Blues Prospects Selected for the 2025 World Juniors – The Hockey Writers St Louis Blues Latest News, Analysis & More

The 2025 World Junior Championship (WJC) in Ottawa is about to begin as all participating nations are finalizing their rosters. For the St. Louis Blues, it’s an opportunity for them to find out which prospects will be vital to their team in the future and which draft-ready players are worth selecting in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. Last year, the Blues had seven players selected to the WJC; this year, they have nine across four teams, most of which have already competed in WJC in the past two years and are in their final year of eligibility in the tournament. Let’s look at who was selected and what they could bring to their teams.

Adam Jecho (Czechia)

Adam Jecho was selected in the third round, 95th overall in the 2024 Draft, and plays with the Edmonton Oil Kings of the Western Hockey League (WHL). This is his first year playing in the U20 WJC with Czechia. He’s been a highly-regarded player within their system, as he’s made every amateur International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) tournament with Czechia before this tournament.

Related: Ranking the Blues Record-Setting 9 Prospects at 2025 WJC

With the Oil Kings this season, he has 24 points through 26 games and is fourth on the team in points. Last season, he had 47 points in 54 games in his first season with the team. His most impressive IIHF tournament performance was at the 2023 U17 World Hockey Championship, where he finished with five points through six games. Overall, he’s significantly impacted Czechia’s national team and is a reliable option for them as he was crucial to getting them to the gold medal game in the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup (which they lost) and also finished as a top three player in the 2024 U18 WJC.

Jecho also has a unique skillset; at 6-foot-5, he’s got an impressive set of hands and puck-handling ability for a player of his stature. He also weighs over 200 pounds, so he will likely play a key role in their bottom six and maybe their penalty-killing units, an excellent look for the Blues’ future roster shape.

Adam Jiricek (Czechia)

This will be Adam Jiricek’s second year of eligibility in the tournament and his year for redemption, as he suffered a leg injury last year in the first game of the WJC. Despite the injury, the defenseman eventually returned with his team, HC Plzen, in the Czech Extraliga, where he earned one point in 19 games. Even with just a few games to play after his injury, he was still selected 16th overall in the first round of the 2024 Draft by the Blues. However, had he not been injured, he would’ve likely been selected higher.

This season, he’s opted to play in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) with the Brantford Bulldogs. He has done reasonably well through his first six games with the team, recording three points after he returned from another injury for which he had to sit out a month. It will take him a while to get back on track with the Bulldogs, and hopefully, this WJC will help boost his confidence a little after two lower-body injuries that have hampered his amateur hockey career. Despite that, he has looked very good since his return to the Bulldogs lineup with three points in his last two games.

He may have a higher role with Czechia in this tournament. It will be a significant risk because of how fragile his injury situation looks before this year’s tournament. Jiricek has already signed his entry-level contract (ELC) with the Blues, and if another injury occurs in this tournament, it may hurt the development of what could be one of the team’s top defensive players.

Jakub Stancl (Czechia)

Another Czech Canadian Hockey League (CHL) talent who will be representing the Blues for Czechia is Jakub Stancl. Stancl plays with the Kelowna Rockets in the WHL and the Blues drafted him 106th overall in the fourth round of the 2023 Draft. He will return for his final year of eligibility in the tournament and was one of Czechia’s most impactful players in last year’s WJC.

In the 2024 WJC, Stancl made his WJC debut and was great, recording six points through seven games and being essential to Czechia winning bronze. He showed great two-way ability on the forecheck through takeaways and goals, scoring four. In his debut season with the Rockets, Stancl has put up some impressive numbers ahead of the WJC. In 26 games, he’s tallied 32 points and ranks inside the top 50 in points in the WHL.

After not getting enough playing time in his previous team, Växjö Lakers HC in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), the move to the CHL has revealed his potential and hopefully will help him thrive at playing in the North American hockey environment where the game is a little more aggressive and to his liking. Stancl is six-foot-three and weighs almost 200 pounds, so it’s not surprising he is in the right place at the right time with his size and aggressive forechecking ability. The Blues have signed him to an ELC so they do see something special in him.

Ondrej Kos (Czechia)

Ondrej Kos is the only Blues prospect not playing in the CHL and plays for Ilves in the Finnish Liiga. He was drafted 81st overall in the third round of the 2024 Draft and is still yet to sign an ELC with the Blues. The 2025 WJC will be his first at the U20 level and could benefit the Blues, potentially giving him a chance at a contract.

With Ilves, he has three points through 13 games and is not doing too well; despite the poor performance, it seems Czechia has gained a liking for his international performance, which has been phenomenal. At the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, he scored five points through five games, which benefited Czechia, making the gold-medal game.

Kos is only 18 and can switch to North American options, such as the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) or the CHL in the future. He also has a remarkable ability to play a two-way game as a forward, which a lot of North American amateurs teams need to have on their roster.

