(Press Release)
St. Louis Blues President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Doug Armstrong announced today that forward Vladimir Sobotka has been awarded a one-year contract through arbitration.
Sobotka will play the for Avangard Omsk in the KHL for the 2014-15 season. The terms of his arbitration contract will be enforced when Sobotka returns to the NHL.
“We are looking forward to having Vladimir in a Blues uniform when he returns to the NHL,” said Armstrong. “We wish him the best of luck in the upcoming season.”
Sobotka, 27, dressed in 61 games, posting a career-high 33 points, including nine goals and 24 assists to go along with 72 penalty minutes this past season. He also led the NHL with a 61.9 percent success rate on faceoffs.
Overall, the 5-foot-11, 200-pound forward has appeared in seven NHL seasons, including four with the Blues, accumulating 123 points (35 goals, 88 assists) and 282 penalty minutes in 381 career regular season games. Additionally, Sobotka has made five appearances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, including three consecutive years with the Blues, registering 12 points (three goals, nine assists) and 34 penalty minutes in 40 postseason games.
The Trebic, Czech Republic native was originally acquired by the Blues via trade with Boston on June 26, 2010.
