RELEASE: Blackhawks Sign Marek Vanacker to Entry-Level Deal
RELEASE: Blackhawks Sign Marek Vanacker to Entry-Level Deal
2024 NHL Draft’s first-round pick signs a three-year contract.
The Chicago Blackhawks today announced that the team has agreed to terms with forward Marek Vanacker on a three-year, entry-level contract that runs through the 2026-27 season ($975,000 salary cap hit).
During the 2023-24 season, 18-year-old Vanacker set new personal records in the Ontario Hockey League with the Brantford Bulldogs. He played in 68 games, scored 36 goals and provided 46 assists, accumulating a total of 82 points. His goal and point totals topped all Brantford skaters, while his assists were the second highest in the team. In the six OHL postseason games of the same year, Vanacker added seven points to his tally (3 goals, 4 assists), tying for second among all team skaters in both assists and points.
After being chosen as the 27th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, Marek Vanacker.
Vanacker, originally from Delhi, Ontario, has participated in 123 regular-season OHL games with the Bulldogs between 2022 and 2024, amassing a total of 98 points (40 goals, 58 assists). He has also appeared in the OHL Playoffs twice, garnering seven points (3 goals, 4 assists) over 12 games. On an international level, Vanacker contributed to Team Canada’s gold medal victory at the 2024 IIHF U18 World Championship, scoring one goal in six games.
The forward, who stands at 6-foot-1 and weighs 178 pounds, was first drafted by the Blackhawks in the first round as the 27th overall pick of the 2024 NHL Draft.