Colin Ralph (USA)

A new selection in the WJC for Team USA was Colin Ralph, who has never played in amateur IIHF tournaments. This will be his first WJC and IIHF tournament, and it will come with a big responsibility as he will be representing the reigning champions. Ralph was selected 48th overall in the second round of the 2024 Draft.

He plays for St.Cloud State in the NCAA and has four points through 17 games. Ralph is a solid defenseman and plays a two-way style, so he doesn’t get as many points. He will be important physically to Team USA as they will need someone who can be aggressive to stop breakouts if they want to finish as champions for the second year in a row. He also will get of shots to block them, which will be required if they play a team like Canada with a lot of offensive firepower. He currently has 18 blocked shots this season in the NCAA.

Team USA has lost many top defensemen from the last two WJCs, so players like Ralph are on the roster to fill in key specific roles.

Otto Stenberg (Sweden)

Returning to the WJC for Sweden is Otto Stenberg, selected 25th overall in the first round of the 2023 Draft. Stenberg will have a more prominent role this year, as he will look up to as one of Sweden’s top forwards after recording nine points in nine games at the 2024 WJC and leading them to the gold-medal game, where they lost to Team USA.

Stenberg plays in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) with the Malmö Redhawks and has six points in 25 games. He is 19 years old, and this will be his final eligibility in the WJC, so he will be expected to break out in this tournament. At the 2024 World Junior Summer Showcase in August, Stenberg finished with three points in three games played.

The Blues signed Stenberg to an ELC in May and are confident he will be unique for them when Alexander Steen becomes general manager in 2026. Steen has provided much support to the Blues with the development of European prospects and is the most likely reason the Stenberg is starting to thrive.

Theo Lindstein (Sweden)

Theo Lindstein will also join Stenberg as a returning player to the Sweden roster. Lindstein was also drafted in 2023 in the first round, 29th overall. He is considered one of their best defensive prospects and has a lot to back him up in that regard. Last year, he finished the WJC with eight points in seven games and recorded the most points and assists by a defenseman in the tournament. In addition, he was named to the WJC All-Star Team.

Last season, in the Swedish league HockeyAllsvenskan, Lindstein finished with 15 points through 49 games with Brynäs IF and played 13 games with four points in the qualification playoff for promotion to the SHL, in which Brynäs IF won. He was a key piece to Brynäs IF and makes excellent decisions on the ice, reflected in his plus/minus last season as he was plus-13 and a plus-four during the qualification playoff.

In May, Lindstein also signed an EC with the Blues alongside Stenberg, and it’s great he is back for another year at the tournament as it will give him time to develop his game against the best prospects.

Dalibor Dvorsky (Slovakia)

One player who will have the most experience out of all the Blues prospects at this tournament is Dalibor Dvorsky. Dvorsky played in the last two WJCs, and this year’s will be his third and final year of eligibility with Slovakia. Drafted 10th overall in the first round of the 2023 Draft, he will also be the highest-drafted Blues prospect playing in this tournament.

This season, the Blues decided Dvorsky was ready for professional hockey and sent him to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds. With the Thunderbirds, he’s having a decent rookie year with 20 points in 25 games played. His excellent performance of 88 points in 52 games in the OHL with the Sudbury Wolves last season, which was enough for him to make the OHL First All-Star team may have turned up the attention on Dvorsky.

Over deep IIHF tournament experience, his best performance was at the 2023 U18 WJC, where he finished in the top three in Slovakia with 13 points in seven games. In that same tournament, he was also an alternate captain and now has a chance to possibly captain this Slovakia roster (as they have yet to announce the captaincy list.)

Juraj Pecarcik (Slovakia)

Also returning to the Team Slovakia roster prospect Juraj Pecarcik, who was drafted 76th overall in the third round of the 2023 Draft. He debuted in last year’s WJC tournament, finishing with three points in five games, and had a great season with the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the United States Hockey League (USHL) with 59 points in 43 games.

This season, he opted to play in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) with the Moncton Wildcats. He ranks in the top 20 in the league in points, with 35 points in 29 games. This year will be a fascinating chance to see how he pans out with Slovakia, and maybe it will be a chance for him to be a top-line player, as it will also be his final year of eligibility. Pecarcik is also on an ELC with the Blues, which will be another significant developmental experience for him.

Pecarcik, while not much of a goal-scoring type, can be great offensively at playmaking in transition. He’s not much of a two-way player, but if his playmaking skill is as high as purported to be, he will be dangerous in power-play situations. Slovakia made an excellent choice to bring him back.

Blues Have a Diverse Mix of Players

While the 2025 WJC is a great chance to see which new prospects will be showcased ahead of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, it is also a chance to see which drafted players will perform as they did before they were drafted. The Blues have two more players in the tournament than last year, and they carry a lot of great talent the Blues will most likely be eager to use. That said, they also have a more diverse lineup of prospects than ever, with more European talent on their roster and only one North American player. This is an effect of the growth of the game in Europe and the Blues’ scouting interest peaking in that region.