Amazingly, the reigning Defenseman of the Year from the OHL has settled on an AHL deal with the Rockford IceHogs, minor league affiliate of the Chicago Blackhawks. Darren Raddysh was reported to have many suitors around the league after an outstanding season with the Erie Otters, but either decided the chance to join teammate Alex DeBrincat in the Blackhawks system was too good to pass up, or wasn’t offered an entry-level contract by anyone around the league.
We profiled Raddysh earlier this month when there was apparently league-wide interest in him, examining his status as an over-aged junior free agent. His evolution from “brother of Taylor Raddysh” (a top Tampa Bay Lightning prospect) to league-best defender was an incredible one, seeing his point total jump all the way to 81 this season. The Otters won an OHL Championship but couldn’t finish off the Memorial Cup as they lost to the hometown Windsor Spitfires.
There is no guarantee he’ll find success at the next level but there isn’t a glaring weakness in his offensive game, and he’s not dramatically undersized like other undrafted or overlooked players. Should he be able to take any of his scoring dominance to the AHL level, the Hawks could have another young prospect right in front of them for virtually nothing.