blues don’t have a player like this anywhere in the system. Dvorsky, Snuggerud, and Thomas are skilled, intelligent, and competitive, but none of them impose their will physically. Belchetz could become the identity piece, the emotional engine, the guy who drags the team into the fight. The upside is enormous if the skating continues to come.