Ian Mitchell (ice hockey)

Ian Mitchell
Ian Mitchell with the Boston Bruins in 2023
Born	(1999-01-18) January 18, 1999 (age 25) St. Albert, Alberta, Canada
Height	5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight	174 lb (79 kg; 12 st 6 lb)
Position	Defence
Shoots	Right
NHL team (P) Cur. team Former teams	Boston Bruins Providence Bruins  (AHL) Chicago Blackhawks
NHL draft	57th overall, 2017 Chicago Blackhawks
Playing career	2021–present

Ian Mitchell (born January 18, 1999) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract with the Boston Bruins in the National Hockey League (NHL). ^[1]

Playing career

Collegiate

Mitchell was selected 57th overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, but committed to play college ice hockey at the University of Denver starting in the 2017–18 season. ^[2] Mitchell immediately found success on Denver's blue line, scoring two goals and 28 assists in 41 games for the team. Denver won the 2018 NCHC Tournament, securing an automatic bid in the 2018 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey tournament. However, the Pioneers lost in the second round of the tournament to the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Mitchell was named an alternate captain for the 2018-19 season. ^[3] He put together another good season, scoring six goals and 21 assists. Despite losing early in the 2019 NCHC Tournament, Mitchell and the Pioneers qualified for the 2019 NCAA tournament, where they put together a run to the Frozen Four before losing to the UMass Minutemen.

Mitchell considered going pro and signing with the Blackhawks prior to the 2019–20 season, but elected to stay with Denver, where he was named captain. ^{[4] [5]} He had his most successful collegiate season, scoring a career high 10 goals, as well as 22 assists for 32 points. For his efforts, he was named AHCA First-Team All-American. ^[6] Denver was set to play the Omaha Mavericks in the 2020 NCHC Tournament, but the tournament was canceled before any games were played due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Similarly, the 2020 NCAA tournament was also cancelled.

Professional

Chicago Blackhawks

Mitchell decided to forgo his senior season at Denver, and signed an entry-level contract with the Blackhawks on April 11, 2020. ^{[7] [8]}

Mitchell made the Blackhawks' opening night roster to start his delayed rookie season. ^[9] Mitchell logged his first NHL point on January 22, 2021 against the Detroit Red Wings with an assist on a goal by Calvin de Haan. He scored his first NHL goal on February 11, 2021 against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Although not a lineup regular, Mitchell stayed with the NHL club for the majority of his rookie season, finishing with three goals and four assists in 39 games.

In 2021–22 Mitchell did not find the same NHL success that he found in his rookie season, as he spent the majority of the year with the Blackhawks' AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs. In the AHL, he scored 11 goals and 24 assists for 35 points in 57 games. He also played in five playoff games, registering a goal and assist before the IceHogs were eliminated in the second round by the Chicago Wolves. Mitchell played with the NHL club for eight games, registering a lone assist.

Although he started the 2022–23 season with the IceHogs again, Mitchell was called up on November 18, 2022. ^[10] After that, he served as a reserve body for Chicago's defense, rotating in-and-out of the lineup as needed, but could not lock down a consistent spot in the everyday lineup. ^[10] He scored a goal and added seven assists in 35 games with the Blackhawks.

Boston Bruins

On June 26, 2023, as an impending RFA, Mitchell was traded by the Blackhawks to the Boston Bruins with Alec Regula in exchange for Taylor Hall and Nick Foligno, reuniting him with his head coach from Denver, Jim Montgomery. ^[11] Mitchell signed a one-year, two-way contract worth $775,000 with the Bruins on July 10, 2023, avoiding arbitration. ^[12]

Mitchell won the seventh defensemen job out of training camp for the Bruins, and started the season on the NHL roster. ^[13] Mitchell scored his first point as a Bruin with an assist on a goal by Matt Poitras against the Anaheim Ducks on October 22, 2023. Mitchell was placed on waivers on October 25, but cleared. ^{[14] [15]} Mitchell was quickly called back up a few days later, after playing a few games for the Bruins AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins. However, on December 29, 2023, Mitchell was once again put on waivers, and once again cleared. ^[16] Mitchell spent the rest of the regular season playing for Providence, helping them to a playoff berth in the 2024 Calder Cup playoffs. In the regular season for Providence, Mitchell provided solid offensive output, scoring six goals and 18 assists in 42 games. In the playoffs, this continued, as he scored two goals and two assists in four games in Providence's first round series against the Hartford Wolf Pack. Unfortunately, this was not enough to overcome the Wolf Pack, as the Bruins were eliminated in four games.

