On Monday morning, we might have been expecting some sort of major announcement from the Chicago Blackhawks, but this wasn’t exactly what many of us had in mind. The club announced that they have recalled forward Mike Hardman from the Rockford IceHogs and assigned defenseman Ian Mitchell to the AHL.
#Blackhawks recall Mike Hardman from the @goicehogs and assign Ian Mitchell.
Hardman poster two assists in AHL action on Saturday. Mitchell played in the season opener Wednesday for the NHL club. https://t.co/x2a9RM4Hrn
— Carter Baum (@CarterBaum) October 18, 2021
Mitchell played in the first game of the season for the Blackhawks against the Colorado Avalanche, but had since been scratched in the last two contests as Erik Gustafsson took his place in the lineup. Mitchell played just 8:23 minutes in his lone game against the Avalanche. He played in 39 games with the Blackhawks last season, and five with the IceHogs.
Hardman has played in both games so far this season for the IceHogs, tallying two assists on Saturday night in Rockford’s first win of the season against the Chicago Wolves. Hardman played in eight games for the Blackhawks last season after signing with Chicago out of the NCAA. He tallied his first NHL goal last season, along with two assists with the Blackhawks.
The Blackhawks are back in action on Tuesday night as they play their home-opener at the United Center against the New York Islanders. Puck drop is at 7:00 p.m. CT. The IceHogs next play on Friday night as they take on the Iowa Wild in Iowa. Puck drop on Friday is also at 7:00 p.m. CT.