Massachusetts junior defenseman Matt Kessel has signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the St. Louis Blues.
Kessel will forgo his senior year with UMass.
Kessel, a two-time Hockey East all-star and 2021-22 assistant captain, helped the Minutemen to the 2020-21 national championship and back-to-back Hockey East tournament titles (2021 and 2022).
The Bloomfield Hills, Mich., native, a 2020 fifth round pick of the Blues, becomes the 10th player in head coach Greg Carvel’s UMass tenure to sign an NHL contract, the sixth in that group to do so after coming to Amherst undrafted.
“We are very excited and proud of Matt as he moves on to his professional career with the St. Louis Blues,” said Carvel in a statement. “During his time at UMass, Matt went from a low-key defensive player to one of the best and toughest two-way defensemen in college hockey. He far exceeded our expectations as a player and became an offensive threat from the blue line while also serving as a tough physical player in his own zone. Matt’s development as a player has been impressive.
“Beyond his performance on the ice, Matt has acted like a professional in every way since the day he stepped on campus. His discipline, maturity and consistency of character made him an important part of the championship teams he played on and led. On behalf of all our coaches and staff, I want to sincerely thank Matt for all he has done for our program and our culture.”
Kessel earned a spot as a Hockey East third team all-star for a second straight year this spring after receiving the honor for the first time in 2020-21. He appeared in all 37 games for the Minutemen, totaling 17 points on six goals and 11 assists and was plus-9 with two power-play goals and one game winner.
In Hockey East play, Kessel saw action in all 24 league games in 2021-22 and contributed 12 points on four goals and eight assists, including two power-play tallies and one game winner. Over those league contests, he was plus-7 and tied for the team lead in blocks with 21.
As a sophomore, he was a 2021 Hockey East third team all-star and registered 23 points on 10 goals and 13 assists over 29 games in 2020-21 with a plus-15 rating and a team-best six power-play goals. He led all defensemen nationally in goals, goals per-game (.34) and power-play goals. An all-tournament team selection at the 2021 Frozen Four, Kessel ended the year tied for fourth nationally in points by a defenseman, ninth in points per-game (.88) and tied for 10th in power play points (9).
Kessel ends his three-year collegiate career having appeared in 100 career games with 23 goals and 28 assists for 51 points, nine power-play goals, two game winners and a plus-37 rating.
