Blues Assign 6 Players to Springfield Including 1st-Round Pick Justin Carbonneau

The St. Louis Blues continued trimming their training camp roster Wednesday, assigning six players to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds.

Forwards Justin Carbonneau and Nikita Susuev; defensemen Quinton Burns, Arseni Koromyslov and Colin Ralph; and goaltender Will Cranley were all assigned to Springfield. The six players will join several Blues prospects who were sent to Springfield earlier in camp as St. Louis works toward finalizing its opening-night roster.

On Sept. 20, the Blues assigned forwards Juraj Pekarcik, Simon Robertsson and Jakub Stancl; defenseman Michael Buchinger; and goaltender Parker Gahagen to Springfield. Forward Maddox Dagenais was returned to his junior team in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), while goaltender Vladimir Proskurin was returned to the Victoria Royals of the Western Hockey League (WHL).

Forward Felix Trudeau has also reported to Springfield to continue his rehabilitation from an upper-body injury.

Carbonneau was the most notable name among Wednesday’s assignments. The Blues selected him 19th overall in the 2025 NHL Draft, and the 19-year-old entered training camp with a chance to compete for an NHL roster spot.

After getting a look during training camp and the preseason, Carbonneau will now continue his season with Springfield. The assignment gives him a chance to play regularly at the professional level and continue his development. There is a decent chance he will get a call-up at some point in the season, but for now he needs to prove himself in the AHL.

Wednesday’s moves leave the Blues with 32 players remaining in camp. St. Louis must trim that group to a 23-man opening-night roster by Monday, Sept. 28. That leaves the Blues with several decisions to make over the final days of the preseason, particularly with competition still present among the bottom-six forwards and defensive depth.

St. Louis will continue its preseason schedule Thursday night when it hosts the Chicago Blackhawks at Enterprise Center. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT. They will then play the Blackhawks again on Saturday in Chicago. The game will give the remaining players in camp another chance to compete for a roster spot before the Blues finalize their opening-night group.