According to his former club team, Brooks Macek has signed a one-year two-way contract with the Vegas Golden Knights. Once a Detroit Red Wings draft pick, Macek has been playing in the German DEL for the last five years and competed for the country at the recent Winter Olympics, winning a silver medal. The deal is worth $650K at the NHL level.
Macek should be well known to Vegas AGM Kelly McCrimmon from his days in the WHL, as the 26-year old forward played five years of junior, splitting his time between the Tri-City Americans and Calgary Hitmen. An excellent offensive player in those days, he hasn’t slowed down since joining the DEL where he had 44 points in 50 games for Munich last season. Teammate Dominik Kahun has recently signed with the Chicago Blackhawks, and perhaps will have to face Macek at some point in either the AHL or NHL.
The Golden Knights have plenty of work to do with their NHL roster, but building a solid minor league system is still a priority. While Macek could compete for an NHL job in the fall, building a deep organization is more than just signing the best players for the Golden Knights squad. As the sole affiliate of the Chicago Wolves next year, Vegas can use players like Macek to provide some much-needed professional experience to a young group.