5 things to hope that happens for the Chicago Blackhawks in 2023
By Todd Welter
See more of Lukas Reichel, Arvid Söderblom, and Ian Mitchell on the ice.
Kyle Davidson is going to be patient with his prospects. He is not going to rush up players like the previous regime. Still, this is a lost season, and players like Reichel, Söderblom, and Mitchell need to be getting experience at the NHL level.
Reichel is one of the few prospects the Hawks have currently signed who has the potential to skate on a top line. He currently has 13 goals and 21 assists at AHL Rockford.
He has played one game so far with the Chicago Blackhawks this season.
He held his own quite necessary in that game considering he was flown to Newark at the last minute to play against the New Jersey Devils. He got that chance due to Jonathan Toews being a last-minute scratch because of an illness.
Reichel has played in just 12 NHL games. He has the skill to thrive at the top level.
Head coach Luke Richardson would prefer Reichel continue to grow with the IceHogs but at some point, he needs to show he can play among the best.
Blackhawks send top prospect Lukas Reichel back to Rockford.
— Chicago Tribune Sports (@ChicagoSports) October 6, 2022
“Why not go down and be the best center down there?” coach Luke Richardson said. “Work on your game, get a little harder in one-on-one battles and manage the puck and light it up down there.https://t.co/q26Inn5PfI
Richardson also needs to give Ian Mitchell a legit look to see if he can be a part of the next great Blackhawks team.
Just gonna leave this right here.https://t.co/IKMumRKr8h
— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) January 2, 2023
When he gets minutes on the ice, he has handled himself well.
The key is getting minutes as he has been a healthy scratch on most nights. The Hawks do have some good defensive prospects in Kevin Korchinski, Nolan Allan, Wyatt Kaiser, and Ethan Del Mastro but they are all still at the junior or college level.
Mitchell is a young defenseman ready for the NHL. It is time we get to see what he can do for the rest of the season.
Either play Ian Mitchell, send him back to Rockford, or trade him. If you don't think he is part of the NHL plans, sitting him in the press box does a whole not of nothing for all parties.
— Greg Boysen (@GregBoysen) December 31, 2022
Söderblom was not expected to play much this year but after Stalock and Petr Mrazek suffered injuries, he was forced into NHL action.
Söderblom showed he can be an NHL goalie with 3.45 goals against average and a .894 save percentage in 12 games. Those are not eye-popping numbers, but he did face 453 shots. It is not like he had Chris Chelios or Duncan Keith playing in front of him.
He has held his own despite a poor defense. Going back to Rockford for some time is not a bad thing. It allows him to continue to play regularly.
Hopefully, Davidson can trade Stalock, and if he does, then Söderblom needs to be the primary goaltender for the rest of the year.
He needs the experience to prove he can be the goalie for the next decade or so.