Blackhawks sign GM Kyle Davidson to contract extension

The Chicago Blackhawks have signed general manager Kyle Davidson to a contract extension, team chairman and CEO Danny Wirtz announced Wednesday night.

Terms of the extension were not disclosed.

“Kyle’s exceptional body of work to date has set us down the path of bringing sustainable, championship-caliber hockey back to Chicago,” Wirtz said in a team statement. “In a short amount of time, he’s rebuilt the team through strong drafting and player development, delivering a league-leading prospect pool and the beginnings of our future core.

Davidson, 37, was hired as the full-time general manager in March 2022 after being named interim GM in October 2021.

“(Davidson) alongside Head Coach Jeff Blashill have redefined our locker room’s culture and mentality, and we are seeing improvements in all of the underlying areas that make winning possible,” Wirtz added. “We believe in Kyle’s vision for this team and remain fully committed to his plan to return the Blackhawks to the top of our sport.”

Davidson, a native of Sudbury, Ont., said he was grateful for the support Wirtz has shown him since taking over as general manager.

“(Wirtz’s) commitment to our shared vision for the future of the Blackhawks has been vital to the success we’ve seen as we’ve worked to build our roster into a team that can compete for years to come,” Davidson said. “We still have lots of work to do as we strive to bring the Stanley Cup back to Chicago and I’m excited to continue building a team that our fans can be proud of.”

Davidson has served as general manager for four seasons and worked a total of 16 seasons with the organization. He previously served in a number of roles in the hockey operations department, including with contract negotiations, salary arbitration, as well as amateur and professional scouting.

Before joining the Blackhawks, he worked with the Ottawa Senators, as well as the Ontario Hockey League’s Sudbury Wolves.

Chicago goes into Wednesday night with a 28-39-14 record and 70 points, last in the Central Division with the second-worst record in the NHL.