The Winnipeg Jets have come to agreement on a three-year, entry-level deal with 2020 sixth round draft pick (164th overall) Tyrel Bauer. The physical, 20-year-old defenceman is in his fourth year with the Seattle Thunderbirds.
With just hours left to come to a contractual conclusion before Bauer’s rights would have turned into that of an unrestricted free agent, the Jets and Bauer’s agent pulled through on a contract in nearly the eleventh hour.
Currently in the midst of the best-of-seven WHL Western Conference Final, the 6-foot-3, 210-pound defenceman has more pressing issues on his plate, but signing with Winnipeg certainly does check off one of the final boxes in his junior career.
His three-year contract is of the entry-level variety, meaning he will make $750K in Year 1 of the deal at the NHL level, and $775K in the second and third year, should he spend time with the Jets. If with the American Hockey League’s Manitoba Moose, the Cochrane, AB. product will earn $80K per season.
Serving as the captain of the Thunderbirds, Bauer will suit up against the Kamloops Blazers in Game 7 of the conference finals Tuesday night after missing a significant portion of time with an MCL injury this past year.
He had five goals and 10 points to go along with 59 penalty minutes in just 32 games for the T-Birds this past year. Bauer’s four-year WHL career featured a career-high 17 points in 60 games during the 2019-20 shortened season.
Bauer’s deal is the standard $925K in annual average value, with performance and signing bonuses making up the additional money sent his way. Whether Seattle wins or loses on Tuesday, the team’s captain is certainly going home a happier man than he may have been earlier in the week, with his first professional contract officially in the books.
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