A move which had been circulating on Twitter circles for about a week was confirmed by the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday morning, when the team announced that it had signed forward Buddy Robinson to a one-year, two-way contract worth $750,000.
hey Buddy 👋 pic.twitter.com/AIM5HeQMVL
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) July 25, 2022
Robinson, who’ll turn 31 on Aug. 30, has played in 53 NHL games across five seasons, although 32 of those games came last season with the Anaheim Ducks, when Robinson scored one goal with assists and average 9:15 of ice time per game.
Robinson entered the NHL in 2013 as an undrafted free agent signing by the Ottawa Senators and made his NHL debut during the 2015-16 season with those same Senators. He’s primarily been an AHL player after his college career at Lake Superior State ended, with Robinson posting career-highs in goals (25), assists (28) and points (53) for the 2017-18 Manitoba Moose. Last season with the San Diego Gulls, Robinson had four goals and five assists in 28 AHL games.
Where Robinson fits in Chicago remains anyone’s guess. It seems like the Blackhawks already have a plethora of fringe AHL/NHL guys who may end up with the IceHogs, but a rebuilding team at the NHL level could also have a spot or two open to be won at training camp.
The other Blackhawks-related signing on Monday comes from the NFL, where the Chicago Bears signed offensive lineman Michael Schofield just before training camp opens later this week:
We have signed Michael Schofield to a one-year contract.
Let’s get it, @SchoBlue75! 🐻⬇️@Hyundai | #DaBears https://t.co/8BC5LxqfUn
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) July 25, 2022
Schofield, an Orland Park native, is the husband of Kendall Coyne Schofield, the Blackhawks’ player development coach and youth hockey growth specialist. Michael Schofield has played in 102 NFL games with 81 starts during his 7-year career, with prior stops including the Denver Broncos, Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Chargers.
Of course, Kendall Coyne Schofield has her own lengthy professional career to boast about, having won gold medals with Team USA at the IIHF World Women’s Championships and 2018 Winter Olympics. She also participated in the 2019 NHL All-Star Skills fastest skater competition, circling the rink in a blazing 14.326 seconds.
Hopefully Michael Schofield can help shore up the Bears’ offensive line and allow Justin Fields to flourish this fall, offering Blackhawks fans brief distractions from the inevitable slog that will be the 2022-23 NHL season for a team that’s fully leaned into the “tear-it-all-down” portion of the rebuilding plan.
And thus concludes Second City Hockey’s official preview of the Chicago Bears’ 2022 training camp.