CONTRACT WITH BLUES
Oil Kings forward signs deal
The St. Louis Blues believe they have a top prospect in Jake Neighbours and did not hesitate to make the Edmonton Oil Kings forward an offer he couldn't refuse.
The Blues announced Saturday the signing of Neighbours to a three-year entry-level contract, just under two weeks after selecting him 26th overall in the 2020 NHL Draft. Neighbours, 18, is expected to return to Edmonton for his third season with the Oil Kings when the Western Hockey League starts up again in January.
“It's a huge honour, for sure,” Neighbours said Sunday. “It shows that St. Louis believes in me and are confident in me as a player and as a person. I'm very thankful to them for giving me this opportunity and I'm going to take it and try to run with it.”
An Airdrie native, Neighbours had 23 goals and 70 points in 64 games with the Oil Kings this past season before the COVID-19 pandemic put a premature end to the year. Due to concerns with the virus, the Oil Kings were denied an opportunity to challenge for their first league championship since 2014. The Oil Kings were the top-seeded team in the WHL Eastern Conference heading into the playoffs.
Regardless, the Blues had seen enough of Neighbours this past season to get his signature on a contract.
“I wasn't sure how negotiations were going to go,” Neighbours said. “But right after the draft, my agent reached out and they talked about it and St. Louis said they were prepared to do a deal now and so were we if it was the right deal for both sides. We came to that agreement pretty quickly, which is nice to get it done and get it out of the way. I'm a Blue now, which is awesome.”
Signing a professional contract should take some weight off Neighbours this upcoming season. He will be expected to put up big offensive totals again this year as the Oil Kings are again expected to contend for a WHL title. Neighbours also will be vying for a spot on the Canadian team, which will host the World Junior Championship in Edmonton in December.
In a regular year, Neighbours would be attending Blues rookie camp with an opportunity to go to main camp in preparation for the upcoming season. The NHL is hoping to start up again in January after completing a successful Return to Play tournament in Toronto and Edmonton this summer.
“Now that the deal is done and I'm officially signed, I imagine we'll have more talks about possibly going out to St. Louis and things like that,” Neighbours said.
“With COVID restrictions and border control, it can be complicated, but I think we're going to do our best to try and get out there as soon as possible.”