Jets sign defenseman Isaak Phillips to two-year contract

On Friday, the Winnipeg Jets announced that the team has re-signed defenseman Isaak Phillips to a two-year, two-way contract. The deal carries an NHL AAV of $812,500 through the 2026-27 season.

Phillips came to the Jets organization this past season when he was traded by the Chicago Blackhawks for Dmitry Kuzmin on Jan. 15. He was immediately assigned to the Jets’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Manitoba Moose.

The Barrie, Ontario native ended up playing 39 games for the Moose, scoring three goals and five assists for eight points, despite posting a plus/minus of -11. Overall, this season, including his time with the Blackhawks’ top farm team, the Rockford IceHogs, Phillips scored four goals and 12 assists for 16 points in 67 games, with a -3 rating. He also played in three games with Chicago, scoring a goal on Nov. 3 against the Anaheim Ducks.

Phillips will be entering his sixth year of professional hockey. The Subury Wolves product has spent most of his time in the AHL, although he has seen some longer stretches in the NHL while the Hawks continue to undergo their rebuild. He played a career-high 33 games with Chicago during the 2023-24 season. Arguably, his best season in the pros came in 2022-23, when he scored 23 points in 51 games with Rockford, while notching a goal and five points in 16 games with the Blackhawks.

In 56 career NHL appearances, Phillipsahs scored two goals and 10 assists for 12 points, with a career rating of -37. He’s also played in 238 regular-season games in the AHL, notching 26 goals and 61 assists for 87 points, including another seven points in 14 Calder Cup Playoff contests.

Phillips was originally taken by the Blackhawks in the fifth round, 141st overall, of the 2020 NHL Draft.