by Ryan Smith | AHL On The Beat
For many 20-year-old NHL prospects embarking on their professional careers, the stress and lengthy hours on and off the ice go away little time for something that isn’t straight associated to their very own journey towards a lifelong dream.
For Otto Stenberg, that sentiment doesn’t apply – though his path to the NHL, since being chosen twenty fifth general by the St. Louis Blues in 2023, is actually removed from linear.
The Stenungsund, Sweden, native turned professional in his dwelling nation at age 17 earlier than ever being chosen by St. Louis, and would play 79 video games over components of three seasons within the Swedish Hockey League towards gamers who have been, in some circumstances, twice his age.
Halfway via the 2024-25 season, Stenberg was skating with the SHL’s Malmo Redhawks. In contrast to the AHL, the place participant improvement is often a excessive precedence for younger skaters, SHL golf equipment put give attention to icing skilled lineups in pursuit of league championships. This left Stenberg lacking out on key ice time.
Sensing a better alternative for his or her prospect to get acclimated to the North American sport, Blues’ particular assistant to the overall supervisor and fellow Swede Alexander Steen inspired Stenberg to come back stateside and be part of the Springfield Thunderbirds shortly after the New 12 months in 2025. Stenberg rapidly made good on that transfer, scoring in his first AHL sport final Jan. 18 and getting key expertise over the again half of the AHL season.
“You’re going up towards higher gamers and greater gamers each shift,” Stenberg stated of his transfer to the AHL. “What I realized from that was my sport with out the puck – the Swedish League is so defensive. Once I moved over right here final yr, I’d say [the biggest adjustment] was getting used to the smaller ice and the velocity of the sport, nook battles, wall battles.”
After 59 video games over components of the previous two seasons, Stenberg obtained his first NHL recall in December and scored his first NHL objective in Chicago on Jan. 7. The AHL-to-NHL leap has gone swimmingly for the 20-year-old, who’s already produced seven factors (1g, 6a) in his first 13 NHL video games whereas posting a dependable plus-5 score.
As if having fun with his first NHL recall and experiencing success wasn’t sufficient for Stenberg, he’s additionally in a most unusual and proud place, one which NHL standouts like Quinn Hughes, Eric Staal, and Luke Schenn have skilled.
See, Otto is just not the one Stenberg making waves throughout NHL circles. Skating for Frölunda within the SHL, 18-year-old Ivar Stenberg – a ahead identical to his older brother – has skyrocketed up pundits’ scouting rankings all through the final yr, with some even penciling him in because the number-one prospect heading into the 2026 NHL Draft.
Among the many least shocked at Ivar’s meteoric rise is his massive brother.
“He’s at all times had a lot expertise in all the pieces. He’s good at each sport,” stated Otto.
There was one issue that appeared to get in Ivar’s means on his journey towards the sport’s elite for his age group – his measurement.
“He was fairly small when he was younger. When all the blokes in his age group have been rising, he was nonetheless a little bit smaller.”
What some would view as a detriment, Otto believes Ivar become a gasoline to information his focus to a distinct space – his thoughts.
“He needed to suppose extra and be sensible on the ice,” Otto stated. “I believe that helped him as soon as he began to develop, and now he’s across the identical measurement as the opposite guys (in his age group).”
Earlier this month, Ivar helped lead Sweden to its first IIHF World Junior Championship gold medal in 14 years, scoring 10 factors within the seven-game event together with the championship-sealing empty-netter within the ultimate towards Czechia.
Ivar’s massive brother was watching each step of the best way, which Otto says is nothing new.
“I watched each sport, and I watch nearly each [Frölunda] sport. I’m so completely happy for him and all of Sweden. We’ve been shut (to gold) the final couple of years. I used to be so completely happy for the workforce and so pleased with him.”
With the euphoria of World Juniors subsiding, the rest of Ivar’s yr figures to be busy, with conferences, telephone calls, and curiosity coming his means from all instructions. So what recommendation does Otto have for his brother in navigating the chaos of NHL Draft preparation?
“It’s quite a lot of enjoyable when NHL groups wish to discuss to you,” Otto remembers from his 2022-23 season. “I instructed him to have a look at it in a constructive means. When you could have all these conferences in the course of the season, generally it feels prefer it takes quite a lot of time, and generally you wish to simply hang around at dwelling and chill out a little bit bit. When he’s enjoying, I’ve instructed him to strive not to consider it that a lot, take it because it comes, and I believe he’s accomplished a very good job of that.”
For your complete Stenberg household, the following part of each Otto’s and Ivar’s journeys looks like one in all limitless potential. Otto is just not naive to the aggressive spirit that has fueled each of them of their rise to NHL aspirations.
“We’ve at all times competed towards one another and had some good battles within the yard and the playroom in our home. If you compete a lot towards one another, I believe that’s helped quite a bit in making each of us higher gamers.”
