Jimmy Snuggerud (left) is greeted by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman after being selected with the No. 23 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft by the St. Louis Blues. (Eric Bolte-Imagn Images) [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/ce5aec21-754c-48fd-8b8f-dafd9442ddae.jpeg] Jimmy Snuggerud (left) is greeted by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman after being selected with the No. 23 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft by the St. Louis Blues. (Eric Bolte-Imagn Images) ST. LOUIS -- Jimmy Snuggerud is officially a member of the St. Louis Blues [http://thn.com/stlouis]. The 20-year-old, and first-round pick (No. 23) in the 2022 NHL Draft, signed a three-year, entry-level contract on Friday afternoon, the team announced. Snuggerud will not join the team in Denver for their game against the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday but will join them on Monday at practice. This season, his junior year at the University of Minnesota, he was captain of the Golden Gophers and led the team with 51 points (24 goals, 27 assists) and 51 points in 40 games, but Minnesota was eliminated from the NCAA Tournament on Thursday at the Fargo (N.D.) Regional in the semifinals, 5-4 in overtime. Nationally, Snuggerud earned Big Ten First Team All-Star honors for the second consecutive season and receiving a selection as a top-ten finalist for the Hobey Baker Award (top collegiate player), which will be announced during the Frozen Four here in St. Louis on April 11. Snuggerud finished his tenure at Minnesota as one of only three players in Gophers history to score 20 or more goals in three consecutive seasons to begin his college career; he finished with 135 points (66 goals, 69 assists). We outlined earlier on Friday what/how the Blues can proceed with the forward. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/st-louis-blues/latest-news/snuggerud-watch-is-official-on-for-blues] There will be some interesting decisions to make as the Blues (39-28-7), winners of eight straight and 15-2-2 their past 19 games, make a playoff push this season.
