The St. Louis Blues have agreed to a three-year entry-level contract with Moncton Wildcats forward Ivan Barbashev, selected with the 33rd overall pick at the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, the club announced on Monday.
One of the more polished offensive players in the latest draft, Barbashev had the fourth best assist rate of any first time draft eligible forward in the CHL. The three players who finished ahead of him were top-five draft picks (Sam Reinhart, Leon Draisaitl and Sam Bennett).
Nabbing Barbashev, a skilled winger with physical upside, with the 33rd overall pick represented excellent value for the Blues, and was a major reason they were selected by theScore as one of the three winners at the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.
