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BLACKHAWKS ACQUIRE CHAPUT IN EXCHANGE FOR KERO
ROCKFORD, Ill - The Chicago Blackhawks today announced they have acquired forward Michael Chaput from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for forward Tanner Kero.
Chaput, 26, spent the majority of the 2017-18 season with the Utica Comets, serving as an alternate captain and combining for 42 points (17g, 25a) and 59 penalty minutes in 55 regular-season games. He led all Utica skaters with nine power-play goals, shared the team lead with a career-best four game-winning goals and finished second on the team in overall scoring. The forward then chipped in three points (2g, 1a) in five Calder Cup playoff games for the Comets.
The IIe Bizard, Quebec native also skated at the NHL level for the fifth consecutive season in 2017-18, appearing in nine games with Vancouver Canucks from Dec. 9 – Jan. 14.
Chaput was originally selected by the Philadelphia Flyers in the third round (89th overall) of the 2010 NHL Draft. He made his NHL debut with the Columbus Blue Jackets on Nov. 30, 2013 at Boston and posted career-best totals in goals (4), assists (5) and points (9) in 68 games during the 2016-17 season with Vancouver.
Overall, the forward has combined for 17 points (6g, 11a) in 135 career NHL games with Columbus (2013-16) and Vancouver (2016-18). Chaput has also logged 198 points (77g, 121a) in 301 career AHL contests between Springfield (2012-15), Lake Erie (2015-16) and Utica (2016-17), and helped lead the Monsters to a Calder Cup Championship in 2016.
Kero, 25, was limited by injury to just 36 AHL games with Rockford and eight NHL contests with the Blackhawks during the 2017-18 season. The forward began the year with Chicago, and after scoring one goal with two assists through Nov. 12, was assigned to the IceHogs on Dec. 8. Kero notched points in nine of 13 games of January, including a pair of season high-tying four-game point streaks, en route to finishing the campaign with 20 points (8g, 12a) with the IceHogs.
The Hancock, Michigan native made his professional debut with Rockford during the 2014-15 season and has combined for 84 points (40g, 44a) in 130 career AHL games with the IceHogs from 2014-18. Kero has also logged 22 points (8g, 14a) in 72 career NHL contests with Chicago from 2015-18.
Season Tickets for 2018-19 on Sale Now:
Don’t miss a moment of the action by reserving your seats for the IceHogs’ 20th season of professional hockey in Rockford and 12th as the top AHL affiliate of the Chicago Blackhawks. The IceHogs’ home opener is set for Oct. 13 and ticket packages begin as low as $105 for a seven-game mini pack. Please contact us at (815) 847-6399 or visit icehogs.com to claim your spots for this upcoming season.
