The Chicago Blackhawks have agreed to terms with Boston University sophomore defenseman Adam Clendening on a three-year contract.
Clendening shared the lead among Hockey East defensemen with a career-high 33 points (four goals, 29 assists) in 38 games with the Terriers last season. He was named a Hockey East First Team All-Star and was one of only two sophomores selected to the All-New England Division I All-Star team.
“My advisor and the Hawks had been talking for a while, discussing things, and it ended up just being the right offer and the right time,” Clendening said to the Boston Hockey Blog. “The Hawks put some pressure on me, not that it is bad pressure – it was always up to me at the end. Pressure might not be the right word. I would say more they showed interest.
“It’s always a thought when you’re in school and you’re a wanted player. ‘Is the team going to sign me? Is the team going to sign me?’ You never know. I wasn’t looking to be signed, I was just going along and whenever the time was right, I felt it was right, was when I was going to do it. It came maybe just a little earlier than everybody expected.”
Clendening was originally selected by the Blackhawks in the second round (36th overall) of the 2011 NHL draft.
