Blues sign forward Jori Lehtera to three-year contract extension
St. Louis Blues President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Doug Armstrong announced Wednesday the club has signed forward Jori Lehtera to a three-year contract extension. Lehtera's extension will begin with the 2016-17 season.
Lehtera, 27, appeared in 75 regular-season games with the Blues during his first NHL season in 2014-15, posting 44 points (14 goals, 30 assists) while ranking second on the club with a +21 rating. He also added two assists in five postseason outings.
The 6-foot-2, 217-pound forward has been in the Blues' system since 2008, when he was selected by the club in the third round (65th overall) of the NHL Entry Draft. Lehtera spent the first seven years of his professional career in Europe, including three seasons with Tappara (2007-10) of Finland's top professional league (SM-Liiga), and four seasons (2010-14) in the Kontinental Hockey League between Lokomotiv Yaroslavl and Novosibirsk. During that time, Lehtera earned several accolades including SM-Liiga's Lasse Oksanen Award (Best Player of Regular Season) and Veli-Pekka Ketola Trophy (Most Points) in 2010 as well as KHL All-Star honors in both 2013 and 2014.
Internationally, the Helsinki native has represented Finland several times during his career. Most notably, he captured a bronze medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics and a silver medal at the 2014 World Championships, where he served as an assistant captain.
