Red Wings sign Chase Stillman to one-year contract

A young prospect is looking for a new start in the Mitten.

On Saturday, the Detroit Red Wings signed forward Chase Stillman to a one-year, two-way contract. The deal carries an NHL cap hit of $850,000, with a minor-league salary of $95,000 for the 2026-27 season.

Stillman was an unrestricted free agent as the Vancouver Canucks didn’t extend him a qualifying offer earlier in the week. It’s a little bit of a pay bump for the 23-year-old, on the American Hockey League side of things. He just came to the end of his three-year, entry-level contract, which he signed with the New Jersey Devils in August 2021. That deal had an NHL AAV of $863,000, but a minor-league cap hit of $80,000.

Stillman was taken by the Devils in the first round, 29th overall, of the 2021 NHL Draft. After finishing up his junior career with the Peterborough Petes of the Ontario Hockey League, the St. Louis, Mo. native jumped into the AHL with the Utica Comets, the Devils’ top farm team. After a solid rookie season, Stillman was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins‘ system as part of the deal that sent Cody Glass to New Jersey.

Then, last July, he was traded to the Canucks, along with a fourth-round pick, for Arturs Silovs. He was hopeful that he could benefit from joining the defending Calder Cup champions, the Abbotsford Canucks, but an injury in late October knocked him out for almost four months. He was limited to just 24 games, scoring three goals and six assists for nine points. He’ll hope to play a key role on a Grand Rapids Griffins team that is going through a transition phase of its own.

In 143 regular-season games in the AHL, Stillman has posted 21 goals and 24 assists for 45 points, having played in just two postseason contests with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in 2025.