On Saturday afternoon, the Chicago Blackhawks assigned five players to the Rockford IceHogs and recalled three to the Taxi Squad.
#Blackhawks roster moves:
Ian Mitchell, Lucas Carlsson, Wyatt Kalynuk, Reese Johnson and MacKenzie Entwistle were reassigned to the #IceHogs of the #AHL.
Brandon Pirri, Mikael Hakkarainen and Alec Regula were reassigned to the taxi squad.
— Brandon Cain (@brandonmcain) March 27, 2021
Sending the regular taxi squad players back and forth to the AHL to keep active while waiting for a chance to play in the NHL lineup has been a common practice for most NHL teams this season. The Blackhawks are obviously no exception. So Ian Mitchell, Wyatt Kalynuk, Lucas Carlsson, Reese Johnson, and MacKenzie Entwistle will head to Rockford with a chance to play in this weekend’s action against the Chicago Wolves.
Mitchell’s inclusion on the list is surprising since he has mostly been a regular in the Blackhawks lineup this season. It’s likely that Madison Bowey will take his spot for the time being.
Ian Mitchell's past two games at 5-on-5 vs. Florida. #Blackhawks
Game 1: 41.67 CF%, 25.47 xGF%
Game 2: 28.57 CF%, 35 xGF%(Data from Natural Stat Trick)
— Brandon Cain (@brandonmcain) March 27, 2021
Meanwhile, Brandon Pirri, Mikael Hakkarainen, and Alex Regula head to Chicago for practice and will likely head back to Rockford in the coming days.