Even though he has already burned the first year of his entry-level contract by playing in Saturday's matinee versus the Predators, Lukas Reichel was reassigned to the AHL to assumedly play out the string with the IceHogs and boost their run for a berth for the Calder Cup Playoffs.
There's a mixed bag of perspectives on what seems best for Reichel's development, i.e. get his feet wet in the NHL to adjust to that level of rigor, speed, and physicality since he may not have much left to prove in the AHL or get his cups of coffee but round out his growth in the minor leagues.
Either way, Reichel now knows what he has to work on during the rest of the regular season in Rockford and hopefully during the postseason as well. He has already expressed commitment to remain in Chicago this summer to work on his strength and conditioning with development coach Paul Goodman.
With his return to the Hogs, Reichel will reunite with volume-shooting power forward Michal Teply on one wing and high-energy space creator Andrei Altybarmakian on the other to form the team's 1st line which boasts the franchise's top prospect along with up-and-comers taken in later draft rounds.
While Reichel is a shoo-in to crack the Blackhawks starting lineup for 2022-23, Teply and Altybarmakian are still another season away from knocking on the NHL door. As Rockford's most improved forwards, either or both wingers could earn cups of coffee next year to see what they can offer to the rebuilding Hawks.
Dylan McLaughlin will then center D.J. Busdeker and either Josiah Slavin or Mike Hardman on the 2nd line. Whoever out of Slavin and Hardman doesn't slot in there will play alongside Evan Barratt and Carson Gicewicz on the 3rd line instead. Then the 4th line is a fixed set of career minor leaguers.
Of this bunch comprising the middle 6, Slavin and Hardman are the pair to watch for next year. Both are budding power forwards on scoring lines in the AHL. However, both would be destined as bottom 6 types in the NHL, albeit with different roles. Slavin does all the little things with finesse while Hardman brings the braun.
On the blueline, the top Hogs defensemen are Ian Mitchell and Jakub Galvas. In Rockford, they play on different D pairs with Mitchell anchoring the 1st pair as the team's bonafide #1 all-around rearguard who puts up points. Galvas is the steadying influence on whichever pair he's on as he plays smart, positional hockey.
Mitchell and Galvas will campaign for starting spots on the Hawks roster this fall but they will have company as Alec Regula and Alex Vlasic are presently with the parent club and proving that they can be reliable in their own end, leverage their size and reach, and make a solid first pass out of the zone.
Of the new Four Horsemen, Mitchell and Galvas may have the upperhand to crack the lineup and have staying power in the NHL next season but Regula is also emerging as one to watch. Regula has had a tale of two seasons as he had an uninspiring first half in the AHL then demonstrated his solid two-way play in the NHL.
As for Vlasic, it may behoove the Hawks to have him start 2022-23 with the Hogs as the top defensive defenseman on the minor league squad. That isn't to say that Vlasic should spend the entire season in the AHL. Rather, some fine tuning and refining may be all that's needed to get him fully NHL ready.
What about Wyatt Kalynuk, Nicolas Beaudin, and Isaak Phillips? If Kalynuk is re-signed, he needs to consistently use his top-flight skating to maintain tighter gaps and move the puck out and up with his feet. The desired outcomes for Beaudin and Phillips are similar. Phillips also stands to lean on his size and strength more.
Once the Hawks are done with their season, Regula and Vlasic will head to the Hogs and bolster the blueline which the team should know by then whether or not they are in the AHL playoffs. Ryan Stanton adds veteran experience for the D corps but the youngsters are all better defenders than him.
Possible Hogs lineup heading into the Calder Cup Playoffs:
Teply - Reichel - Altybarmakian
Hardman - McLaughlin - Busdeker
Gicewicz - Slavin - Barratt
Pour - G Mitchell - Gabriel
Phillips - I Mitchell
Kalynuk - Regula
Vlasic - Galvas
Soderblom
Morris
Reserve: Connolly, Morrison, Osipov, Beaudin, Stanton
The roster calculus changes if Philipp Kurashev, MacKenzie Entwistle, and Reese Johnson are eligible for the AHL postseason. Even if they're not or some are while others aren't, this trio are near locks for the Hawks next season with Kurashev needing to be re-signed as a restricted free agent.
Jaxson Stauber could be 3rd string but he's likely headed back to Providence College to finish his spring semester. He's currently only on an amateur tryout with the Hogs. Collin Delia could potentially rejoin the Hogs. Cale Morris is also in the goalie mix. Regardless, the starting gig belongs to Arvid Soderblom.
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Blackhawks Game Summary
DeBrincat - Strome - Kane
Kubalik - Toews - T Johnson
Lafferty - Reichel - Raddysh
Katchouk - R Johnson - Entwistle
Vlasic - S Jones
McCabe - Regula
de Haan - C Jones
Lankinen
Delia
Scratches:
Borgstrom, Dach, Kurashev, Gustafsson, Stillman
1st Goal (0-1): Dube (Hanifin, Coleman)
2nd Goal (0-2): Gaudreau (Tkachuk, Zadorov)
3rd Goal (1-2): T Johnson (Toews, Kubalik)
4th Goal (1-3): Coleman (Kylington)
5th Goal (2-3): Regula (McCabe, DeBrincat)
6th Goal (2-4): Gaudreau (Tkachuk) EN
7th Goal (2-5): Kylington (Markstrom) EN
SOG For/Against: 24/35
PP: 0-for-2
PK: 3-for-3
Faceoffs Won: 53%
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Blackhawks Notebook
* Regula notched his first NHL goal with his long bomb from the left point that had eyes and a little luck bouncing off of Calgary netminder Jacob Markstrom's back.
* Entwistle was knocked out of last night's game after suffering a right shoulder injury from a hit by Flames defenseman Oliver Kylington.
* Kirby Dach and Entwistle are reportedly grounded in Chicago to nurse their shoulder ailments as the Hawks hit the road to Phoenix, Los Angeles, and San Jose.
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IceHogs Notebook
* The Hogs visit the Wolves at Allstate Arena this evening then host the Griffins on Wednesday.
* A playoff berth will be clinched if the Hogs can pick up 5 more standing points in the remaining 7 games.
* Morris returns to the Hogs after filling in for Delia as the Hawks backup goalie during the past weekend.
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See you on the boards!
Sources: Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Tribune, Daily Herald, NBC Sports Chicago, The Athletic Chicago
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