Gophers men’s hockey senior forward Blake McLaughlin signed a two-year entry-level NHL contract with the Anaheim Ducks, the team announced Sunday.
McLaughlin, 22, will report to Anaheim’s primary development affiliate – the San Diego Gulls in the American Hockey League – on an amateur contract for the remainder of the 2021-2022 season.
Drafted by the Ducks in the third round and 79th overall of the 2018 NHL Draft, McLaughlin’s two-year entry-level deal will officially begin in the 2022-23 season.
McLaughlin, originally from Grand Rapids, Minn., recorded 105 points (38 goals, 67 assists) in 142 collegiate games with the Gophers.
The 6-0, 170-pound left-winger recorded single-season career-highs in goals (13), assists (20) and points (33) in 39 games for the Gophers in his senior campaign.
McLaughlin helped Minnesota to a 26-13 record this season, highlighted by the team winning the Big Ten regular-season title and appearing in the Frozen Four for the first time since 2014.
