Chicago Blackhawks sign prospect Philipp Kurashev to entry-level deal

The Chicago Blackhawks inked one of their top forward prospects to an entry-level contract Tuesday. Kurashev has had a very successful season with the Québec Remparts and Team Switzerland at the World Junior Championship.

Yesterday, the Chicago Blackhawks signed center Philipp Kurashev to a three-year entry-level contract. The deal is worth $925,000 annually and runs through the end of the 2021-2022 season.

Kurashev is having another fantastic season with the Québec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. In 57 games, he has 62 points (28 goals and 34 assists) to lead his team in all three scoring categories. Over the last three seasons, Kurashev has accumulated 68 goals and 108 assists for 176 points in 181 career QMJHL games.

The forward truly put himself on the radar of many Blackhawks’ fans during the 2019 World Junior Championship. Serving as the alternate captain for Switzerland, Kurashev led the tournament with six goals and tied for seventh in scoring with seven points. He was also voted onto the First All-Star team. He helped lead an underdog team to the bronze medal game where they lost to Russia after defeating Sweden 2-0 in the quarterfinals.

The Blackhawks selected Kurashev in the fourth round of the 2018 NHL Draft using a draft pick they acquired in the Ryan Hartman deal. They also acquired Victor Ejdsell and the first-rounder they used to select Nicolas Beaudin in last year’s draft.

In a prospect pool lacking forward depth, Kurashev has quickly cemented as one of the top forwards the Blackhawks have in the system. While he’ll finish out the 2018-2019 season with the Remparts, he’ll be in September’s training camp fighting for a spot on the ‘Hawks roster.

The 19-year-old is now one of three 2018 draft picks the Chicago Blackhawks have signed to an entry-level deal, along with defensemen Adam Boqvist and Nicolas Beaudin. MacKenzie Entwistle, who the ‘Hawks acquired in the Marian Hossa deal over the summer, also inked an ELC this season, too. All prospects will remain with the junior teams for the remainder of this season.

Want your voice heard? Join the Blackhawk Up team!

Write for us!

If you want to know more about Kurashev, check out our preview of the World Junior Championship where we talked about the center extensively. Chicago Blackhawks fans should get excited about the speedy Swiss forward and the prospects within the organization. There’s some serious talent to watch out for.