Leo Lööf

August 2025 – Lööf is entering the final season of his entry-level contract, signed on April 28, 2023, with the St. Louis Blues. In two seasons in North America, he has played for the Springfield Thunderbirds, the AHL affiliate of the St. Louis Blues. Lööf has not scored a goal; however, he increased his assist total to 17 in 2025-26, up from seven during the 2024-25 season. He also sees a significant increase in penalty minutes in 2025-26 of 66 PIM up from 27 PIM in the previous campaign. The 23-year-old has an uphill battle to contend for a spot on the Blues’ NHL roster and will play out his contract in the AHL. Earning a second contract from St. Louis as a restricted free agent next summer is not guaranteed. It would not be unrealistic for Lööf to return to Europe and continue his development overseas in 2026-27. He doesn’t need to be rostered in any league unless he has a strong NHL training camp with the Blues this fall. If that’s the case, consider adding him to your watch list in salary cap leagues that value hits and PIMs, as he could serve as an injury fill-in defenseman, but there is no long-term value. Mark Henry

September 2023 – For the second season in a row, Lööf beat the odds and had a high PDO (NHL terms this stat “shooting plus save percentage”) of 105 the previous season, and 108 two years ago. Due to his limited production of only 16 points last season and his average Corsi of 50%, this could pose a major problem for him. If his luck runs out, his transition to the AHL this season could be tough. Cedrick Blais-Turcotte

July 2023 – It was not until the end of the last season that Lööf finally signed his ELC with the Blues. The young defenseman is expected to make the jump to North American hockey this season, with the Thunderbirds. To eventually succeed in the NHL, he will have to improve his offensive game while in the AHL. Cedrick Blais-Turcotte

June 2022 – The former Blues’ third-round pick continued to progress well this season. Two years after being drafted, he was finally able to crack a top league on a full-time basis playing for Ilves of the Liiga. In 48 games, he scored four goals and six assists for 10 points, and in 10 playoff games, he tallied two assists. He also featured at the World Juniors for Sweden, playing two games before the tournament was shut down from a Covid-19 outbreak. His contract with Ilves runs through next season, where he will hopefully get increased ice-time from the second pair minutes he received most of this year. He’s known for throwing hits and being good in front of his net. If he can continue to hone that skill and take a step offensively like we’ve seen from others, he should be well on his way to becoming an NHL contributor down the road. Gordon Munro

October 2020 – Lööf was drafted 88th overall by the St. Louis Blues. He will continue his development in Sweden for the next year at a minimum, before potentially coming to North America. Lou Farah