GRAND FORKS, N.D. – University of North Dakota defenseman Jordan Schmaltz will forgo his senior season after signing a three-year, entry-level contract with the National Hockey League's St. Louis Blues on Thursday.

Schmaltz was a first-round pick (25th overall) of the Blues at the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.

A native of Verona, Wis., Schmaltz appeared in 125 collegiate games and collected 13 goals and 51 assists for 64 career points. He ranked second among National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) defensemen in scoring in 2014-15 with a career-high 28 points.

Schmaltz also achieved career highs in assists (24), power-play goals (3) and plus/minus (plus-11) to earn his second straight selection to the All-National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) Team. He earned All-NCHC First Team honors as a junior after being named to the All-NCHC Second Team as a sophomore. In each of those seasons, Schmaltz was UND's highest-scoring defenseman.

In three seasons at UND, Schmaltz helped lead UND to three NCAA postseason appearances, back-to-back NCAA Frozen Four berths in each of his last two years, and a Penrose Cup as 2014-15 NCHC regular-season champion.

Schmaltz is the fourth member of UND's 2014-15 squad to have signed a professional contract since the end of the collegiate season. Senior forward Mark MacMillan signed an entry-level contract with the Montreal Canadiens and fellow seniors Stephane Pattyn and Andrew Panzarella signed American Hockey League amateur tryout agreements with the Charlotte Checkers and St. John's IceCaps, respectively.