Former Chicago Blackhawks' 1st-round Pick Set to Make Season Debut Tonight

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Joshua Deeds
December 9, 2024 (9:43 PM)

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The Chicago Blackhawks have recalled former 1st round pick Kevin Korchinski from the Rockford IceHogs. He makes his season debut tonight.

Tonight against the New York Rangers, two original six teams will clash on the ice in Madison Square Garden.

And the Blackhawks have a nice weapon in their arsenal tonight against the Rangers as they have called up Kevin Korchinski.

Rather than sending Korchinski back to the WHL last season, they opted to burn one year of his ELC and give him a shot in the big leagues.

He performed fairly well for a rookie who had seen no NHL ice time before and earned some meaningful compliments from his teammates including Connor Murphy.

Murphy said that "(Korchinski) did earn to be here last year, whether he would've with the rules or not. I think he showed a lot of great things." Murphy explained that he would have rather been in the minors to start his career because it allows players to be around others their own age and make mistakes without having the same pressure when they do. "I'm happy for him to be able to go there, build his game, and have a lot of fun with a lot of friends..."

"(Korchinski) has one of the hardest parts already mastered. It's his skating ability and his hockey sense and vision. That's something, to this day, that I don't even have," Murphy said. "So for him to be at that elite level already, when the rest of his game comes along, he's going to be a stud defenseman in the NHL for a long time."

Last season he played 76 games in the NHL, scoring 20 points( 5 G, 15 A) with a -39. This season he'd only have to play 21 games with the IceHogs before his name was next on the depth charts. With the IceHogs he's scored 11 points( 2 G, 9 A) and is very familiar with Anders Sorensen.

This could be a great moment for Korchinski to distinguish himself from last year, and show GM Kyle Davidson what he's learned during his time in the AHL.

With Alec Martinez out of the lineup, the Blackhawks have had to resort to call-ups from the AHL. After Isaak Phillips, and Louis Crevier both got a good look this season, it is now Korchinski's turn to show off his stuff.

No confirmation of where Korchinski will slot in at the moment.