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Blackhawks Sign Aidan Thompson

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The Blackhawks have signed another one of their promising prospects.  A couple of weeks after inking Oliver Moore and Sam Rinzel, they announced that they’ve signed forward Aidan Thompson to a two-year, entry-level contract.  The deal begins next season and will carry a cap hit of $895K.

The 23-year-old was a third-round pick by Chicago back in 2022, going 90th overall after an impressive showing with USHL Lincoln where he had 82 points in 57 games, putting him fourth in league scoring.  Thompson then made the jump to the University of Denver for the 2022-23 campaign and did well in his freshman year, notching 32 points in as many games with them.

Things didn’t go as well for Thompson from an individual standpoint last year.  While Denver won the NCAA title, his output dipped slightly to 11 goals and 19 assists in 44 games, raising some question marks heading into this season.  Those were certainly answered and then some, however, as Thompson finished the year with 21 goals and 34 assists in 44 games, good for not just second on the Pioneers in scoring but second in Division I overall.  That performance was clearly enough for Chicago to get him to put pen to paper on his first professional contract.

While Thompson’s deal doesn’t start until next season, he should have a chance to make his pro debut in the coming days as he has inked a tryout agreement with AHL Rockford.  The IceHogs have five games left in their regular season and are getting close to clinching the final playoff spot in the Central Division so Thompson should be able to get into the lineup with them in the near future.

Anders Sorensen Named Assistant Coach For Team Sweden At World Championship

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  • Chicago Blackhawks head coach Anders Sorensen has been named an assistant coach for Team Sweden at the upcoming World Championship per Chris Johnston of The Athletic. It will be his first time coaching in an international tournament at any level. In fact, Sorensen didn’t play in any international tournaments during his short-lived playing career either – though his pro journey did span tenures in Sweden, France, and Norway. Sorensen has grown through the ranks of Chicago hockey, coaching prominent youth club the Chicago Mission for many years before graduating to the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs’ head coaching role, then assuming Chicago’s head coach role this season. Sorensen has set a 15-30-8 record in 53 games behind the Blackhawks’ bench this season.

Blackhawks Reassign Ethan Del Mastro

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The Blackhawks are reassigning defenseman Ethan Del Mastro to AHL Rockford for the balance of the season, Charlie Roumeliotis of WGN Radio 720 reports. Doing so gives the rookie some extra tune-up time before kicking off the Calder Cup Playoffs with the IceHogs later this month.

So ends a promising rookie season in the NHL for Del Mastro, whom Chicago selected in the fourth round of the 2021 draft. The 6’4″, 210-lb lefty skated in a pair of games to end last season but only got an extended look in the Blackhawks lineup this year. He didn’t make the opening night roster and needed to wait until January for his first recall, leapfrogging Wyatt Kaiser on the depth chart after a strong start to the season in the AHL.

While he’s never likely to put up flashy point totals at the professional level, he’s not a pure defensive specialist. He’s a good outlet passer and will get involved in rush plays, evidenced by a promising 2-4–6 scoring line in 24 showings in Chicago this year. He averaged 18:19 per game and was among the Hawks’ more physical players, ranking eighth on the team with 5.46 hits per 60 minutes.

Possession-wise, Del Mastro looked promising – and that may be an understatement. He had the best outright and relative shot attempt impacts at even strength of any Blackhawks skater, controlling 47.4% of shot attempts. In contrast, Chicago only controlled 42% of shot attempts without Del Mastro on the ice in games he played. That’s excellent work for a 22-year-old and goes a long way toward vaulting him into consideration for their 2025-26 opening night roster.

Del Mastro was on the AHL roster on deadline day, though, making him eligible to play in the minor-league postseason. He has eight assists and a plus-five rating in 42 AHL appearances this year. That’s not the offensive production he flashed in his rookie year, putting up 7-30–37 in 69 games for Rockford in 2023-24, but he’s continued to log heavy minutes while showing his strengths as a physical, intelligent, smooth-skating defender.

