The St. Louis Blues prospects had another impressive showing at the World Junior Championship, culminating in five players from the team earning medals.
Colin Ralph secured a gold medal with Team USA, while Adam Jecho, Adam Jiricek, Ondrej Kos, and Jakub Stancl brought home bronze for Czechia.
The Blues set a franchise record with nine prospects participating in the tournament, the highest number among all NHL teams. Along with Ralph, Jecho, Jiricek, Kos, and Stancl, Dalibor Dvorsky and Juraj Pekarcik represented Team Slovakia, while Theo Lindstein and Otto Stenberg played for Team Sweden.
Overall, Blues prospects amassed a total of 52 points at the World Junior Championship, exceeding last year’s total of 44.
USA’s Gold Victory The United States, which was down 3-1 at one point during the game, mounted an impressive comeback to defeat Finland 4-3 in overtime, securing their second consecutive gold medal in the tournament.
Defenseman Colin Ralph (48th overall, 2024) showcased strong defensive skills for Team USA, recording one assist in seven games during his first appearance at the World Juniors. This victory marks a repeat for Team USA, who also won in 2024 with contributions from Blues prospect Jimmy Snuggerud.
Blues prospects power Czechia to bronze
Czechia’s lineup was filled with Blues prospects, who played vital roles in securing the bronze medal for the second year in a row. They defeated Sweden 3-2 in the bronze medal match, winning in an intense 14-round shootout.
Jakub Stancl (106th overall, 2023) had an impressive tournament, scoring seven goals and totaling 10 points in seven games, including one goal (and one shootout goal) in the final match. He finished as the top goal-scorer of the tournament and tied for second in overall points.
Another Blues prospect, Adam Jecho (95th overall, 2024), ranked fourth in team scoring. In his first World Juniors, the forward recorded seven points (two goals and five assists) over seven games.
Defenseman Adam Jiricek (16th overall, 2024) contributed five assists, while forward Ondrej Kos (81st overall, 2024) added one goal. Both players participated in all seven games.
Stenberg, Lindstein impress for Sweden
Although Sweden lost to Czechia in the bronze-medal match, forward Otto Stenberg (25th overall, 2023) and defenseman Theo Lindstein (29th overall, 2023) were crucial for the team throughout the tournament.
Stenberg netted two goals in the semifinal against Finland and amassed eight points (three goals and five assists) over seven games. Lindstein consistently provided a solid presence on defense, contributing four assists in the same number of games. Both players took home a silver medal with Sweden from the 2024 tournament.
Dvorsky and Pekarcik lead the way for Slovakia
Slovakia reached the quarterfinals but did not progress to the medal round, losing 5-3 to Finland, thus concluding their tournament. Nonetheless, Blues prospects Dalibor Dvorsky (10th overall, 2023) and Juraj Pekarcik (76th overall, 2023) stood out, finishing first and second in team scoring, respectively. Dvorsky captained the team, while Pekarcik wore an ‘A’ as an alternate captain.
Before the medal round, Dvorsky led all players in the tournament with nine points (five goals and four assists) in five games, while Pekarcik ranked tied for seventh with seven points (three goals and four assists). Dvorsky was recognized as one of Slovakia’s top three players in the tournament.
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