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Canucks add ‘good two-way defenseman’ Chatfield to prospect pool

Kingston Frontenacs V Windsor Spitfires

WINDSOR, ON - OCTOBER 20: Defenseman Jalen Chatfield #51 of the Windsor Spitfires connects with a punch during a fight against forward Ryan Cranford #21 of the Kingston Frontenacs on October 20, 2016 at the WFCU Centre in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Dennis Pajot/Getty Images)

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After adding a nice set of assets at the trade deadline, the Vancouver Canucks continued to look to the future by signing defensive prospect Jalen Chatfield to a three-year entry-level contract on Monday.

The 20-year-old hasn’t generated eye-popping scoring numbers with the Windsor Spitfires, but it sounds like his versatility swayed the Canucks.

“Jalen is a good two-way defenseman that sees the ice well and makes good decisions in all three zones,” GM Jim Benning said. “He moves the puck well and can join the rush. Jalen is another addition to our young prospect pool and we look forward to his continued development playing in Windsor.”

You can never have too many quality puck-movers, so if it’s true that Chatfield can help Vancouver’s transition game, then that could be a nice get (however long he might take to actually develop).

As an undrafted free agent, Chatfield seems to realize that he might not enjoy the most “direct” path to actually making an NHL impact. He noted as much to the Windsor Star back in 2016 before he attended the Buffalo Sabres’ prospect camp.

“You try to make the league any way you can, whether it’s the first round, the second round or as a free agent,” Chatfield said. “Everybody gets there some way.”

In other prospect news, the Chicago Blackhawks signed 2013 sixth-rounder (181st overall) Anthony Louis to a two-year deal that begins in 2017-18.