Otto Stenberg didn’t light up the scoreboard in his NHL debut, but he impressed the St. Louis Blues coaching staff with other elements of his game.
Stenberg is listed at just 5-foot-11, 188 pounds, but he shows zero fear in getting into the dirty areas of the ice and doing whatever it takes to win puck battles. Ultimately, the Blues selected him in the first round (25th overall) in the 2023 NHL draft because of his skill, but the intangibles he brings along are a bonus.
“I thought he was really responsible and had good puck support,” coach Jim Montgomery said. “His intelligence keeps the team connected, and we don’t get too spread apart. He puts the brakes on. He has really good habits, stops, comes right back to the house. He made some really good reads on our penalty-kill and in our D-zone coverage, too. I thought it was a really good start to his career.”
He finished his NHL debut with no points or shots on goal, but he threw a hit and skated in 13:38 of ice time, including a minute on the penalty kill. Stenberg's advanced stats don't look great, as according to Natural Stat Trick, the Blues had just 28.53 of the expected goals and a Corsi For percentage of just 23.08 percent at 5-on-5.
The Blues went on to beat the Winnipeg Jets 1-0. The Jets are a well-structured team with the league's best goaltender. Scoring goals was always going to be a challenge, but the Blues, alongside Stenberg, proved to be up to the challenge.
“Maybe a little bit of a slow start point-wise, but my game overall, my 200-foot game, has been good lately,” Stenberg said. “I’ve been playing better with the puck and some points, too. Overall, my game’s been good.”
“I can play all over the ice,” he said. “I hope coach can trust me in different situations.”
Stenberg will be back in the lineup tonight and is expected to skate alongside Jake Neighbours and Brayden Schenn on the second line.
With the injury pile-up the Blues currently face, there’s runway for Stenberg to snatch a spot on the team and lock down a position. His production will need to follow at some point, but if the 20-year-old can continue to provide two-way versatility on the wing, he could have a role on this Blues team.
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