Chicago Blackhawks prospect Matheson Iacopelli may have seen his dreams of getting to the Frozen Four dashed over the weekend, but he has gotten a great consolation prize as he has signed a two-year entry level contract with the team.
Iacopelli, a third round draft pick of the Blackhawks in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, will report to the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs, and his entry-level deal won’t officially kick in until next season.
Iacopelli’s Western Michigan squad was eliminated from the NCAA tournament in the round of 16, scored 20 goals and dished out 16 assists in 40 games in his sophomore season. By signing a contract with the Blackhawks, Iacopelli will forego his final two seasons of eligibility and he will be able to make his way to the NHL team at the beginning of next season.
The Blackhawks have signed several of their prospects to ELC’s in recent weeks, including John Hayden and Anthony Louis. The moves are part of an effort to build the team’s depth at various positions as free agency and trades will likely take several of their players off of the roster for the start of next season, with Richard Panik and Marcus Kruger among the names most frequently mentioned as being in danger of being sent away.
