The Chicago Blackhawks have signed free agent forward Pius Suter to a one-year deal worth $925,000. Suter was playing with the ZSC Lions in Switzerland’s NLA but chose to execute his NHL out-clause. The 24-year-old will return to North America several years after he aged out of the CHL.
Forward Pius Suter has inked a 1-year contract ($925,000 salary cap hit) that runs through the 2020-21 season!
Last season Suter recorded a league-best and career-high 53 points (30G, 23A) in 50 contests en route to earning Switzerland’s National League-A MVP award. pic.twitter.com/iL8NmwGy4y
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) July 16, 2020
Chicago Blackhawks Sign Pius Suter
Suter was having a good 2019-20 season before hockey shut down in Europe. The bulk of his work featured 30 goals and 53 points in 50 games in league play. He also scored a total of five goals and 14 points in eight games split between international play and the Swiss Cup.
Suter was last seen in North America playing for the OHL’s Guelph Storm. He scored 43 goals and 72 points in 61 games in 2014-15 but was not drafted. CapFriendly lists Suter as a 5’11”, 176-pound skater. That is a decent size for an NHL player. He has strong skating skills and scoring touch but some might wonder how his offence will translate against the non-Swiss competition.
Much like Suter, the Chicago Blackhawks signed Dominik Kubalik out of Switzerland after 2018-19 where he scored 25 goals and 57 points in 50 games. Kubalik is a bigger forward at 6’2″, 179-pounds but Suter could be another solid import from the professional European ranks for the Blackhawks next season.
What This Means for the Future
Suter will have an immediate chance to crack the team’s top-nine. He could be a cheap scoring threat and an option on the second power-play despite a lack of experience on North American ice. As mentioned earlier, the Blackhawks signed Kubalik out of Switzerland after the 2018-19 season and finds himself nominated for the Calder Memorial Trophy this season. The Blackhawks will certainly hope they strike gold again and get the same type of production out of Suter as they did from Kubalik.
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