The Chicago Blackhawks announced today that they have agreed to terms on a two-year contract extension with forward Richard Panik (PA-nihk), which runs through the 2018-19 National Hockey League season.

"Richard made tremendous strides this past year and we were pleased with the consistency he showed throughout the season," said Senior Vice President and General Manager Stan Bowman. "We are looking forward to having him in Chicago for the next two seasons."

Panik posted career highs in goals (22), assists (22) and points (44) during the 2016-17 campaign. He was also one of three Blackhawks to appear in all 82 regular-season contests and he paced the club with 147 hits. His 22 tallies shared fourth on the team, including his first career hat trick on Oct. 15, 2016. He was one of six Chicago skaters to finish with at least 20 goals.