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Detroit Red Wings sign former fifth round pick Chase Pearson

By Bob Heyrman

PORTLAND, ME - JANUARY 7: UMaine's Chase Pearson takes possession of the puck at the boards while Yale's Matt Foley defends. (Staff photo by Ben McCanna/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images)
PORTLAND, ME - JANUARY 7: UMaine's Chase Pearson takes possession of the puck at the boards while Yale's Matt Foley defends. (Staff photo by Ben McCanna/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images) /
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The Detroit Red Wings drafted Chase Pearson with the 140th pick, in the fifth round of the 2015 NHL Entry Level Draft.  The 6’2 forward is back with the franchise after signing a two-year entry-level deal yesterday.

Similar to Ryan Kuffner and Taro Hirose, the Detroit Red Wings have signed another youngster to an Entry-Level deal.  It’s sort of full circle for Pearson; he signs a contract with the club who had formally drafted him. Pearson has spent the last three seasons playing College hockey at the University of Maine where he’s served as their captain over the previous two seasons.

Unlike Kuffner and Hirose, at this point, Pearson isn’t expected to have a chance to play his way onto the Detroit Red Wings.  Pearson is a 6’2 center who led Maine in goals this season with 16 and finished second on the team with 29 points.  He was a plus 21 on the season.

Pearson will have an opportunity to play his way onto the Grand Rapids Griffins.  Even the Griffins are starting to become a little log jammed so there is no guarantee he will be able to unseat a regular for a spot on the team.

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The 21-year-old was born in Cornwall, Ontario, Canada.  You may remember his father Scott Pearson; he played nearly a few hundred games in the NHL with a variety of teams.

The Detroit Red Wings have done an excellent job adding some NHL hopefuls who have just finished their collegiate career.  The Wings are an exciting destination for these young prospects.  The kids like Hirose who will make his NHL debut today and Kuffner who did over the weekend feel like they have an opening to make the team.  On a contending team or even a playoff team, these kids would have a tougher row to hoe if they had aspirations to make those types of clubs.

They’ve decided to start their NHL career with the bottom-feeding Wings because they will have every opportunity possible to make the team out of training camp next summer and they know it.  The Wings signed Danny DeKesyer and Justin Abdelkader in the same fashion.

These are low risk, high reward signings for the Wings.  Although Pearson is not expected to help, the Detroit Red Wings stranger things have happened.  Hirose, Kuffner, and Pearson are both under contract for next season before they become restricted free agents in 20/21.

Next. Wings Sign Two NCAA Players to Entry-Level Contracts. dark

If the Wings are able to strike gold with one of these players, they will easily be able to make room on the big club to keep them.  If no-one can make an impact, I expect they will have a home with the Grand Rapids Griffins next season.

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