The longest-serving captain in Saskatoon Blades history is the first player to officially be signed by the Abbotsford Canucks.
General manager Ryan Johnson made the announcement in a press release on Thursday (July 22).
Chase Wouters was the captain of the Blades from 2018-19 to this past season. He recorded 181 points in 280 career games with the Western Hockey League team. His final year with the team saw him collect 21 points and 31 penalty minutes in 21 games.
His number 44 will also be retired by the club, who surprised him with the news during his final post-game media availability back on April 28.
Wouters, a 6-foot-one 194-pound forward, played minor hockey in Lloydminster and represented Team Canada (Canada Black) at the 2016 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, winning silver, and again at the 2018 IIHF World U18 Championship.
He also competed at both the Telus Cup and Alberta Cup as a minor hockey player.
He was drafted in the first round, 18th overall by the Blades in the 2015 WHL Bantam draft. Wouters also attended the Tampa Bay Lightning summer development camp and as a result received an invite to Tampa’s fall camp in September 2018.
He was initially NHL draft eligible in 2018, but was not chosen.
Financial details of the contract were not released, but the minimum salary for an American Hockey League player is et for $52,000 $USD for 2021-22.