CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Blackhawks have agreed to a three-year contract with Sacha Boisvert, one of the team's top prospects.
The Blackhawks announced the entry-level deal with the Canadian forward on Monday. The contract carries a $974,167 salary-cap hit and runs through the 2027-28 season.
Boisvert, who turns 20 on Tuesday, could make his NHL debut this week. He won't play Tuesday against Minnesota while he waits for immigration clearance, but the Blackhawks visit the Wild on Thursday and host the Colorado Avalanche on Friday.
Coach Jeff Blashill said he plans to go slowly with Boisvert in terms of playing time.
“I think he's going to need to have a physical impact on the game on a night-to-night basis, and if he can do that, he becomes a real commodity,” Blashill said.
“He can add something to our team I don't know that we have enough of, and that's that kind of hard skill. And if he can do that, it'll be a real positive for us.”
Boisvert, a Quebec native, was selected by the Blackhawks with the No. 18 pick in the 2024 draft. He had three goals and 14 assists in 26 games with Boston University this year.
Boisvert was scratched from BU's 4-1 victory over Vermont in the opening round of the Hockey East Tournament for an undisclosed reason. He returned to the lineup for Saturday's season-ending loss to UConn.
He was suspended for two games in January after getting into a fight during a 4-3 loss to UMass Lowell.
The 6-foot-3 Boisvert played for North Dakota for one season before transferring to Boston. He had 18 goals and 14 assists in 37 games for the Fighting Hawks.
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FILE - North Dakota forward Sacha Boisvert skates during the second period of an NCAA hockey game against Cornell on Nov. 2, 2024 in Ithaca, N.Y. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus, file)
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Kennedy Center's board of directors voted on Monday to shut down operations for two years following this summer's July 4 celebrations. The widely expected decision comes in the wake of numerous resignations and cancellations during President Donald Trump's second term, although Trump himself has cited the need for repairs as a reason for the closure.
“We’re going to ensure it remains the finest performing arts facility of its kind anywhere in the world," Trump told reporters at the White House before the board met Monday.
The board also voted to install Matt Floca as CEO and executive director, replacing Trump ally Richard Grenell, who oversaw far-reaching changes at the venue that prompted an outcry from many artists and exacerbated the operation's financial challenges. Trump praised Grenell on Monday, saying he had been a longtime friend, and wished Floca “good luck with everything.”
Over the weekend, a federal judge ruled that a Democratic lawmaker was entitled to participate in the meeting. But the judge did not require that the board permit a vote for Ohio Rep. Joyce Beatty, an ex officio member through her position in Congress. Beatty was in attendance during Monday's gathering.
Trump hosted the board meeting at the White House in a reminder of the influence he has held over the Kennedy Center during his second term. Shortly after returning to office last year, Trump ousted the center's previous leadership and replaced it with a hand-picked board of trustees that named him chairman. He also brought in Grenell, who served in a variety of capacities during Trump's first term, when the president mostly ignored the Kennedy Center.
The center's lineup has since included more Trump-friendly programming, including serving as the venue for the premiere of first lady Melania Trump's documentary, "Melania." The board also announced it had renamed the facility the Trump Kennedy Center, a change scholars and lawmakers say must be initiated by Congress, and physically added the president's name to the building's facade.
The fallout from the arts community was swift and intense. Actor Issa Rae, musician Bela Fleck and author Louise Penny were among the numerous artists who withdrew from appearances, while consultants such as musician Ben Folds and singer Renée Fleming resigned. Earlier this month, the executive director of the National Symphony Orchestra, Jean Davidson, left to head the Los Angeles-based Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts.
Without mentioning the abandoned performances, Trump said in February he would close the Kennedy Center to fix what he has described as a dilapidated building.
Ahead of the closure, Grenell warned staff about impending cuts that will leave “skeletal teams.”
Floca, Grenell's successor, had been serving as vice president of operations. According to his LinkedIn page, he joined the Kennedy Center in January 2024, during the Biden administration.
A center press release from the time describes him as “an experienced facilities management professional with a construction management background and an appreciation for whole building design principles.”
Previous experience for Floca listed on LinkedIn includes a handful of positions with the District of Columbia government, among them associate director of sustainability and energy and director of facilities management. He graduated from Louisiana State University in 2009 with a Bachelor of Science degree in construction management.
Italie reported from New York.
Mindy Levine, left, listens as Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, talks before President Donald Trump arrives for a board meeting of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center For The Performing Arts in the East Room of the White House, Monday, March 16, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump speaks during a board meeting of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center For The Performing Arts in the East Room of the White House, Monday, March 16, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Kennedy Center President Richard Grenell, left, and Matt Floca are seated as President Donald Trump speaks during a board meeting of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center For The Performing Arts in the East Room of the White House, Monday, March 16, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
FILE - A woman walks outside The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center For The Performing Arts on Feb. 2, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul, File)
