Entwistle signs on the dotted, and lucrative, line with Chicago
Imagine you’re 19 years old and you suddenly have more than $100,000 at your disposal. What would you do? You’d be tempted, probably, to go on a shopping spree. To blow a few grand on some shoes or clothes or a new phone. Maybe you’d even buy a car — no, wait — a pickup truck. Fully loaded.
Well, if you’re Mackenzie Entwistle, you don’t have to imagine. You just have to decide what to do with it.
On Tuesday, the Hamilton Bulldogs captain inked a threeyear entry level contract with the Chicago Blackhawks. And it came with an annual signing bonus of $92,500 US.
“I’ve never seen money like that before,” he said. “So it will be cool. I just have to use it right.”
The deal was done almost three months to the day after the Blackhawks acquired the Georgetown native in a sevenplayer swap with the Arizona Coyotes — the team that drafted him in the third round, 69th overall, in 2017.
Initially, Entwistle was worried he’d done something wrong. It’s pretty uncommon for unsigned prospects to be traded. But he hadn’t.
In fact, Chicago was interested in him all along.
“We think he’s just scratching the surface,” general manager Stan Bowman said in a recent story in the Chicago Tribune. He also revealed the Blackhawks had planned to draft the six-foot-three, 181-pound centre with the 70th pick.
“I knew they liked me,” Entwistle said. “I didn’t know they liked me enough to trade for me.”
But they did. They liked him enough to sign him, too.
If he makes the Blackhawks,
Entwistle will earn between $700,000 and $800,000 in each of his first three seasons — or $70,000 if he winds up with of the team’s minor league affiliates — in addition to his signing bonus.
It isn’t the maximum allowed under the league’s collective bargaining agreement, but it’s close. Entwistle, still wrapping his head around the magnitude of the deal, said he has no plans to spend his first paycheque.
Instead, he’s focused on having a good season with the Bulldogs and then on making the cut in Chicago next fall.
“From minor hockey to getting drafted to the OHL to playing in the OHL to getting drafted to the NHL to signing a contract,” he said.
“It’s just all the steps, you know? And it’s nice to just kind of check those boxes. There’s obviously still much more, but it’s nice to kind of get my foot in the door and it’s kind of cool knowing the Blackhawks have faith in me and believe in me. It’s exciting.”
If you ask his coach, it’s also well-deserved.
Entwistle — who has four goals and seven points in nine games this season — isn’t a natural scorer, but he is “probably one of the most elite 200-foot players in the league,” said Dave Matsos. “He relies on work ethic, he relies on intelligence, braveness in blocking shots, and the good stuff follows him because he works so hard.”
He also said he wasn’t at all surprised by the signing.
“It’s a great pickup by Chicago.”
Entwistle and the Bulldogs hit the road for a game against the 4-5-0-0 Owen Sound Attack on Wednesday before heading north to face the 6-4-0-0 Sudbury Wolves on Friday and the 5-3-2-0 Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds on Saturday — a rematch of last year’s OHL championship final. Matsos said it could be one of the hardest trips of the year for his club.
“That’s kind of how we’re approaching it,” he added.
“It’s going to be tough.”
NOTES: Centre Logan Morrison and defenceman Michael
Renwick have been named to the Team Canada roster for the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in New Brunswick next month. Dave Matsos, meanwhile, will be behind the bench at the tournament as an assistant coach for Team Red . ... Zack
Jackson (concussion), D.J. King (ankle) and Liam Stevens (ribs) could return to line up as early as this weekend, while Jake Murray (knee) and Owen Burnell (concussion) are still sidelined.