Chicago Blackhawks sign forward Samuel Savoie to entry-level contract

The Chicago Blackhawks have signed forward Samuel Savoie to a three-year, entry-level contract, the club announced Tuesday morning.

Savoie, 19, collected 26 goals and 59 points in 60 games with the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s Gatineau Olympiques during the 2022–23 regular season. The five-foot-ten left wing added two goals and eight points in 13 games in the 2023 QMJHL playoffs.

The Blackhawks originally selected Savoie in the third round (No. 81 overall) of the 2022 NHL Draft, making him their seventh pick after Kevin Korchinski, Frank Nazar, Sam Rinzel, Paul Ludwinski, Ryan Greene, and Gavin Hayes.

Savoie’s entry-level contract with the Blackhawks carries an $878,333 NHL cap hit. If Savoie returns to the QMJHL in 2023–24 without playing at least 10 NHL games, his contract will slide by one year to take effect in the 2024–25 season.

The Blackhawks made Savoie one of their three third-round selections in the 2022 NHL Draft after he racked up 33 points (18 goals, 15 assists) in 64 games with the Olympiques during the 2021–22 QMJHL season.

Savoie is the fourth member of the Blackhawks’ 2022 draft class to sign his entry-level contract with the team, following Korchinski, Ludwinski, and Hayes. Nazar and Rinzel, the Blackhawks’ other two first-round picks from the 2022 NHL Draft, are slated to play in the NCAA in the 2023–24 season.

The Blackhawks finished in 30th place in the NHL during the 2022–23 regular season after posting a 26–49–7 record in 82 games. They subsequently leapfrogged the Anaheim Ducks and Columbus Blue Jackets in the draft lottery to win the right to select top prospect Connor Bedard with the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft.

Signing Savoie is just a small part of what has been a busy offseason for the Blackhawks. In addition to drafting and signing Bedard, the ‘Hawks have acquired forwards Taylor Hall, Nick Foligno, and Corey Perry.