2026 Blues Only Mock Draft

1.11 - Malte Gustaffsson (LHD) 

Team - HV71 (SHL)

Height - 6’4’’ Weight - 201lbs

At pick 11, the big-name defenders have probably all been taken. Other highly touted names like Viggo Bjorck have also more than likely been taken, leaving me with 3 options. Option A: Go with a center with some flaws, like Tynan Lawrence. Option B: Select a position where the Blues have an abundance of on the wing. Or C: go with a defender who seems like a reach but has been moving up the draft boards. Obviously, I went with the third option.

The first thing that catches your eye when watching Gustaffsson is his size. His 6’4’’ frame allows him to get physical, especially against the boards. Even with this size, Gustaffsson is still extremely agile, with scouts raving about his explosiveness. He doesn’t struggle on his edges and is great on the forecheck. He makes some incredibly clean exits once he comes into possession of the puck, allowing breakouts to form. 

When on offense, Gustaffsson isn’t afraid to move up and get physical between the posts. With his large frame, he usually doesn’t lose many net-front battles. Finally, this has all been tested against professionals in the SHL. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see Steen looking towards his home league a lot this draft.

The major concern with this pick is that Gustaffsson can sometimes get a little too aggressive, leading to the center of the ice being open while trying to go for a hit on the boards, or being left to rush back after going towards the net front on offense. This can all be corrected with time and coaching. I see Gustaffsson eventually becoming a top 4 guy who would be paired up with a more offensively minded d-man (Logan Mailloux comes to mind).

NHL Player Comp - Simon Edvinsson (Detroit)

Others Considered - Tynan Lawrence

1.15 - Alexander Command (LHC)

Team - Orebro HK (U20 Nationell)

Height 6’1’’ Weight - 176lbs

When you think of Alex Command, you think of a very high-IQ type player. He’s not overly aggressive and plays a very great 200-foot game. You will see on tape Command backtracking and stopping an opposing breakout with amazing lateral movement. 

As for potential, I see Command as a middle-six center who can play on the second power play and kill penalties. That fits the bill for what the Blues need.

Some cons with this pick, scouts say he needs to add muscle. The other issue is that although Command has a very solid floor, his ceiling is not very high. However, when compared to a similar guy like Suvanto, I think Command has the potential to be better offensively while playing a similar style, hence choosing Command over Suvanto. This is not a flashy pick, but it’s a pick that will solidify the middle for years to come.

NHL Player Comp - Joel Eriksson Ek (Minnesota)

Others Considered - Oliver Suvanto, Illia Morozov

1.16 Oscar Hemming (LW)

Team - Boston College (NCAA)

Height 6’4'' 198lbs

The Blues acquired this pick during Tuesday's Jordan Kyrou deal. This deal included Swedish center Milton Gastrin as part of the package. With Gastrin being a very good 2-way center in his own right, I just don't see St. Louis going another Center here. Instead, they got the best winger on the board in Hemming.

Hemming has a phenomenal shot for a guy his age and is amazing on the power play. His passing ability is also above average, and he plays a very high-IQ style. His size allows him to get physical when needed, and he has shown positives during international play, becoming a point-per-game player for Finland's U17 and U18 squads. Hemming is also already playing in the states, joining Boston College earlier this year.

This is a pick that would make the new Blues developmental consultant, Mikko Koivu, very happy, but there are some flaws here. For starters, Hemming can be a bit inconsistent at times. He also somewhat struggled with penalties his first year in college, garnering 18 PIM in 19 games. This pick is also an LW, a spot in which the Blues are very strong at. However, with the state of the Blues' prospect room, I would expect them to simply go best available here in Hemming fits that bill.

NHL Player Comp - Gabriel Landeskog

Others Considered - Maddox Dagenais

1.29 - Tommy Bleyl (RHD)

After going with two defensively minded players, I really wanted to go offensive-minded with this last pick. There was some temptation to go with a physical workhorse in Ryan Roobroeck, but his type of player is much easier to find in the third round compared to the offensive machine in Tommy Bleyl.

Bleyl was by far the biggest breakout star this year in the QMJHL. He broke the rookie record for points scored by a defenseman, formally held by Gaston Therrien all the way back in 1978. He also swept the awards in the Q, winning the Emile-Bouchard Trophy for top defensemen, and the Sidney Crosby Trophy for rookie of the year. Bleyl became only the second player to win both of these in a single season, next to Dmitry Kulikov.

The big thing helping Bleyl out is speed. He has enough speed and lateral movement skills to easily glide through defenders on the breakaway. He is a very accurate pass-first type player and was the main Power Play quarterback for a very talented Moncton squad. Bleyl ended up leading the league in power-play points for a defenseman with 42. 

The biggest need for Bleyl here is size. 165 lbs is not going to cut it. The QMJHL is also a league where teams don’t really like drafting out of over the last couple of years. The Blues are one of the only exceptions to this rule, though, using 1st round picks to go after guys in the Q like Justin Carbonneau and Zach Bolduc. After seeing what Gostisbehere did in the playoffs for Carolina, it is hard not to go this direction if Bleyl is available.

NHL Player Comp - Shayne Gostisbehere (Carolina)

Others Considered - Ryan Roobroeck, Mathis Preston

3.76 - Luke Schairer (RHD)

Team - USNTDP (USHL)

Height - 6’3’’ Weight 201lbs

After going two forwards with my first two 3rd round selections, I’m looking towards the defensive side here. Bleyl is a very offensively focused defender, so this time, I’m looking for an RHD with a defense-first mindset, and Schairer fits that bill. 

