The Chicago Blackhawks checked one more item off their summer to-do list Wednesday, agreeing to a new deal with defenseman Ethan Del Mastro just a day before NHL training camp opens.
It’s the same kind of timing the club used last year with Wyatt Kaiser: wait until the last possible moment, then get the final restricted free agent under contract. This time, Del Mastro landed a two-year pact with a $950,000 cap hit that runs through the 2027-28 season.
Del Mastro, 23, has already logged 45 career NHL games. In that span, he has two goals and five assists for seven points. The 2021 fourth-round pick, taken No. 105 overall, has also piled up 64 points - nine goals and 55 assists - in 161 AHL games with the Rockford IceHogs since turning pro ahead of the 2023-24 season.
He was one of two restricted free-agent defensemen Chicago still needed to sign this summer, along with 2022 No. 7 overall pick Kevin Korchinski. Of that pair, Korchinski appears to have the clearer path right now and is projected to make the NHL opening-night roster as the team’s seventh defenseman.
That leaves Del Mastro in a tougher spot on the depth chart. With Bowen Byram and Ian Cole added this summer, and Alex Vlasic, Sam Rinzel, Artyom Levshunov, Kaiser and Korchinski all back in the mix, Del Mastro looks like the eighth defenseman entering camp. That makes an NHL job on Sept. 29 in Las Vegas look unlikely.
The wrinkle is that Del Mastro is no longer waivers-exempt. If the Blackhawks want to send him to Rockford, they’d have to expose him to waivers first, and that opens the door for another team to claim him before the season begins.
There’s reason Chicago still likes what it has seen. Del Mastro flashed promise in his early NHL looks, especially late in the 2024-25 season. For now, though, the AHL looks like the only realistic landing spot.
One possible path back up: Del Mastro, a left-shot defenseman, also spent time on the right side last season with both the Blackhawks and IceHogs. That could matter, because the only two right-handed defensemen projected to make the NHL roster are Rinzel and Levshunov, and Chicago will need at least one lefty to play his off-side.
Even with that flexibility, Del Mastro’s place on the roster remains unsettled. The Blackhawks have him signed, but with seven defensemen seemingly ahead of him, his role going into the new season is still very much up in the air.
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Blackhawks Just Made Ethan Del Mastro A Much Bigger Camp Story
Ethan Del Mastros summer took another meaningful step when the Blackhawks signed the defenseman to a new contract, turning a player who was already on the radar into a much bigger camp storyline. Drafted 105th overall in 2021, Del Mastro has already logged professional time with the AHLs Rockford IceHogs and even got a taste of the NHL with Chicago, so this is no longer just about long-term projection. It is about how soon he can carve out a real role on a blue line that has gotten more crowded.
For the Blackhawks, that makes his camp worth watching closely. Del Mastro now has a clearer path to stick around, but it is still no sure thing he opens the season in Chicago, especially with the competition on defense tightening. The signing gives him another chance to push his way into the picture, and it also leaves the organization with a decision that could matter just as much for the roster as for Del Mastros immediate future. [Read more 🡒]
Blackhawks Just Added Another Young Defenseman To A Crowded Camp Battle
Ethan Del Mastros place in the Blackhawks future got a little clearer with a new contract extension, giving the organization another young defenseman to sort through as its blue-line picture continues to take shape. Drafted by Chicago in 2021, Del Mastro has already split time between the Blackhawks and the Rockford IceHogs, and he has added a pair of gold medals at the IIHF World Championships to his rsum along the way.
The extension also puts a bow on Chicagos roster signings heading into the 2026-27 training camp, which only sharpens the competition that will unfold when camp opens. For a team still trying to define which young defensemen will stick long term, Del Mastros new deal keeps him in the conversation and adds another layer to a battle that is only getting more crowded. [Read more 🡒]
Blackhawks Camp Opens With Young Roster Battle Fans Will Watch Closely
The Blackhawks are set to open training camp Thursday at the Blackhawks Ice Center, and the first look at the 2026 roster already points to a crowded few weeks ahead. The club has lined up camp through Sept. 28 with a mix of returning players, first-year pros and offseason additions, then plans to break the group into NHL and non-NHL sides as it sorts out who is ready to push into the season picture.
For a team still shaping its young core, that kind of split only sharpens the competition. Camp will be watched closely not just for the established names, but for the players trying to force their way into consideration and make a case before the roster gets trimmed down to something much more defined. [Read more 🡒]