The St. Louis Blues announced on Wednesday that they have signed prospects Justin Carbonneau and Nikita Susuev to three-year, two-way entry-level contracts.
Carbonneau was the team’s first-round pick in June’s 2025 NHL draft, chosen with the No. 19 overall pick. According to Daily Faceoff draft expert Steven Ellis, he was the 15th-ranked prospect in the draft class.
“Great skater? Check,” Ellis wrote. “Excellent shot release? Absolutely. Carbonneau loves to make big, flashy, high-end plays and often comes out on the right side of it. He could probably use his linemates a bit better, but I think his willingness to do whatever it takes to generate offense will pay off in the NHL. Carbonneau needs to work on his shot selection and location, but there’s a ton of potential here for him to become a similar player to Brock Boeser.”
Carbonneau finished his draft year with 46 goals and 89 points in 62 games played for the QMJHL’s Blainville-Boisbriand Armada.
Susuev was the team’s 2023 seventh-round pick, and he comes to North America with 55 games of experience in the KHL under his belt. The 20-year-old has nine career points in Russia’s top league.
The Blues are set to open up their training camp on September 18, with both Carbonneau and Susuev on the initial training camp roster. St. Louis will kick off a seven-game preseason schedule on September 20 with a road game against the Dallas Stars. Their first regular season game comes at home on October 9 against the Minnesota Wild.
The Blues will look to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs once again in the 2025-2026 season. The team bowed out in the first round last year with a dramatic Game 7 loss at the hands of the Winnipeg Jets. St. Louis finished with a record of 44-30-8, and qualified for the postseason to snap a two-year drought.