The Ducks confirmed that highly prized prospect, defenseman Justin Schultz of Wisconsin, won’t be signing a contract with Anaheim by Saturday as he has told them he will complete his third year at Madison.
That comes as little surprise, but now the window is that much tighter for the Ducks. They have exclusive rights until June 1 to try to sign him. After that, other teams can jump into the fray and he could become an unrestricted free agent July 1.
The Ducks had not commented publicly on the matter until Thursday.
"Several members of our staff have had conversations with Justin over the last few years, where he has expressed a strong interest in being an Anaheim Duck," said Ducks General Manager Bob Murray. "We have all had the opportunity to get to know what a great person and player Justin is over the last few years. We are very excited about the possibility of him becoming an Anaheim Duck when he is ready to turn pro.
"We respect his decision to finish his third year of college and a fourth year if he so decides. If he does decide to sign with us before he graduates, we have a policy of providing whatever assistance is necessary to help our players graduate from college."
