The Detroit Red Wings signed defenseman Filip Hronek to a three-year entry-level contract on Thursday.

Hronek was selected with the club's second-round pick in this year's draft after recording four assists and 22 penalty minutes in 40 games with Hradec Kralove of the Czech National League.

The signing is somewhat intriguing considering the Red Wings elected to sign their second-round selection before fellow defenseman Dennis Cholowski, who was plucked in the first round.

However, Cholowski told Brandon Folsom of the Detroit Free Press on Tuesday he expects to spend at least the next three seasons with St. Cloud State, so the team could merely be saving valuable years.

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