Blues re-sign Hunter Skinner to one-year, two-way contract

One of the league’s longstanding franchises has secured some organizational depth on the blueline.

On Sunday, the St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong announced the team has re-signed defenseman Hunter Skinner to a one-year, two-way contract. The deal will carry a $775,000 AAV for the 2024-25 season.

Skinner is coming off his first full season in the Blues’ organization. The Wyandotte, Michigan native was taken in the fourth round, 112th overall, by the New York Rangers by the New York Rangers. After spending two seasons within the Rangers’ minor league system, playing with the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League and Utah Grizzlies of the ECHL, he was part of the trade that sent Sammy Blais to the Blues for Vladimir Tarasenko and Niko Mikkola in February 2023.

Since coming over to the St. Louis system, Skinner has played in the AHL for the Springfield Thunderbirds, making a stint with the ECHL’s Jacksonville Icemen.

During the 2023-24 season, the 23-year-old scored three goals and 10 points in 50 games, just a few points short of his career-high of 13 points he hit during the 2021-22 campaign in Hartford.

In 132 AHL appearances, Skinner has scored eight goals and 33 points, totaling 151 penalty minutes and registering a plus/minus of -5. In 48 ECHL games, he has posted 10 goals and 25 points.

Prior to joining the pro ranks, Skinner spent time in junior hockey with the Ontario Hockey League’s London Knights, as well as the Muskegon Lumberjacks and Lincoln Stars of the United States Hockey League. He made the Team USA roster for the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship, playing one game while the team went on to win the gold medal.

With the signing, the Blues have 43 standard player contracts on the books for the 2024-25 season. According to CapFriendly, St. Louis has over $16 million in projected cap space.