St. Louis Blues President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Doug Armstrong announced Wednesday that the Blues have signed defenseman Matthew Kessel to a two-year, one-way contract extension worth $1.6 million. The contract has an average annual value (AAV) of $800,000.
The 23-year-old has appeared in 23 games this season for the Blues recording three assists and eight penalty minutes. Kessel has primarily seen action in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Blues’ affiliate the Springfield Thunderbirds where he has scored two goals and added five assists for seven points and 16 penalty minutes.
Kessel was drafted No. 150 overall in the 2020 NHL Draft by the Blues after registering 11 points in 34 games with UMass in the NCAA. Kessel spent three seasons with UMass, tallying 51 points in 100 games. During the 2020-21 and 2021-22 campaigns, Kessel helped the Minutemen win back-to-back NCAA Hockey East Championships and won the NCAA National Championship in 2020-21 after defeating St. Cloud State University.
The Scottsdale, Arizona product made the jump to pro during the 2021-22 season appearing in 15 games and registering three assists with the Thunderbirds. He made his National Hockey League debut with the Blues last season and appeared in two games. In 25 NHL games, Kessel has registered three points and added eight penalty minutes. Throughout his three seasons in the AHL, Kessel has 43 points in 120 games.
The Blues are in action tonight against the Los Angeles Kings and according to Daily Faceoff’s line combinations for the Blues defensive pairings, Kessel is slated to be on the second pairing with Torey Krug. Following tonight’s matchup against the Kings, the Blues will face off against the Minnesota Wild on Saturday and the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday in back-to-back games.
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