Devils Sign Blackwood

[dougiebrown]

Tom Gulitti ‏@TGfireandice 11s11 seconds ago Queens, NY
Devils sign 2015 2nd Rd pick MacKenzie Blackwood to three-year entry-level contract
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[Richer's Ghost]

cup.jpg

 

[Billdo]

I'm not sure why now but ok.

 

[NJDevs26]

One less guy we can freak out over going back into the draft now

 

[JimEIV]

I wonder if this means he will be leaving the CHL next season?

 

[Jason MacIsaac]

I wonder if this means he will be leaving the CHL next season?

most likely yes

 

[NJDevs26]

Does an ELC affect juniors eligibility? Zacha signed one and he's still in juniors this year.

 

[Feed Me A Stray Cat]

Has nothing to do with his chances of going pro next season.

The Devils signed Patrice Cormier to a professional contract in February 2009, eight months after drafting him, only to have him play another season in the Q.

This is fairly common practice.

 

[Feed Me A Stray Cat]

Does an ELC affect juniors eligibility? Zacha signed one and he's still in juniors this year.

Nope.

Blackwood can stay in juniors for the rest of this year and next year and his contract will simply "slide" to the next season. So he can debut as a pro in 17-18 and still have three years left.

"What is an Entry Level Slide?
If a player who is signed to an entry-level contract and is 18 or 19 years of age (as of September 15 of the signing year), does not play in a minimum of 10 NHL games (including both regular season and playoffs; AHL games do not count), their contract is considered to ‘slide’, or extend, by one year. For example, if a player signed an ELC for three seasons from 2015-16 to 2017-2018, and their contract slides, their contract is now effective from 2016-17 to 2018-19.

Players who sign at 18 years old are eligible to have their contracted extended for 2 seasons. This extension does not apply if the player turns 20 between September 16 and December 31 in his signing year. Signing bonuses do not slide, and are paid to the player regardless of a slide, this causes the annual average of the players contract to change, and therefore the cap hit decreases for this player."

I think teams and players both find it beneficial to get the contract done early sometimes, even if a player won't turn pro for a couple seasons. The player gains security from not having to worry about regression in play or an injury causing him to go unsigned, while a team can sure up their financial projections for the coming years.

 

[JimEIV]

most likely yes

I typed my question with that previous conversation in mind.

Good call.

 

[ForeverJerseyGirl]

Congratulations to him! Should be good to continue to monitor his development. He's done well so far.

 

[HobokenIrish]

So this year and next in the OHL and then to the AHL I assume, unless he lights the world on fire and makes the Devils out of camp next year

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

I'm not sure why but ok.

what? how are you not sure why?

 

[Brodeur]

Congrats to my bestest buddy.

 

[MeafAttack]

most likely yes

and play where ? Is it not NHL or CHL ?

 

[Brodeur]

and play where ? Is it not NHL or CHL ?

Blackwood is a late '96, so he's eligible to play in the AHL in 2016-17. That's why Anthony DeAngelo (October 1995) is eligible for the AHL this season but another 2014 pick from the CHL like Michael Dal Colle (June 1996) isn't.

 

[HobokenIrish]

and play where ? Is it not NHL or CHL ?

I am 99% sure it is CHL or NHL so given that unless he blows the doors off in camp and Kinkaid is somehow hurt then it is 1 more year in Barrie.

EDIT: Just saw Brodeur's post. Interesting. Did not realize the birth date played into it. So AHL is an option as well

 

[ScottyK]

Trading Cory at 33 yrs old confirmed

 

[NJDevils17]

Blackwood is a beast. He's huge and has fantastic lateral movement. His glove work has improved as well as evidenced in the last game against Switzerland. I've had a chance to watch him both games at the U-20s and he's solid.

I wasn't really pleased with the pick at the time but he is one of the best goalie prospects in the world right now. Hopefully he continues his upward trajectory.

 

[Cheddabombs]

Congrats to my bestest buddy.

That's awesome, super jealous!

Mack Black's combination of athleticism and size is certainly rare, and bodes well for his future. Talking to a few people yesterday, a lot of which are goalies, and they were amazed at his lateral movements. One of my friends knows someone on the Colts and he said Blackwood is an absolute monster physically speaking, which should come at no surprise since he killed the combine if I recall correctly. He also said he's pretty cocky/confident, which I like in a goalie.

I've brought it up before, but the fact that he started playing goalie relatively late and has sprung up this far this fast is outstanding. I know goalies are typically hard to project but I really don't see how Blackwood can fail if he stays the course in his training.

 

[JimEIV]

Blackwood is a beast. He's huge and has fantastic lateral movement. His glove work has improved as well as evidenced in the last game against Switzerland. I've had a chance to watch him both games at the U-20s and he's solid.

I wasn't really pleased with the pick at the time but he is one of the best goalie prospects in the world right now. Hopefully he continues his upward trajectory.

Remember when Jack Campbell, John Gibson, Montoya, and Lehtonen were considered among the best goalie prospects in the world?

 

[HenriquesJawLine]

Some times teams can't find a goalie for decades and we are gonna roll with Brodeur to Schneider to Blackwood haha that's unfair. Obviously Blackwood hasn't proven anything but I'll take my chances with his size and athleticism.

 

[NJDevils17]

Remember when Jack Campbell, John Gibson, Montoya, and Lehtonen were considered among the best goalie prospects in the world?

Goalies are notoriously hard to predict. Not saying Blackwood is the next coming of Carey Price but he has all the tools that will allow him to succeed. His combine results in addition to his highly touted lateral movement are huge for a young goalie. He's the best goalie in the OHL and the undisputed starter for the U-20 team, neither of which are a cakewalk.

We won't know for probably 4 or 5 or even 6 years how it turns out but he certainly looks like a promising player. There's reason to be excited.

 

[JimEIV]

Goalies are notoriously hard to predict. Not saying Blackwood is the next coming of Carey Price but he has all the tools that will allow him to succeed. His combine results in addition to his highly touted lateral movement are huge for a young goalie. He's the best goalie in the OHL and the undisputed starter for the U-20 team, neither of which are a cakewalk.

We won't know for probably 4 or 5 or even 6 years how it turns out but he certainly looks like a promising player. There's reason to be excited.

The last thing I want to do is diminish the accomplishments of any prospect. His entire year has been very impressive and it is extremely encouraging to see.

I'm just not sure what or how much any of it means? Succeeding is certainly better than the alternative though.

If plays in the AHL next year, or even this season after the CHL season is over I think we'll know rather quickly how real this success is.

 

[Feed Me A Stray Cat]

The last thing I want to do is diminish the accomplishments of any prospect. His entire year has been very impressive and it is extremely encouraging to see.

I'm just not sure what or how much any of it means? Succeeding is certainly better than the alternative though.

If plays in the AHL next year, or even this season after the CHL season is over I think we'll know rather quickly how real this success is.

This is the right mentality to have. Great that Blackwood is doing well right now, but let's hold our horses.

Goalies do not benefit from being rushed. They need seasoning. I'd like him in the CHL next year as well, before making his AHL debut in 17-18.