Blackhawks sign second-round pick Alex Vlasic to entry-level deal

Adding to Tuesday's growing list of NCAA players signing their entry-level contracts, Alex Vlasic has signed a three-year entry-level deal with the Chicago Blackhawks. Per the team, the deal will carry an $824,167 cap hit. Vlasic was drafted by the Blackhawks 43rd overall in the 2019 draft, just before another of today’s signings, Drew Helleson. 

Vlasic, 20, is perhaps best known for being among the biggest players in his draft class. Standing at six-foot-six, Vlasic’s size has made him an intriguing prospect as he’s developed in the NCAA. There’s not a lot of offense to his game, as he has only 20 points in his 82-game career at Boston University, but his aforementioned size, which is highly coveted and difficult for teams to find, has made it so that lack of offense hasn’t tarnished much of his shine as a top prospect. 

Just by being as big as he is, Vlasic offers high defensive upside thanks to his reach and potential to be a menace along the boards. He’s the cousin of Marc-Edouard Vlasic, and while that has little bearing on his actual play on the ice, it should excite fans who know the connection and remember Vlasic in his prime when he was among the NHL’s most fearsome defenders. Even if Vlasic’s offensive game never comes along, he should be able to carve out an NHL career as a defensive specialist.

Speaking of his potential ability to carve out an NHL career, his doing so could be closer than many would think. Vlasic is heading straight to Chicago to be with the Blackhawks team, according to Bartlett Hockey, Vlasic’s representation. 

While it is not confirmed if Vlasic will make his NHL debut this soon after signing, the Blackhawks getting him into Chicago and with the team this quickly should signal their excitement over his upside and their confidence that he is ready for the rigors of NHL hockey. Given the uncertainty NHL fanbases often wrestle with when it comes to NCAA prospects and their signability, seeing Vlasic fast-tracked to the NHL like this should relieve and excite a Blackhawks fanbase that looks headed into uncharted waters under new GM Kyle Davidson.