Blues send four to Wolves

The St. Louis Blues are closing in on a final roster to start the NHL season, sending four more players to join the Chicago Wolves on Thursday (Oct. 1).

Forwards Ivan Barbashev and Jeremy Welsh along with defenders Andre Benoit and Peter Harrold will join the Wolves, dropping the St. Louis Blues pre-season roster to 29 while the Wolves now have 22 forwards, 12 defensemen and three goaltenders.

Ivan Barbashev – A 19-year-old, 6’0,” 181 lbs. forward from Moscow, Russia, Barbashev was selected in the Second Round (33rd Overall) of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft by the Blues. He will forgo his final year of junior eligibility and play for the Chicago Wolves, although it would be no surprise to see him representing Russia at the World Junior Championship tournament in December. He played at the Junior event last season and also collected 95 points (45g, 50a) and 59 penalty minutesin 57 games with the Moncton Wildcats of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League where he finished the season with a +16 rating.

Jeremy Welsh – A 27-year-old, 6’3,” 209 lbs. forward from Bayfield, ON, Welsh will begin his second season with the Wolves after previous AHL stops at Utica and Charlotte as well as 25 NHL games with the Carolina Hurricanes and Vancouver Canucks.

Last season with the Wolves, Welsh put up 41 points (20g, 21a) and 32 penalty minutes in 75 games, finishing the regular season with a +8 rating.

Andre Benoit – A 31-year-old, 5’11,” 192 lbs. defenseman from St. Albert, ON, Benoit has 322 games in the AHL to his credit with Hamilton and Binghamton as well as 179 NHL games with Ottawa Senators, Colorado Avalanche and Buffalo Sabres and earlier pro stints in Finland, Sweden and the KHL in Russia. Benoit signed on as a free agent with the Blues this summer. In 59 games with the Sabres last season, Benoit collected nine points (1g, 8a) and 20 penalty minutes.

Peter Harrold – A 32-year-old, 5’11,” 181 lbs defenseman and veteran from Kirtland Hills, OH, Harrold has appeared in 274 NHL contests with the Los Angeles Kings and New Jersey Devils before signing with the Blues as a free agent this summer. Harrold also has 188 games in the AHL under his belt with Albany and Manchester. Last year, Harrold played 43 games with the New Jersey Devils, collecting five points (3g, 2a) and four penalty minutes and he also played in 13 games with Albany collecting two points (1g, 1a) and 10 minutes in penalties.