by Ryan Smith | AHL On The Beat
For most 20-year-old NHL prospects embarking on their pro careers, the stress and long hours on and off the ice leave little time for anything that isn’t directly related to their own journey toward a lifelong dream.
For Otto Stenberg, that sentiment does not apply – although his path to the NHL, since being selected 25th overall by the St. Louis Blues in 2023, is certainly far from linear.
The Stenungsund, Sweden, native turned pro in his home country at age 17 before ever being selected by St. Louis, and would play 79 games over parts of three seasons in the Swedish Hockey League against players who were, in some cases, twice his age.
Midway through the 2024-25 season, Stenberg was skating with the SHL’s Malmo Redhawks. Unlike the AHL, where player development is usually a high priority for young skaters, SHL clubs put focus on icing experienced lineups in pursuit of league championships. This left Stenberg missing out on key ice time.
Sensing a greater opportunity for their prospect to get acclimated to the North American game, Blues’ special assistant to the general manager and fellow Swede Alexander Steen encouraged Stenberg to come stateside 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 last Jan. 18 and getting key experience over the back half of the AHL season.
“You’re going up against better players and bigger players every shift,” 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 over here last year, I would say [the biggest adjustment] was getting used to the smaller ice and the speed of the game, corner battles, wall battles.”
After 59 games over parts of the past two seasons, Stenberg got his first NHL recall in December and scored his first NHL goal in Chicago on Jan. 7. The AHL-to-NHL leap has gone swimmingly for the 20-year-old, who’s already produced seven points (1g, 6a) in his first 13 NHL games while posting a reliable plus-5 rating.
As if enjoying his first NHL recall and experiencing success wasn’t enough for Stenberg, he’s also in a most unique and proud position, one that NHL standouts like Quinn Hughes, Eric Staal, and Luke Schenn have experienced.
See, Otto is not the only Stenberg making waves across NHL circles. Skating for Frölunda in the SHL, 18-year-old Ivar Stenberg – a forward just like his older brother – has skyrocketed up pundits’ scouting rankings throughout the last year, with some even penciling him in as the number-one prospect heading into the 2026 NHL Draft.
Among the least surprised at Ivar’s meteoric rise is his big brother.
“He’s always had so much talent in everything. He’s good at every sport,” said Otto.
There was one factor that seemed to get in Ivar’s way on his journey toward the game’s elite for his age group – his size.
“He was pretty small when he was young. When all the guys in his age group were growing, he was still a little smaller.”
What some would view as a detriment, Otto believes Ivar turned into a fuel to guide his focus to a different area – his mind.
“He had to think more and be smart on the ice,” Otto said. “I think that helped him once he started to grow, and now he’s around the same size as the other 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 points in the seven-game tournament including the championship-sealing empty-netter in the final against Czechia.
Ivar’s big brother was watching every step of the way, which Otto says is nothing new.
“I watched every game, and I watch just about every [Frölunda] game. I’m so happy for him and all of Sweden. We’ve been close (to gold) the last couple of years. I was so happy for the team and so proud of him.”
With the euphoria of World Juniors subsiding, the remainder of Ivar’s year figures to be busy, with meetings, phone calls, and interest coming his way from all directions. So what advice does Otto have for his brother in navigating the chaos of NHL Draft preparation?
“It’s a lot of fun when NHL teams want to talk to you,” Otto recalls from his 2022-23 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 want to just hang out at home and relax a little bit. When he’s playing, I’ve told him to try not to think about it that much, take it as it comes, and I think he’s done a really good job of that.”
For the entire Stenberg family, the next phase of both Otto’s and Ivar’s journeys feels like one of limitless potential. Otto is not naive to the competitive spirit that has fueled both of them in their rise to NHL aspirations.
“We’ve always competed against each other and had some good battles in the backyard and the playroom in our house. When you compete so much against each other, I think that’s helped a lot in making both of us better players.”
