Stenberg brothers share NHL dreams

For most twenty-year-old NHL prospects beginning their professional careers, the stress and long hours on and off the ice leave little time for anything not directly related to their own journey toward a lifelong dream.

For Otto Stenbergthat sentiment doesn’t apply — though his path to the NHL since being selected 25th overall by the St. Louis Blues in 2023 is certainly far from linear.

The native of Stenungsund, Sweden, turned pro at age 17 in his home country before ever being selected by St. Louis, playing 79 games over parts of three seasons in the Swedish Hockey League against players in some cases twice his age.

Midway through the 2024-2025 season, Stenberg was skating with the Malmo Redhawks of the SHL. Unlike the AHL, where player development is usually a high priority for young skaters, SHL clubs emphasize brokering experienced lineups in the pursuit of league championships. As a result, Stenberg missed out on important ice time.

Blues’ special assistant to the general manager and fellow Swede sensed a greater opportunity for their prospect to get used to the North American game. Alexander Stone encouraged Stenberg to come to the United States and join the Springfield Thunderbirds shortly after the New Year in 2025. Stenberg quickly made good on that move, scoring in his first AHL game on January 18 and gaining key experience during the second half of the AHL season.

“Every team you’re going up against better players and bigger players,” Stenberg said of his move to the AHL. “What I learned from that was my game without the puck. The Swedish league is so defensive. When I moved here last year I would say: [the biggest adjustment] It took getting used to the smaller ice and the speed of the game, corner fights, wall fights.”

After 59 games over parts of the past two seasons, Stenberg received his first NHL recall in December and scored his first NHL goal in Chicago on January 7. The jump from AHL to NHL has gone well for the 20-year-old, who has already scored seven points (1g, 6a) in his first thirteen NHL games while posting a reliable plus-5 rating.

As if enjoying his first NHL memory and experiencing success wasn’t enough for Stenberg, he also finds himself in a very unique and proud position, one that makes NHL stand out Quinn Hughes, Eric SteelAnd Lucas Schenn have experienced.

Look, Otto isn’t the only Stenberg making waves in NHL circles. Skating for Frölunda in the SHL, 18 year old Ivar Stenberg – a forward just like his older brother – has skyrocketed up the pundit scouting rankings over the past year, with some even pegging him as the number one prospect heading into the 2026 NHL Draft.

One of the least surprised people about Ivar’s meteoric rise is his big brother.

“He has always been so talented in everything. He is good at every sport,” Otto said.

There was one factor that seemed to stand in the way of Ivar on his journey to the game’s elite for his age group: his size.

“He was quite small when he was young. When all the boys in his age group got bigger, he was still a bit smaller.”

What some would consider a drawback, Otto believes Ivar has become a fuel to redirect his attention to another area: his mind.

“He had to think more and be smart on the ice,” Otto said. “I think that helped him once he started growing, and now he’s about the same size as the other boys (in his age group).”

Earlier this month, Ivar helped Sweden to its first gold medal at the IIHF World Junior Championship in 14 years, scoring 10 points in the seven-match tournament, including the championship-sealing empty-netter in the final against the Czech Republic.

Ivar’s big brother watched every step, which Otto says is nothing new.

“I’ve seen every game, and I watch almost every game [Frölunda] game. I am so happy for him and for all of Sweden. We have been close (to gold) in recent years. I was so happy for the team and so proud of him.”

With the euphoria of the Junior World Cup waning, the rest of Ivar’s year looks to be busy, with meetings, phone calls and interest coming from all sides. What advice does Otto have for his brother as he navigates the chaos of NHL Draft preparation?

“It’s really nice when NHL teams want to talk to you,” Otto recalled of his 2022-2023 season. “I told him to look at it in a positive way. When you have all those meetings during the season, sometimes it feels like it takes a lot of time, and sometimes you just want to hang out at home and relax a little bit. When he plays, I told him to try not to think about it too much, take it as it comes, and I think he did a really good job of that.”

For the entire Stenberg family, the next phase of both Otto’s and Ivar’s journey feels like one of limitless potential. Otto is not naive to the competitive spirit that fueled them both in their pursuit of NHL aspirations.

“We’ve always competed against each other and had some good fights in the backyard and in the game room of our house. When you compete against each other that much, I think it’s really helped make both of us better players.”