Blackhawks call up top prospect, add player to LTIR
Friday morning, the Blackhawks shuffled their roster by moving forward Jujhar Khaira from the IR to the LTIR and placing Jonathan Toews, who suffered a concussion January 26th against the Detroit Red Wings, to the IR. This left a hole up front and the Blackhawks decided to call up 2020 first round pick Lukas Reichel.
A young offensive minded winger, Reichel has been a point per game player in the AHL putting up 33 points in 33 games with the Rockford Ice Hogs. Listed at 6'0» and 170lbs, Lukas Reichel isn't the biggest player but still drives the play as he has a very high hockey IQ and is able to find the open ice to create chances in the offensive zone.
Reichel said in an interview after he was drafted that when he was growing up, he enjoyed watching the Blackhawks when they won multiple Stanley Cups between 2010 and 2015.
Now he is lucky enough to share a dressing room with his idol, and maybe even some ice time.
There is expected to be a lot of turnover in Chicago between now and next season, so it's likely that if Reichel can make an impact with his opportunity, it could get his foot in the door and provide him with an excellent chance to earn as spot as a full-time NHLer next season.
