The Chicago Blackhawks today announced that the team has agreed to terms with defenseman Ian Cole on a one-year contract ($4 million salary cap hit). The contract will run through the 2026-27 season.Cole, 37, posted 23 points (3G, 20A) in 82 regular-season games with the Utah Mammoth during the 2025-26 campaign. He ranked fourth among team blueliners with 20 assists and 23 points. Cole also ranked 15th in the NHL and led the club with 151 blocked shots last season. Additionally, he notched two points (1G, 1A) in six postseason games with the Mammoth.
The 6-foot-1, 237-pound defenseman has totaled 233 points (38G, 195A) in 990 career NHL regular-season games between the St. Louis Blues, Pittsburgh Penguins, Columbus Blue Jackets, Colorado Avalanche, Minnesota Wild, Carolina Hurricanes, Tampa Bay Lightning, Vancouver Canucks and Mammoth. Cole also shares ninth in the NHL with 1,834 career blocked shots since his NHL debut on Nov. 6, 2010 with the Blues.
He’s also made 12 career trips to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, totaling 33 points (4G, 29A) in 135 postseason contests. Cole shares fourth among all active NHL defensemen with 287 postseason blocked shots, while he ranks ninth with 135 career playoff games. Additionally, he won back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Penguins in 2016 and 2017.
The native of Ann Arbor, Mich. was originally selected by the Blues in the first round (18th overall) of the 2007 NHL Draft.
