Blackhawks sign Alex Vlasic to a 3 year, entry level contract

The Chicago Blackhawks announced today they signed defensive prospect Alex Vlasic to a 3 year, entry level contract worth $916,667 per season according to CapFriendly. He’s expected to arrive in Chicago tomorrow and be with the team on Thursday.

A native of Wilmette, Illinois, Vlasic has been playing for Boston University the past three seasons since being drafted in the second round of the 2019 draft. While he only had 20 points across 82 NCAA games, 4 of them being goals, the left handed shot is known for his 6’6” frame, great skating for that size, and shutdown defensive game. This season, the 20 year old was an assistant captain for the B.U. Terriers.

Vlasic won’t be a defenseman who puts up a bunch of points at the NHL level and pull you out of your seat, though he’ll play a low event game and potentially get some penalty killing time, similar to a lot of defensive prospects in the Blackhawks system. It'll be interesting to see if he stays with the Blackhawks for the remainder of the season and burn a year off his contract or spend some time with the IceHogs.

Vlasic also comes from a hockey family. His sister Emma plays for the Connecticut Whale of the PHF, and his cousin is Marc-Edouard Vlasic of the San Jose Sharks. If Alex can be even a quarter of how good Marc-Edouard was in his prime, he’ll be a solid NHL player.

"It's rare to find a player of Alex's skill level and size and we look forward to him continuing his development path with our club, his steady development at Boston University was noticeable and encouraging as we chart his future with our team. I know Alex shares our excitement in bringing him back home to Chicago to begin his professional hockey career."