Blackhawks sign Boston University student to 3-year deal

The Blackhawks signed defenseman Chad Krys to a three-year, entry-level deal Monday with an average annual value of $925,000.

Krys, whom the Hawks drafted 45th overall in 2016, will report to the Rockford IceHogs.

Krys just finished his junior season at Boston University where he had a career-best 8 goals and also had 20 assists in 30 games.

Mark Eaton, the Blackhawks' director of player development, had this to say about Krys during development camp last July: "He's such a great skater, such an effortless skater. He can use that not only when he has the puck, but to help him defensively too. It's something he's really started to grasp and he's doing that much more."

Eaton also loved Krys' positive attitude.

"Even when he admits he had a bad game, he says it with a smile," Eaton said. "He knows he wasn't good, but he knows the sun's going to come up tomorrow and it's another day. That's a good quality to have and it'll serve him well going forward."

The IceHogs are battling Manitoba, Milwaukee and Texas for the fourth and final playoff spot in the AHL's Central Division.