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Blackhawks Sign Ethan Del Mastro One Day Before Training Camp Begins
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- Blackhawks Sign Ethan Del Mastro One Day Before Training Camp Begins
Blackhawks Sign Ethan Del Mastro One Day Before Training Camp Begins
Much like last year with Wyatt Kaiser , the Chicago Blackhawks have agreed to a new contract with their final restricted free agent just one day before NHL training camp begins.
The Blackhawks announced Wednesday morning that defenseman Ethan Del Mastro has signed a new two-year contract. The deal carries a $950,000 cap hit and runs through the 2027-28 season.
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Del Mastro, 23, has appeared in 45 career NHL games, with two goals and five assists for seven points. The 2021 fourth-round pick (No. 105 overall) has also recorded 64 points (9G, 55A) in 161 career AHL games for the Rockford IceHogs since turning pro ahead of the 2023-24 campaign.
it's Delly time ‼️
📰 ➡︎ https://t.co/nREa93FGcW pic.twitter.com/m1o0IyCGws— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) September 16, 2026
Del Mastro was one of two restricted free-agent defensemen the Blackhawks needed to sign to a new contract this summer, joining 2022 No. 7 overall pick Kevin Korchinski . Between the two, Korchinski figures to have the edge in the pecking order, as he's projected to make the NHL opening-night roster as the team's seventh defenseman.
With the additions of Bowen Byram and Ian Cole this summer, plus Alex Vlasic , Sam Rinzel , Artyom Levshunov , Kaiser, and Korchinski returning, Del Mastro appears to be the eighth defenseman on the depth chart. An NHL roster spot likely won't be available for him come Sept. 29 in Las Vegas.
The issue is that Del Mastro is no longer waivers-exempt, meaning the Blackhawks would have to put him through waivers to assign him to Rockford. While he's shown promise at times during his first few NHL stints, particularly near the end of the 2024-25 season, the AHL is the only place for him to go right now. That puts him in jeopardy of being claimed by another club before the regular season starts.
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FWIW, Del Mastro, a left-handed defenseman, got some opportunities to play the right side of the blue line last year with the Blackhawks and IceHogs, which could help him get another NHL promotion in the near future. The only two right-handed defensemen projected to make the NHL roster are Rinzel and Levshunov. The Blackhawks will need to place one of their left-handers on their off-side, and Del Mastro has experience with that.
But with seven defensemen somewhat clearly ahead of him entering the new season, Del Mastro's future role with the Blackhawks remains murky, even though they just signed him to a new two-year contract.
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The post Blackhawks Sign Ethan Del Mastro One Day Before Training Camp Begins appeared first on Chicago Hockey Now .
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