Blackhawks top prospect Reichel to make NHL debut vs. Canadiens

The Chicago Blackhawks called up top prospect Lukas Reichel and assigned him to the taxi squad, the team announced Wednesday.

The 19-year-old will make his NHL debut Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens, Blackhawks interim head coach Derek King confirmed, according to Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times.

The plan is for Reichel to play a couple of NHL games before returning to the AHL's Rockford IceHogs.

"He's obviously one of our highly skilled prospects coming up, and we want to do it right," King said, according to Pope. "There's been years of seeing players get called up early, started too early, and they don't end up finishing with your team ... The process is going to be key."

Reichel leads the IceHogs with 20 points in 20 games and was recently named AHL Player of the Week after logging three goals and three assists in two contests.

The Blackhawks selected the German 17th overall in the 2020 NHL Draft.

Chicago sits seventh in the Central Division with a 13-18-5 record. The team has the fifth-fewest goals in the league (87) and the third-worst goal differential (-34).

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