Nick Schmaltz, who helped the University of North Dakota win a national title in the spring, has signed a three-year deal with the Blackhawks.
Craig Morgan of AZ Sports first reported the deal.
Schmaltz was the Blackhawks’ 20th overall selection in the 2014 NHL Draft. He just finished his sophomore year at North Dakota, recording 11 goals and 35 assists in 37 games.
The Blackhawks will be looking to young talent in the wake of trading 21-year-old Teuvo Teravainen and Bryan Bickell to the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday. Teravainen was entering the final year of his current contract, an entry-level deal. On a conference call that night, general manager Stan Bowman was asked about future guys who the Blackhawks could be looking to following Teravainen’s trade. Bowman mentioned Schmaltz specifically.
“He has some dynamic skills,” Bowman said. “Whenever he does sign, he’s a guy who will have a three-year entry deal. A lot of it is the timing game. As they enter that final year of entry level, you have to decide, that’s when guys make a jump in pay. Can you accommodate that? Do they become one of those guys you can put money into or do you look at some younger guys who can do it at a lower dollar amount?”