Mitchell, a 21-year-old right-handed defenseman, signed his entry-level contract with the Blackhawks while the 2019-20 regular season was “paused” due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
The Chicago Blackhawks may be getting a huge boost to their defense for their best-of-five play-in series against the Edmonton Oilers. Not only is shutdown defenseman Calvin de Haan expected to be healthy for the series, but top prospect Ian Mitchell could also be deemed eligible to join the team for the postseason.
TSN’s Darren Dreger announced on Thursday that the NHL is expected to push back the June 1 entry-level signing deadline another month so the NHL and NHLPA can negotiate the possibility of entry-level players signed during the COVID-19 pause joining their teams for the 24-team postseason.
Mitchell, the Blackhawks second-round pick (57th overall) in 2017, has spent the last three seasons playing college hockey with the University of Denver Pioneers. In 2019-20, he served as captain of the Pioneers en route to career-highs in goals (10) and points (32) through 36 games. Denver was also ranked sixth in the national rankings when the season was shut down in March.
All in all, Mitchell was quite impressive during his college hockey career. The St. Albert, Alberta native finished with 89 points (18G, 71A) in 116 games as a Pioneer and won a national championship as a freshman in 2017-18. If Mitchell does get ruled eligible for the 24-team postseason, it’s likely that the Blackhawks insert him into the lineup for Game 1 against the Oilers.
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