NEWSLETTER
The Blackhawks are apparently making it a point to extend all of their young, depth forwards this offseason. After giving Mike Hardman a two-year extension earlier this month, the Blackhawks have again extended a young forward for two years. Chicago announced on Wednesday morning a two-year contract extension with MacKenzie Entwistle.
https://twitter.com/NHLBlackhawks/status/1427994143956078593?s=20
Entwistle is under contract for the 2021-22 season with an $811,667 cap hit. His new extension through the 2023-24 season holds an $800,000 AAV cap hit. Entwistle joins a group of players, 23-years-old or younger, signed with the Blackhawks through the 2023-24 season: Hardman, Brandon Hagel, Riley Stillman, Lukas Reichel, Michal Teply, and Isaak Phillips.
Entwistle split time last season between the AHL with the Rockford IceHogs and the Blackhawks’ NHL Taxi Squad. He played in 22 AHL games, tallying four goals and 12 points, as well as notching his first NHL assist and first NHL goal in five games with Chicago last season.
MacKenzie Entwistle 1st career goal!!#Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/2jdYXgywED
— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) May 9, 2021
After a Junior career that saw him win the OHL Championship twice, once with the Hamilton Bulldogs and once with the Guelph Storm, Entwistle’s first professional season in 2019-20 was with the Rockford IceHogs, where he finished second in rookie goals (11) and second in rookie points (26) on the team, only behind Brandon Hagel in both categories.
As a sizable winger at 6’4″ and 185-pounds, Entwistle brings an all-around game to the Blackhawks where he plays that bottom-six, checking-forward role wonderfully. He’ll be fighting for an NHL roster spot this fall, but will likely end up being one of the leading forwards for the IceHogs in the AHL on and off the ice. This extension is a good move by Chicago to lock-in one of their young forwards that could potentially be a complimentary piece to the future core of NHL players.
