- St. Louis loaned center Milton Gastrin to Brynäs IF of the SHL for the 2026-27 season
- Gastrin came to the Blues in the June trade that sent Jordan Kyrou to Washington
- Read below for the 19-year-old’s numbers and what the loan means for his path to St. Louis
The Blues are sending one of their newest prospects back to Sweden.
St. Louis loaned 19-year-old center Milton Gastrin to Brynäs IF of the SHL for the 2026-27 season. The team announced the move:
Gastrin landed in St. Louis a couple weeks ago. He was part of the return in the June trade that shipped Jordan Kyrou to Washington. Now he heads overseas instead of pushing for a North American job right away.
He is not a stranger to the SHL. Gastrin debuted in the league in 2024-25 and went scoreless across eight games, then spent last season in the HockeyAllsvenskan after MoDo dropped down a division in 2025. He put up 10 goals and 24 points in 39 games there, sixth-most on MoDo and fifth among U21 players in the league.
The international résumé is where he really stands out. Gastrin captained Sweden to bronze at the 2024 U17 World Hockey Challenge and won silver at the 2025 World U18. This past winter he was part of Sweden’s gold-medal run at the 2026 World Junior Championship.
He profiles as a two-way center, and the early faceoff work backs that up. Gastrin took 414 draws in his first pro season and won 46.86 percent of them. The skating and the physical side still need polish against bigger, older competition.
Brynäs is a solid landing spot for that. The club finished sixth in the SHL last season before bowing out in the quarterfinals. Gastrin should slot into a middle-six center role and get real minutes.
The plan looks like a return to North America on the other side of the year, with the AHL as the next step. He already got a taste, playing one game for the Blues affiliate during the 2026 Calder Cup Playoffs.
