Blues first-round pick Justin Carbonneau will play junior hockey again in Quebec with Blainville-Boisbriand, the team announced on Friday afternoon.
Carbonneau was weighing whether to return to the QMJHL or transfer to Boston College to play hockey collegiately. The 18-year-old winger will return to Blainville-Boisbriand after ranking second in the league in both goals and points in 2024-25.
The Blues drafted Carbonneau with the 19th pick in this summer's draft, adding the power forward to their stable of wingers in the pipeline. Carbonneau impressed Blues management with a strong development camp, and, with his decision to play junior hockey, will get more chances to do so in the near future.
Carbonneau will likely be part of the Blues roster for their annual prospect showcase against Chicago and Minnesota in mid-September, he'll follow that with training camp participation and then NHL exhibition games.
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Carbonneau is also a candidate to sign his entry-level contract, as signing an ELC as a collegiate player would have ended his NCAA career.聽If Carbonneau shows enough in camp to make the NHL roster, he can play up to nine NHL games before using a year of his contract.聽
None of those opportunities would have been afforded to him had he gone to college.
College hockey likely would have been a greater draw if Carbonneau wasn't already listed at 6-1 and 205 pounds.
鈥淐ollege hockey is beneficial in some ways because of the training,鈥 Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said at development camp. 鈥淵ou get to get bigger, stronger, more days in the gym, less games. He鈥檚 a big man, though, now. Junior hockey, to me, has a lot of benefits, too. If you鈥檙e on a good team, you get seven-game playoff series. In college, it鈥檚 one and done.鈥
The Blues鈥 2025 first-round pick made an impactful first impression, dropping highlight-reel goals and displaying a physical side to his game despite the laid-back setting.
The Blues drafted Justin Carbonneau in the first round on Friday night, picking the right-handed winger with the 19th selection of the evening.
The camp will be four days of on-ice work, beginning each day at noon and concluding with a three-on-three scrimmage session. It is free and open to the public.
