The Chicago Blackhawks have signed defenseman Ethan Del Mastro to a two-year, $1.9 million contract, the team announced Wednesday. The one-way deal will keep Del Mastro with the organization through the 2027-28 NHL season.

Del Mastro, 23, was the final restricted free agent the Blackhawks secured ahead of the start of training camp, which opens Thursday. Earlier this summer, the team signed forward Connor Bedard, defenseman Kevin Korchinski, and goaltender Drew Commesso. Del Mastro’s signing continues a recent trend for Chicago, following last year’s late-season agreement with defenseman Wyatt Kaiser shortly before camp.

Selected 105th overall in the fourth round of the 2021 NHL Draft, Del Mastro remains one of only two players from that draft class still with the Blackhawks, alongside defenseman Taige Harding. He saw increased NHL playing time last season due to injuries to Matt Grzelcyk and Artyom Levshunov, appearing in 19 games and recording one assist, 22 blocked shots, and five takeaways. Head coach Jeff Blashill has commended Del Mastro’s confident style of play, emphasizing the value of his willingness to take risks on the ice. “He doesn’t play afraid to make a mistake—I like that piece of it for sure,” Blashill said in March. “You want guys who are going to go out to play to win.”

Over parts of three seasons, Del Mastro has played in 45 NHL games, tallying two goals and five assists. At the American Hockey League level with the Rockford IceHogs, he has contributed 64 points—including nine goals and 55 assists—in 161 games over the same period.

This offseason, the Blackhawks bolstered their defensive corps by adding Bowen Byram and Ian Cole, while re-signing Korchinski. Other returning defensemen include Alex Vlasic, Wyatt Kaiser, Sam Rinzel, and Levshunov. Should Del Mastro not make the NHL roster out of training camp, the team plans to place him on waivers, with the expectation that he would return to the IceHogs if unclaimed.