As a pending free agent, Mitchell opted to continue his tenure with the Bruins by signing a one-year, two-way contract extension on June 23, 2024. ^[17]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2014–15	Spruce Grove Saints	AJHL		2	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
2015–16	Spruce Grove Saints	AJHL		54	6	21	27	8		14	1	4	5	6
2016–17	Spruce Grove Saints	AJHL		53	8	29	37	34		10	1	2	3	0
2017–18	University of Denver	NCHC		41	2	28	30	14		—	—	—	—	—
2018–19	University of Denver	NCHC		39	6	21	27	18		—	—	—	—	—
2019–20	University of Denver	NCHC		36	10	22	32	16		—	—	—	—	—
2020–21	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL		39	3	4	7	14		—	—	—	—	—
2020–21	Rockford IceHogs	AHL		5	0	1	1	0		—	—	—	—	—
2021–22	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL		8	0	1	1	0		—	—	—	—	—
2021–22	Rockford IceHogs	AHL		57	11	24	35	19		5	1	1	2	0
2022–23	Rockford IceHogs	AHL		5	2	4	6	4		—	—	—	—	—
2022–23	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL		35	1	7	8	8		—	—	—	—	—
2023–24	Boston Bruins	NHL		13	0	2	2	10		—	—	—	—	—
2023–24	Providence Bruins	AHL		42	6	18	24	25		4	2	2	4	4
NHL totals				95	4	14	18	32		—	—	—	—	—

International

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2017	Canada	U18	5th		5	0	2	2	0
2019	Canada	WJC	6th		5	1	2	3	2
Junior totals					10	1	4	5	2

Awards and honors

Award	Year	Ref
College
AHCA First Team All-American	2019–20	[6]

References

1. "Ian Mitchell at eliteprospects.com". eliteprospects.com.
2. Post, Mike Chambers | The Denver (November 5, 2017). "Chambers: Ian Mitchell and Cale Makar pick NCAA route". The Denver Post. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
3. "Colin Staub Named Captain for 2018-2019 Season". University of Denver Athletics. July 24, 2018. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
4. Goldschmidt, Aaron (April 18, 2019). "Blackhawks' Ian Mitchell decides to return to Denver for junior season". The Rink. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
5. "Ian Mitchell Named Captain for 2019-20 Season". University of Denver Athletics. May 17, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
6. "Men's CCM/AHCA Hockey Division I All-Americans Announced". ahcahockey.com. April 11, 2020. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
7. "LetsGoDU: Ian Mitchell signs with Blackhawks to forego senior year but his legacy will remain". LetsGoDU. April 13, 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
8. Kaplan, Emily (April 11, 2020). "Source: Denver's Ian Mitchell forgoing senior year for Blackhawks deal". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
9. "Blackhawks finalize 2020-21 Opening Night roster". NBC Sports Chicago. January 13, 2021. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
10. "Chicago Blackhawks call up defenseman Ian Mitchell, who will make his season debut Saturday: 'I'm hoping never to leave now'". Chicago Tribune. November 18, 2022. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
11. "Bruins acquire Mitchell, Regula in exchange for Hall, Foligno". Boston Bruins. June 26, 2023. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
12. "Ian Mitchell avoids arbitration". boston.com. July 10, 2023. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
13. Stiefel, Keagan (October 10, 2023). "Bruins Announce Opening Night Roster For 2023-24 Season". NESN.com. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
14. "Bruins Place Defenseman Ian Mitchell on Waivers". Black N' Gold Hockey. October 25, 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
15. "Ian Mitchell Clears Waivers". Pro Hockey Rumors. October 26, 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
16. "Bruins' Ian Mitchell: Designated for waivers". CBSSports.com. December 29, 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
17. "Bruins sign Mitchell to one-year, two-way contract extension". Boston Bruins. June 23, 2024. Retrieved June 23, 2024.

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com , or  Eliteprospects.com , or  Hockey-Reference.com , or  The Internet Hockey Database