After falling short of a Frozen Four championship with Denver, the attention in Chicago turned to defenseman prospect Ian Mitchell and whether he'd sign an entry-level deal with the Blackhawks. It felt like it was only a matter of time before he would do so, but as the days passed, there seemed to be growing speculation that that may not be the case.
On Wednesday, Mitchell made it official and announced his decision to return to college for his junior season by releasing this statement on Denver's website:
"In the past few days since our season ended, I have had the chance to reflect on the year and the season our team had.