The Chicago Blackhawks have signed prospect Michal Teply to a three-year, entry-level contract. The deal will have an annual cap hit of $825,000 and take Teply through 2022-23. The news was announced late Friday afternoon.
It's official! Forward Michal Teply inked a three-year ($825,833 AAV) contract that runs through the 2022-23 season.#Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/VLC6n5MmA6
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) April 10, 2020
Blackhawks Ink Michal Teply
Teply played most of the year in the WHL with the Winnipeg Ice. He had a very good season in the junior league with 29 goals and 63 points in 53 games before the CHL leagues suspended play. Those are good numbers considering that Teply was 18-years-old and there are a number of older players still in the juniors. Teply also had three goals and 12 points in 13 games for the Czech Republic at the under-20 international juniors tournament. He has the size to play in the NL at 6’3″ but will need to need more time to fully adjust to North American play. Teply had played exclusively overseas before 2019-20.
The Blackhawks originally took Teply in the fourth round of the most recent 2019 Draft. He needs some work on his skating but he was able to avoid defenders in the WHL. His draft report gives him positive marks on his shot but it needs power. That will come with more conditioning. He has the tools to be a good middle-six player if he can iron out the deficiencies in his game.
What This Means for the Future
Teply will play at least one more season in the WHL before he has a chance to join the NHL squad. More time in the Canadian juniors will let Teply get more experience in North America and add strength. Teply could be in the NHL while in his entry-level deal is active but it won’t be in 2020-21.
Chicago has been aggressive in signing its prospects for next season. They signed four within the past several weeks. They are several years away from being contenders again but depth like Teply is important to rebuilding the foundation of another championship team.
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