BLACKHAWKS
Hinostroza, Hayden sign 2-year deals, provide depth as part of team’s young core
A pair of homegrown forwards, Vinnie Hinostroza and John Hayden, have agreed to two-year contract extensions, the Blackhawks said Friday. The deals run through the 2019-20 season.
The Bartlett-born Hinostroza was a sixth-round draft pick in 2012. He spent the last few seasons shuttling between Chicago and the Hawks’ minor-league affiliate in Rockford but was up with the Hawks for most of 2017-18, appearing in 50 games and tallying 25 points on seven goals and 18 assists.
Overall, Hinostroza has played in 106 NHL games over parts of three seasons. He made his NHL debut in 2015.
Hinostroza, 24, is part of a group of young forwards the Hawks hope will ascend into larger roles next season. That group includes Alex DeBrincat, 20, Nick Schmaltz, 22, and Chicago native Hayden, 23.
Like DeBrincat, the 5-foot-9 Hinostroza is undersized by NHL standards, but he doesn’t back away from contact. Speed and passing ability are considered his greatest assets.
“He’s probably one of the few guys (who) can really create on his own,” teammate Patrick Kane said last season, “just with his speed and his whole skill set.”
Hayden, a third-round pick in 2013, played 47 games for the Hawks last season and recorded four goals and nine assists. He ranked fourth on the team and ninth among NHL rookies with 118 hits.
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