As for Chicago’s final few regular season games, the demotion indicates either Wyatt Kaiser or Connor Murphy should be returning tomorrow against the Jets after sitting out of last night’s win due to illness. Del Mastro appeared in that win, posting a plus-one rating in over 20 minutes of ice time after serving as a healthy scratch for the previous three.

Blackhawks Happy With Kevin Korchinski's Development

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  • Despite iffy boxcar stats this season, the Blackhawks are pleased with how 2022 No. 7 overall pick Kevin Korchinski has developed in 2024-25. “We forget how young he is,” Blackhawks interim coach Anders Sörensen told Mark Lazerus of The Athletic. “His development curve this year overall has been a positive one, and it’s going up.” Korchinski highlighted his own defensive improvement – a must this season, considering his lack of offensive production. The 20-year-old lefty is a passer first and foremost and was dominant offensively in juniors, but he has no points to speak of in 13 NHL games this season and has been underwhelming with AHL Rockford with 3-24–27 in 54 games.

Sacha Boisvert To Play At Boston University

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After entering the transfer portal earlier this week, it appears that Blackhawks prospect Sacha Boisvert has found his next team.  RDS reports that the 19-year-old will play at Boston University next season.  Boisvert was the 18th-overall pick back in June and spent this season at the University of North Dakota where he led the team in scoring with 18 goals and 14 assists in 37 games.  Boisvert becomes the second Chicago prospect committed to the Terriers for 2025-26 as Jack Pridham, a third-round pick from last year, will also suit up there next season.

Victor Söderström Could Join Blackhawks Next Season

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  • In an unconfirmed report from Jennifer Engstrom of Expressen, there is a growing belief that defenseman Victor Söderström will join the Chicago Blackhawks next year. Söderström has reportedly been in dialogue with the Blackhawks since the SHL playoffs started, having been acquired from the Utah Hockey Club in a salary dump trade involving Shea Weber’s contract at the recent trade deadline. Söderström would be a massive addition to Chicago’s blue line, as he recently won the Salming Trophy as the SHL’s top defenseman, scoring nine goals and 37 points in 49 games for Brynäs IF.

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Blackhawks Sign Taige Harding To Entry-Level Deal

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The Blackhawks announced they’ve agreed to terms with defenseman Taige Harding on a two-year entry-level contract for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 seasons. His contract carries a cap hit of $880K and breaks down as follows, per PuckPedia:

2025-26: $775K NHL salary, $92.5K signing bonus, $57.5K games played bonus, $80K minors salary
2026-27: $800K NHL salary, $92.5K signing bonus, $32.5K games played bonus, $80K minors salary

While Harding won’t be eligible to make his NHL debut until the fall, he’ll get his first taste of professional hockey down the stretch on a tryout with AHL Rockford, the team confirmed. The Scotland native and Canadian national lands a deal after four seasons with Providence College, which also saw 2024 first-round pick Trevor Connelly sign his entry-level contract with the Golden Knights today.

Harding was a third-round pick by Chicago in 2021 from the Fort McMurray Oil Barons of the Alberta Junior Hockey League. The monster 6’6″, 235-lb lefty jumped to the Friars midway through the following season. While his ability to box out opponents, given his size, is the foremost aspect of his upside, he’s a good outlet passer and has had his point totals reflect that in college. He totaled a respectable 8-32–40 scoring line through 123 games at Providence, boasting a +20 rating. This year, Harding recorded a career-high 46 PIMs and posted 2-12–14 in 37 games with a plus-nine mark.

The 23-year-old isn’t among the top 15 prospects in an exceedingly deep Blackhawks prospect pool, and Scott Wheeler of The Athletic wrote in February that he most likely tops out as AHL depth. Nonetheless, he’s got the tools to peak as a bottom-pairing presence for Chicago someday after a quietly stable run of play in college. He’ll be an RFA in 2027; he also becomes the 31st player under contract for the Hawks next year.

