Blues Prospect Tracker: Kaskimäki, Bordeleau Pace Springfield in Busy Week Across the Pipeline (March 9–15)

From the Springfield Thunderbirds push toward the AHL postseason to junior players making their cases across the QMJHL, OHL, WHL, and NCAA, and beyond, here is a look at how St. Louis's prospect pool fared between March 9 and March 15.

Springfield: Kaskimäki Leads the Way

It was a strong week for the Thunderbirds, who went 2-1 across three games and got a significant offensive boost from Aleksanteri Kaskimäki. The Finnish winger produced five points over three games with one goal and four assists while posting a plus-3 rating, making him the most productive Blue-affiliated skater on the tracker for the week. 

Kaskimäki has shown a consistent ability to make plays at the AHL level, and weeks like this one reinforce why the organization views him as a legitimate developmental piece.

Thomas Bordeleau had arguably his best week of the season alongside Kaskimäki, recording three points on two goals and an assist while generating six shots on goal. The Houston, Texas native, looked sharp and was rewarded with a plus-2 rating over the three-game stretch. He is exactly the kind of player who needs consistent touches to stay effective, and Springfield gave him that this week.

The power play also showed signs of life. Defenseman Marc-Andre Gaudet chipped in two points including a man-advantage goal, while forwards Juraj Pekarcik and Dylan Peterson each added a power play marker of their own. All three games were wins when the special teams clicked.

The defensive corps had a quieter offensive week. Theo Lindstein, on the other hand, got the call he has been waiting for and officially made his NHL debut. Lindstein registered a single assist across the three games and has been an even player showing he’s not quite the fish out of water that some may have thought looking at his minus-24 rating on EliteProspects. 

Additionally, fellow Blues prospect defensemen Quinton Burns and Hunter Skinner were both held without a point. The AHL season is deep enough at this stage that a quiet week from the blue line isn't cause for alarm, but consistency from the defensive prospects will matter as Springfield enters the playoff stretch.

In goal, Vadim Zherenko handled the lion's share of the work, posting a .918 save percentage across two outings on 73 shots faced. That kind of workload, with that kind of consistency, is exactly what you want to see from a goaltending prospect coming down the stretch.

North America: Carbonneau and Mayich Shine

Justin Carbonneau put together a productive week in the QMJHL, collecting three points on one goal and two assists while posting a plus-2 rating and generating 11 shots on goal. The winger also added a power play goal, and has continued to develop his all-around game. His shot volume alone is worth noting with 11 shots across three games. This is an elite pace at the junior level, and continues to speak to the kind of offensive instincts that made him an attractive pick for the Blues.

Defenseman Matthew Mayich was perhaps the most complete performer on the tracker this week regardless of league. The defenseman put up three points in two NCAA games grabbing a short-handed goal, and two assists against Quinnipiac, while averaging over 19 minutes of ice time per game. His 22:22 showing on Friday was the kind of usage that college programs reserve for their best, reliable defensemen, and Mayich handled it with a plus-1 rating and a pair of key two-way contributions. He is the kind of defenseman prospect who doesn't show up in the box score every night, but his ice time and impact metrics tell the fuller story.

William McIsaac had a productive week in the WHL without putting his name on a goal. The defenseman collected three assists across three games and posted an impressive plus-4 rating, all while his team went three-for-three in the win column. A plus-4 from a defensive prospect in a three-game span is meaningful. Adam Jiricek, meanwhile, was steady in the OHL, adding two assists over three games at a plus-1. Lukas Fischer chipped in two points as well, splitting them evenly with a goal and a helper across three OHL outings.

Antoine Dorion had a difficult week in the QMJHL, managing just one assist while picking up seven penalty minutes and finishing at a combined minus-2. At this stage of the season, the Blues will be hoping Dorion can clean up some of the undisciplined play and rediscover his offensive rhythm before the playoffs arrive.

Europe: Mixed Results Across the Leagues

Ondrej Kos was the brightest spot among the European contingent, scoring his first goal in Liiga this season and adding an assist before going quiet in two subsequent outings. The bigger concern with Kos remains his ice time. After retuning from a long-term concussion, he has averaged just over 10 minutes per game across his three appearances, which limits how much statistical output is even possible. He is a player the Blues drafted with long-term projection in mind, and those projections still look intact, but he needs more minutes to develop the consistency the organization is looking for. Health is key for the 20-year-old and he’s returning at a nice, steady pace. 

In the KHL, Ivan Vorobyov and Matvei Korotky each posted a single assist for the week. Defenseman Arseni Koromyslov, the 2022 Blues pick, appeared in two games and was held scoreless. More concerning was his ice time with just 5:23 in one appearance as he has been slated as the “extra” down the stretch, in a limited role with his club. For a player who could develop as a long-term organizational defenseman, getting meaningful time on the ice at this stage in his young career is a necessary step that has seen a small step back for the blue liner. Finally, recently acquired forward Dmitri Buchelnikov has signed a one-year contract extension and will remain in the KHL through the 2026-27 season, further delaying any North American debut. 

Marcus Gidlöf had a rough start in the SHL on Friday, allowing four goals on 18 shots for a .778 save percentage. He did not dress in two other games for his club, which itself is a number worth monitoring as the Swedish league pushes toward its own playoff picture. 

Love Härenstam continues to push now into the HockeyAllsvenskan postseason. After being named the 2026 Rookie of the Year, and Goaltender of the Year, he stopped 36 of 37 shots across two games for a .973 save percentage, including a shutout on Sunday. Härenstam's level of competition is lower than the SHL, but the consistency of his play is encouraging for a goaltending prospect still working his way up the ladder.

The Big Picture

The Blues' prospect pipeline produced a solid if uneven week. At the AHL level, the Springfield core is heating up at the right time, with Kaskimäki and Bordeleau providing the kind of offensive punch that gives the Thunderbirds a real identity heading into the stretch run. In the juniors, Carbonneau and Mayich offered the most complete performances of any Blues prospects tracked this week, and their trajectories heading into the offseason look encouraging. The European group remains a long-range story — none of those players are expected to impact St. Louis in the near term — but the ice time and production lines will continue to matter as the organization evaluates which prospects are ready to take the next step toward North America.

The Blues will have a full slate of prospect games to monitor next week. Check back with STL Sports Central for continuing coverage.