MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- There was no second-guessing for Justin Carbonneau.
The St. Louis Blues first round pick (No. 19) in the 2025 NHL Draft was strong in his conviction when asked about his decision to return to junior hockey at Blainville -Boisbriand Armada of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League rather than go the college route to Boston College.
“Going college, I couldn’t be here today, so that’s a big thing,” Carbonneau said Thursday, a day prior to Blues prospects departing for Minnesota for the Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase. “I wanted to spend time with the prospects, the staff, all the players. I think it’s a great opportunity for me and a lot of learning I’ll get through the camp. That’s a big thing. Also, I’ve been there for three years in Blainville, bonding with my teammates. It would have been tough for me to leave that. Two reasons why I made the decision.
“It came close. I think Boston College is a great spot for everyone who goes there, but I feel like QMJHL, they did a lot for me to play where I am today for the last three years. I owe them the opportunity that they gave me at 16 years old. I’ve been loyal to them. This year, we have a great team. We’re trying to win a Cup, the (Memorial) Cup. I think I’m in a great spot wherever I play, but I think it’s a good decision that I took.”
And let’s not forget the greatest reason: earning a spot in the NHL with the Blues this season.
Signing a three-year, two-way, entry-level contract on Thursday was the start to that process.
“I guess it’s (the) first step,” Carbonneau said. “Now it’s an opportunity for me to kind of take it and make the best out of it. It’s the first step for me, so I’m really happy.”
Carbonneau will be at main camp when things kick off Sept. 18 at Centene Community Ice Center, but first thing is first, and that’s the opportunity to play with fellow prospects at the Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase against the Minnesota Wild on Friday and Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday, and a chance to play with Dalibor Dvorsky, the No. 10 pick in the 2023 draft, and Otto Stenberg, the No. 25 pick that same draft class.
“They’re really good,” Carbonneau said. “I’m grateful to play with them. I think both guys are really talented, a lot of talent. Good offensive guys, a lot of skating, but yeah, with my grit, my scoring abilities, I think I can complete them well. I’m real happy to play with them.”
Dvorsky added, “He’s a great player. A good guy off the ice as well. We only had one practice together, but it felt good. I’m excited to play with them the next two games.”
The Blues left Carbonneau’s decision totally up to him. They of course had their input on what they think is best for the investment they will be making in the forward, but they saw no harm in a decision one way or the other. In this case, it’s a chance to get the product up close and personable right from the start.
“When the kids choose what they want to, we’re happy for them and we support them 100 percent,” Blues assistant general manager Tim Taylor said. “He’s made a commitment to his junior team and to us and we’re excited about his future. As you see, he’s got great hands, he’s a big kid, he’s mature about his age with his strength. I think that he’s going to excel these next two games for rookie camp and looking forward what he does at main camp as well.”
The Blues have always said that should a kid or young player come into training camp, they will be doing so trying to take someone else’s job. That’s what the 18-year-old Carbonneau will be up against. He has the body (6-foot-1, 191 pounds) to do so, but lacks the experience of challenging men.
“You see your future more clear I think and you see the path that you need to take,” Taylor said. “It gives you some sort of idea where you need to get to. You see the NHL players, you’re here amongst everyone, you kind of see what you need to do to get there, and you’re excited about your future too. One doesn’t trump the other, it’s whatever is best for each individual and he’s chosen this and he feels this is the best situation for him to get to the NHL, and we believe that as well.
“… At the end of the day, kids show us where they’re supposed to be, and we’ll see at camp, see how his strength holds up to other guys. You think you’re coming in and you think you’re strong until you play against NHL players and men. I don’t know how that’s going to play out for him. He’s just a kid I’m really excited about. His future with the Blues is looking bright. We want to play it day by day and let him experience this because this is his first NHL training camp and let it play out and see where it lies.”
Carbonneau, who had 89 points (46 goals, 43 assists) in 62 games last season, will have three choices laid in front of him: make the team out of camp permanently, get nine games and then the Blues decide whether it’s NHL or junior the rest of the season, or he simply needs a full season in the QMJHL because he’s not quite ready for this level of play but gets to help fuel a run for a title at the junior level.
“One step at a time, but yeah, my goal is I have nothing to lose, right,” Carbonneau said. “I’ll go all out, I’ll try to show everything I have and try to learn from older players and guys that have played for the Blues. My goal is to play there one day and be there with them. It’s going to be a fun experience.
“I think I want to show my passion, I want to show that I care, my compete level, my grit. I think a lot of people know that I can score goals and I have offensive talent, I would say, but I’m here to show them passion about my game, I compete and all out for everything I do.”
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