Snuggerud wins gold at World Juniors

It's been a great week for the future of the St. Louis Blues.

With a franchise-record seven prospects at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship, the future Blues showed out on the biggest stage in amateur hockey. Blues prospects represented five of the 10 countries at the WJC, including all four teams in Friday's medal games. 

Jimmy Snuggerud capped off a great tournament with a gold medal win for the United States, defeating Sweden 5-2 and leaving fellow Blues prospects Otto Stenberg and Theo Lindstein with silver. Jakub Štancl also earned a bronze medal for Czechia, who bested Finland 8-5.

Snuggerud gets an assists, USA wins gold

Snuggerud, the No. 23 pick in 2022, had his scoring ability on full display throughout the World Juniors. He had one assist in the championship to cap an eight-point (5 goals, 3 assists) effort in Gothenburg, Sweden.

He scored a first-period hat trick against Switzerland, and he never slowed down. He scored in nearly every game he played in, including this one-timer in the semifinals:

With 5 goals the year before, Snuggerud is tied for the fifth-most goals (10) by an American in WJC history.

Stenberg, Lindstein lead Swedes to silver

Stenberg (No. 25) and Lindstein (No. 29) were taken just four picks apart in the 2023 Draft. Both became vital pieces in Sweden's run to the championship game. Stenberg was dynamic scorer all tournament long, ending with nine points. He recorded a hat trick against Germany, and he scored the host country's first goal in the gold medal game.

Lindstein, a late addition to the roster, went from the seventh defenseman to the top pairing of one of the best defensive teams in the tournament, allowing just 2.08 goals per game. Lindstein had eight points, and his +9 rating trailed only Team USA's Isaac Howard for the best of the World Juniors.

Štancl, Kaskimäki battle for bronze

Czechia became one of the tournament's most exciting stories, and Blues prospect Jakub Štancl (2023, No. 106 overall) was a big reason why. Štancl scored a goal and an assist in Czechia's thrilling win over Finland. The Czechs scored four goals in the final two minutes to win 8-5 and take bronze.

However, Štancl's most memorable goal came in the quarterfinals. With 11 seconds left, he scored the game-winning goal that sent back-to-back defending champion Canada home early.

Štancl left the World Juniors with four goals, two assists and a +7 rating to pair with his medal.

Despite the loss, Kaskimäki (2022, No. 73) added two assists on Friday. He left with two goals and two assists for a Finnish squad that upset both Sweden in the group stage and Slovakia in the quarterfinals.

Dvorský, Pekarčík show out

While they didn't reach the medal rounds, both Dalibor Dvorský and Juraj Pekarčík both put on a show for Slovakia. Dvorský, drafted No. 10 in 2023, had six points in five games, and Pekarčík (2023, No. 76) had a goal and two assists.

Blues prospects finished the 2024 World Juniors with 44 combined points, the most of any team in the NHL. The Buffalo Sabres, the next closest team, finished with 34.

See a complete recap of Blues prospects at the World Juniors by visiting stlouisblues.com/worldjuniors.