Reichel had been rated as Chicago's No. 1 prospect in 2023 by THN Future Watch, but fizzled this season in 50 games before being sent to the AHL. Story with video
Lukas Reichel, the Chicago Blackhawks top prospect as recently as a year ago, will return to the NHL on Sunday against the San Jose Sharks.
He's slated to be on the left wing of a line with speedster Andreas Athanasiou at center and veteran Nick Foligno on the right side.
Chicago's first-round draft pick in 2020 (17th overall), Reichel was sent to AHL Rockford on Feb. 18 after fizzling most of the season despite ample opportunity and ice time.
The wiry 21-year-old German had started as the Blackhawks No. 2 center behind Connor Bedard. But he was rarely visible on the ice in 50 games, posting just three goals, seven assists and a minus-28 rating.
Chicago's Top Future Watch Prospect in 2023
Reichel was ranked as Chicago's No. 1 overall prospect by THN's Future Watch in 2023. That was before the Blackhawks won the 2023 draft lottery and took Bedard with the first pick. General manager Kyle Davidson then chose Oliver Moore, now with the University of Minnesota, with the 19th slot in the opening round.
Moore is rated as the Blackhawks top long-term prospect in Future Watch 2024. The annual special edition is available now on newsstands, via https://thehockeynews.store/ and for free by subscribing to The Hockey News at thn.com.free
Solid Rockford Stint
Reichel had a goal and six assists in nine games at Rockford as the Ice Hogs went 7-2-0. He said he felt like he was contributing and engaged on a winning team.
"I tried to find my game again and it worked out pretty well," Reichel said. "We won a lot of games and it's really good team down there. It was fun playing with them.
"Just refocus again and go down there and try to have like a good mentality and stay positive." he added. "It definitely helped me." See video.
Reichel said the time at Rockford helped him get back to some basics after he sputtered in Chicago. He'd have a few solid shifts with the Blackhawks, then not be assertive offensively or defensively or lose his concentration.
For instance, Reichel might drive to the net in traffic, but not score and then stop going into tough areas and float out of the game. He had been a skilled playmaker and scorer previously in the AHL and in Germany's Deutsche Eishockeyliga (DEL
Coach Luke Richardson said he hoped to see a "more confident, dominant performance from Reichel starting Sunday.
The forward had shown that in the NHL late in the 2022-23 season with Chicago. He was skating with more authority and posted seven goal and 15 points in 23 games