Joey Anderson impressed the Blackhawks enough during a late-season audition to earn another contract for the 2023-24 season.
The Hawks re-signed Anderson on Thursday to a one-year, two-way contract carrying an $800,000 salary-cap hit.
The 207-pound winger tallied six points (including four goals) in 24 games with the Hawks, then another six points in seven games for the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs, after joining the organization in February.
The Hawks had been keeping an eye on Anderson for months as he toiled in the Maple Leafs organization, utilizing assistant coach Derek Plante’s longtime relationship and familiarity with him, and eventually acquired him in the Jake McCabe/Sam Lafferty trade.
After that point, Anderson’s forechecking ability particularly stood out, helping his line with Boris Katchouk and Jujhar Khaira (who seems unlikely to return as a pending unrestricted free agent) dominate over a weekslong stretch. Anderson’s 48.3% scoring-chance ratio at five-on-five ranked second-best on the team during the stretch run.
Hawks general manager Kyle Davidson praised Anderson in his end-of-season comments, making a return to Chicago seem probable for the Minnesota native who turned 25 on Monday.
“Joey Anderson has been fantastic and brings a high compete level every game,” Davidson said April 13. “[He] always seems dangerous on the ice. It’s something we’ve been really pleased about, that players we’ve identified have worked in our system.”
