Lukas Reichel played 15:54 in his Vancouver Canucks debut
The Vancouver Canucks had a new face in their lineup on Saturday as Lukas Reichel made his debut for the team. The 23-year-old was acquired on Friday from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for a 2027 fourth-round pick. Vancouver wasted no time giving Reichel an opportunity to succeed as he served as the Canucks second-line center while also seeing time on the power play.
Reichel has spent his entire career with the Blackhawks organization. He was drafted 17th overall in 2020 and played 174 games with Chicago. In his first media availability, Reichel spoke about being traded from the Blackhawks and how excited he is for this new chapter of his NHL career.
"It was just really quick, said Reichel. When I got the call, packed for two hours and I went to the airport. I went, like, everything pretty quick. It's always tough to leave your buddies and the team, but I think it's a good opportunity here for me, and I'm really looking forward to it. Great City, great team."
As for his travel to Vancouver, that was not easy. Thanks to flight complications, Reichel needed to sleep in the airport, according to Head Coach Adam Foote, and only arrived at Rogers Arena a few hours before puck drop. Despite the less-than-ideal travel day, Reichel was still able to suit up and make his debut for the Canucks against the Montréal Canadiens.
"Was here at the rink, had some food, didn't have much time to nap. Just took a shower, dressed up, and went to the game. It was pretty quick. Can't wait to settle in a little bit and have a couple days, couple practices, games in me here, and then I feel probably more comfortable."
Moving over to his performance, Reichel played 15:54 while recording one shot on net. He also went two for 10 in the faceoff and finished with a plus/minus of -2. When asked about playing center, Reichel spoke about faceoffs and how draws are an area of his game that he is continuing to work on.
"I think it's fine. It's just today, if you look at the draws, I'm not happy with that, but I'm working on it. And the last couple of years, didn't take as much draws as I wanted to, but working on it. But as a center, I can gain my speed and use my speed a lot, so that's where I'm always comfortable."
Lastly, Reichel was also asked about playing on the same team as center Elias Pettersson. After being drafted, the German center mentioned that his playstyle is similar to Vancouver's number one center. Based on Reichel's answer, it is clear he is excited to get the opportunity to work with Pettersson this season.
"Just watch him even today when he's on the ice. Just so smart, really smart player, and I can't wait to talk to him and practice and ask him questions. So hopefully he can help me out a little."
Ultimately, it is easy to see why the Canucks jumped at the opportunity to draft Reichel. In his first game, he showed off his skating ability and has already recorded the fastest max skating speed by a Vancouver player in a game at 23.04 MPH, as per NHL EDGE. Based on his usage on Saturday, it is clear that the Canucks are going to give him every opportunity to succeed at both even strength and on the power play.
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