Alex Pietrangelo named captain by St. Louis Blues

The St. Louis Blues named defenseman Alex Pietrangelo team captain on Thursday.

Pietrangelo, who will be entering his seventh season with St. Louis, is the 21st captain in franchise history.

The 26-year-old Pietrangelo replaces veteran forward David Backes, who served as the Blues' captain since 2011 before signing a five-year, $30 million contract with Boston on July 1.

"Watching him perform when the game is on the line, he doesn't seem to get rattled," Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said in a statement released by the team.

Pietrangelo has collected 51 goals and 204 assists in 459 career games since being selected by St. Louis with the fourth overall pick of the 2008 NHL draft.

Pietrangelo is fresh off a strong season in 2015-16, scoring seven goals and setting up 30 others in 73 games to fuel the Blues to a Western Conference final appearance.