Poll: Which College Signing Will Make The Biggest Impact In 2024-25?

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A contract signing frenzy has broken out across the NHL as the NCAA season draws to a close. Teams are in a mad dash to lock up their star prospects, or sign impactful free agents who slipped through the cracks of the draft. The range of outcomes for these fresh pro recruits will stretch across the hockey world. Some will finish their seasons on amateur try-out contracts in the minor leagues, while others have earned a proud AHL shot, and even more find themselves suddenly thrust into the NHL lineup. The group of signees is headlined by prospects with years of anticipation behind them, joining teams with important games left on the docket. Those big additions lead to the natural next question – which college signing will make the biggest impact through the remainder of the year?

University of Minnesota star Jimmy Snuggerud may be an easy top guess. The 20-year-old right-wing has joined a St. Louis Blues team in the midst of a nine-game win-streak that’s propelled them into a confident playoff spot. St. Louis’ success has come in no small part thanks to rookie Zachary Bolduc, who has 16 goals and 31 points in 65 games this season. He’s been backed by other thriving young forwards, like Dylan Holloway and Jake Neighbours. The Blues have leaned into their youth movement by promoting top AHL scorer Dalibor Dvorsky to the top flight, after he potted 20 goals and 43 points in 57 minor league games. Now, St. Louis also adds the snappy shot of Snuggerud after he managed a dazzling 24 goals and 51 points in 40 games of his junior season. Snuggerud doesn’t shy away from physicality and plays a cool, calm, and collected game that should blend well with a Blues offense that’s firing on all cylinders since the calendar turned over.

But St. Louis’ Central Division rivals have a pair of new faces who could find their way to a big splash. The Chicago Blackhawks may be well outside of postseason contention, but they’ve received their own injection of young potential by signing Snuggerud’s UMN teammates, centerman Oliver Moore and defenseman Sam Rinzel. Both players filled top-end roles for the Gophers this season, to dazzling results. Rinzel took home the Big Ten’s ’Defenseman of the Year’ honors this year, after recording 10 goals and 32 points in 40 games of his sophomore season. Moore just narrowly outscored him, potting 12 goals and 33 points in 38 games of his own. The pair have already made their NHL debuts – and while neither scored, they were both instantly noticeable amid a Blackhawks offense that’s slowed down as of late. Chicago is looking towards the future as the season draws to a close, and strong performances out of Moore or Rinzel could go a long way towards cementing their top-of-the-lineup role through next season. It seems Rinzel’s spot may already be locked up – after he recorded over 20 minutes of ice time and four shots on net in his debut.

There’s even more to watch from Gopher alums in the Central Division – with Matthew Wood inking a deal with the Nashville Predators after completing his junior year at UMN. Wood ranked second on the Gophers in scoring behind Snuggerud, with 17 goals and 39 points in 39 games this season. It was an impressive performance for the fresh-transfer – but perhaps even more impressive, it was Wood’s first time not leading his team in scoring since he made his junior hockey debut in the 2020-21 season. He’s a fierce shooter, with the heft and skating to push his way into space, even against top competition. He could quickly find a role on a Predators team that lost Mark Jankowski at the Trade Deadline – and one that’s in desperate need of a booming top prospect to spark hopes.

While the Gophers look to take control of the Central Division, the Metropolitan Division could soon be controlled by Eagles. Boston College stars Ryan Leonard and Gabe Perreault have inked their first pro deals, signing with the Washington Capitals and New York Rangers respectively. The duo are absolute top prospects who have spent the vast majority of the last four seasons playing on the same line. Leonard is a beefy sniper capable of driving down the boards with speed and getting the puck on net quick. Perreault is a bit more nimble – and uses a strong drive to overwhelm opponents on the forecheck and quick hands to beat them in his paths to the net. Both have done nothing but sparkle with their individual efforts, and seem fully capable of translating at least some of their upside to the NHL right away. Leonard will join the best team in the league, while Perreault will join a squad currently in tight contention for the Eastern Conference’s second Wild Card. Both roles should lead to major roles that could lead the top names to quick scoring.