Size is once again a factor in this pick with Schairer being an impressive 6’3’’. He’s a very fluid skater, and he does very well in the gap control department. Very good speed for his size and is very good at breaking up a rush. Schairer isn’t the type of guy who will move off the blue line on offense and won’t allow too many breakaways to slip by him. 

He’ll be a great penalty killer, but his offense is lacking, causing him to drop to this part of the draft. He will probably be one of the bottom 4 defencemen. He is going to Boston University, so it would not surprise me if he develops some offensive traits.

NHL Player Comp - Brett Pesce (New Jersey)

Others Considered - Lincoln Kuehne

4.107 - Victor Fyodorov (C/LW)

Team - Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod (KHL/VHL/MHL)

Height - 5’10’’ Weight 176lbs

We are now in the part of the draft in which we are throwing darts at the board and hoping they hit. Firstly, let's get the elephant out of the room. No, Victor is not related to the 6th round Blues draft pick, Mikhail Fyodorov from last year's draft. But the two do have a lot of similarities. Victor is an extremely raw talent who played in all three levels of Russian hockey last year. He has elite vision and has great lateral movement.

Why has he slid this low? Because of injuries and sample size. He broke his ankle this year, causing him to miss 18 games. Defense is also not great, as Victor is constantly getting bullied by more physical guys. However, this mock draft is filled with high-floor guys. Victor is a long shot, but if he figures out how to play mature hockey, he is the type of guy who could be the next Kirill Kaprizov. 

NHL Player Comp - Evgeny Kuznetsov

4,123 - Samuel Hrenak (G)

Team - Fargo Force (USHL) 

Height - 6’3’’ Weight 190lbs

Entering the 2025 NHL draft, the Blues needed to grab a goalkeeper, and they did by selecting Love Harenstam in the 6th round. The Blues would also add to the goalkeeping prospect room when they traded Brayden Schenn to the Islanders and received a goalie prospect, Marcus Gidlof, as part of the return. With these additions, the need for a goalie isn’t as drastic this draft. But with the large amount of picks the Blues have this year, you might as well continue to add. 

I’m heading back to Fargo with this pick and going with the Slovakian keeper Samuel Hrenak. Hrenak has bounced around a lot this season, but has truly impressed with the U18 squad and at the USHL level. He has a good frame at 6’ 3’’ and does a great job moving laterally between the posts. He is a master at desperation saves. His amazing performance at the WJC U-18 helped lead Slovakia to a 2nd place finish.

The major issue I have here with Hrenak is that there is a reason why he has to make these desperation stops. He tends to be hyper-aggressive. This is something he needs to work on if he wants to make it to the show. But he has scored a goalie goal, so maybe it's not the worst thing.

NHL Player Comp -Juuse Saros

Others Considered - Viggo Tamm

5.139 - Alofa Tunoa Ta’amu (LHD)

Team - Edmonton Oil Kings

Height - 6’2’’ 220lbs

This is a guy not many people have heard of. The only two major rankings that feature Ta’amu come from McKeen Hockey (ranked 166) and EliteProspects (99). However, I think Ta’amu might be a very high ceiling type guy, which is exactly what you are looking for this late in the draft. 

The best thing about Ta’amu is that he is physical. He has a great frame on him and is already at 220lbs. He is the definition of a penalty kill specialist and will get an opposing player out of the crease. Ta’amu is not an amazing skater, but does do fairly well with getting out of the zone in a timely manner. Passing-wise, Ta’amu is a very accurate passer. You won’t see a lot of turnovers from him.

His biggest fault is going to be skating. It’s not a huge detriment at this level, but it has to improve as competition gets faster; it will become more of an issue. Not really having any offensive upside is also a negative.

NHL Player Comp - Carson Soucy

Other Considered - Alexander Bilecki

5.150 - Eric Frossard (LHD)

Team - Guelph Storm (OHL)

Height 6’5’’ Weight - 205lbs

These last three picks are purely darts, so I won’t talk about them for long. Once again, I am going physical here, and I am choosing one of the biggest guys left on the board here with Frossard. Not great numbers to start the year, but they steadily improved. Good speed as well. Main issue here, puck skills. He struggles to create breakout passes, especially under pressure.

NHL Player Comp - K’Andre Miller 

6.171 - Doman Kristof Szongoth (C) 

Team - KooKoo (Liiga)

Height - 6’1’’ Weight 198lbs

In the 6th round, I feel like it's time to make some history and see if Kristof Szongoth can be the first Hungarian to make the NHL. He plays for KooKoo in Liiga (a league I would not be surprised if the Blues target with the addition of Mikko Koivu ot the scouting team). He has a lot of pro experience, even getting some reps in the World Championship for Hungary. He’s a powerful center who definitely has a great two-way game. His wrist shot is also amazing. Big fault he will be his speed. He’ll probably only be a bottom 6 C in the NHL, but he is exactly what you want out of a guy with that role.

NHL Player Comp - Radek Faksa 

7.203 - Brody Pepoy (C)

Team - Saginaw Spirit (OHL)

Height - 6’2’’ Weight 181lbs

We end the draft with a feel-good story. My research has indicated that the St. Louis area University of Lindenwood has never had a player selected to the NHL. Brody Pepoy could change that narrative. He is a gritty, high-octane type player who likes to get into those tight spaces and hunt down loose pucks. The issue with him is that he is weak on the puck and is often the reason for turnovers. He needs to add some muscle if he wants to make it into the pros.

NHL Player Comp - Zach Hyman