Snuggerud, Stenberg score hat tricks at World Juniors

The future looks bright for the St. Louis Blues.

Not one but two Blues prospects scored hat tricks at the World Junior Championship on Thursday. Both Jimmy Snuggerud (USA) and Otto Stenberg (Sweden) scored three times in dominant wins for their teams. 

Snuggerud scored a natural hat trick just 12 minutes and 36 seconds into Team USA's 11-3 rout of Switzerland.

The Blues selected Snuggerud at No. 23 overall in the 2022 NHL Draft. A sophomore at the University of Minnesota, he's racked up 32 goals and 66 points in 58 games with the Golden Gophers, and he brought that same scoring touch with him to Sweden.

Snuggerud cashed in from every area of the ice, from the crease to the top of the faceoff circle:

"I give all the credit to my linemates," he said on NHL Network during the first intermission. "They got me the puck, and I fired it in...they were there for me the whole period."

Snuggerud took home the player of the game award for his performance, also adding one assist on a goal from Zeev Buium.

Once that game ended, Stenberg and Sweden took the ice against Germany. Stenberg, the 25th pick in the 2023 Draft, opened the scoring with a bar-down goal. Playing in front of his home crowd, he never let off the gas, and Sweden cruised to a 5-0 win.

Fellow Blues prospect Theo Lindstein also added an assist in the game. 

Snuggerud and Stenberg are just two of a franchise-record seven Blues propects at the World Juniors. For more coverage, go to stlouisblues.com/worldjuniors.