Plenty of other signings across the hockey world could pay off sooner rather than later. Even if they don’t, the chance to watch top prospects finally donning their NHL jerseys is hard no to be excited over. Who do you think will make the biggest impact? Vote below:

For mobile users, click here to vote.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Blackhawks Prospect Sacha Boisvert Enters Transfer Portal

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It has been a busy few days for some of Chicago’s first-round picks.  Over the weekend, the Blackhawks signed defenseman Sam Rinzel (a 2022 first-round pick) center Oliver Moore (a 2023 first-rounder) to entry-level contracts and gave them their NHL debuts on Sunday.  One of their first-round picks from 2024 will have a new team as well, just not at the professional level.

Scott Powers of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that center Sacha Boisvert has entered the NCAA transfer portal.  After spending his freshman year at the University of North Dakota, he’ll be on the lookout for a new school to play for next season.

Boisvert was the 18th-overall selection last June following a solid second year with USHL Muskegon.  The 19-year-old recorded 36 goals and 32 assists in 61 games with the Lumberjacks last season which had him ranked in the 20s by most scouting services.  Clearly, Chicago felt a little stronger about his upside, selecting him with one of the top post-lottery picks.

On the surface, Boisvert’s decision to play elsewhere is a bit surprising.  He had a solid freshman year for the Fighting Hawks, tallying 18 goals and 14 assists in 37 games.  His 32 points led the team which is particularly notable among a group of skaters that featured 14 NHL draft picks.  Already getting a prominent role, he’ll look to find a better fit somewhere else in the coming weeks.

When he was drafted, Boisvert was viewed as a bit of a project selection who would need several years of college hockey before being ready to turn pro.  This news doesn’t accelerate that timeline, instead likely cementing it.  But after a strong first season of college, Boisvert seems to be on the right track development-wise, even if he’s setting out to chart a new path.

Blackhawks Sign Sam Rinzel

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11:03 AM: The Blackhawks officially confirmed Rinzel’s signing.

10:17 AM: It appears Oliver Moore won’t be the only prominent prospect that the Blackhawks will be signing.  Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports (Twitter link) that Chicago is also inking defenseman Sam Rinzel to a three-year, entry-level deal that begins this season.  PuckPedia adds (Twitter link) that the contract will break down as follows:

2024-25: $830K salary, $95K signing bonus, $25K games-played bonus
2025-26: $855K salary, $95K signing bonus, $500K ‘A’ bonuses
2026-27: $855K salary, $95K signing bonus, $750K ‘A’ bonuses

The above works out to a cap hit of $942K and an AAV of 1.363MM.  Rinzel isn’t eligible for ‘A’ bonuses in his contract this season since they’re unachievable with how little time is remaining in the schedule.

The 20-year-old was the 25th overall selection by Chicago back in 2022 out of Chaska in Minnesota’s high school system.  At the time, he was viewed as a high-ceiling but a long-term development project.

Rinzel spent his post-draft season exclusively with USHL Waterloo after spending a bit of time there the year before as well.  After a strong year offensively with them, he went on to the University of Minnesota where he has spent the last two seasons.  In his freshman year, Rinzel put up two goals and 26 assists in 38 games while this season, he notched 10 goals and 22 helpers in 40 contests, ranking him sixth among all Division I blueliners in points.

It appears Chicago feels Rinzel is ready for the next test.  Because the contract starts this season, he will not be eligible to play with AHL Rockford once Chicago’s season ends but there’s a good chance he’ll see some time with the IceHogs next season with GM Kyle Davidson shifting toward giving his top prospects a chance to play a prominent role in the minors before getting an extended NHL look.  But for now, Rinzel will be able to get his feet wet at the NHL level and get into a few games with the Blackhawks down the stretch.

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