Ohio State goaltender Jeff Maund announced Friday that he has signed with the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks, forgoing his final two years of eligibility.
The two-year deal struck Thursday — Maund’s 23rd birthday — includes a $700,000 signing bonus and a guaranteed $75,000 for minor-league play.
“There’s an education clause so that I can finish my schooling,” said Maund, “and I can bring my family down for my first NHL game. I’m really happy with it.”
Maund, a native of Mississauga, Ont., leaves Columbus on Friday for a week and a half in Chicago, after which he’ll return to Columbus until the camps for next season begin.
“They couldn’t guarantee me [a roster spot],” he said. “There will probably be a No. 2 spot open next season. They have two goalies in their system right now, so it’s probably going to be a battle between the three of us to try to get the number two.”
Maund said it will be hard to leave Ohio State and his teammates, and hard to play in minor-league facilities which will almost certainly be less imposing than OSU’s Schottenstein Center, but the money was even harder to turn down. An additional incentive was the thought of what he could do for his mother, Carol Maund, who he said “was both mother and father to me growing up.”
“You look at it next year, and it would’ve only been a one-year deal with a maximum of $500,000 to sign. I would’ve loved to have come back, but with that type of money … we’re not a wealthy family.
“It’s going to be nice to be able to do a lot of stuff for her, because she gave up so much for me.”
