Morning Chirps: Andreas Athanasiou Returns, Kirby Dach Injured Again

The Chicago Blackhawks had two new faces at practice yesterday as they prepared for tonight’s game against the Anaheim Ducks. We’ll have a full preview later this afternoon. Plenty of prospects found the scoresheet, while the Rockford IceHogs took one on the chin. Finally, we’ll catch up with some former Blackhawks on our trip around the NHL.

Blackhawks Chirps

• Seth Jones wants to play for a contender, but Kyle Davidson doesn’t have to make a move just for the sake of making a move. He holds all the cards and must do what is best for the organization, not for Jones.
• Before practice yesterday, the Blackhawks recalled forward Andreas Athanasiou and defenseman Wyatt Kaiser while reassigning defenseman Nolan Allan to the AHL. It looks like Athanasiou will play on Conor Bedard’s line tonight, which is a thing.
• Nick Lardis continued his unreal scoring pace on Friday with two goals and two assists in the Brantford Bulldogs’ 5-3 win over the Oshawa Generals. This was his second straight four-point game, and he has at least three points in six of his last nine outings. He has 65 goals and 107 points in 57 games, with nine games left on the schedule. Lardis is looking to be the first 70-goal scorer in the OHL since John Taveres scored 72 goals for Oshawa in the 2006-07 season.

• Jack Pridham has been on a tear with the Kitchener Rangers. He had a goal and an assist in a 4-3 victory over the Sarnia Sting for his third straight two-point effort. Pridham has seven goals and 14 points in his last 10 games.

• Moving to the NCAA ranks, Sacha Boisvert extended his goal streak to three games with a goal in a 6-4 loss to Western Michigan University. He’s up to 13 goals and 24 points in 31 games for the University of North Dakota.

• On this date in 2014, the Blackhawks beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-1 at a snowy Soldier Field. Jonathan Toews scored two goals, and Patrick Sharp, Kris Versteeg, and Bryan Bickell also found the back of the net. This remains their only win in seven outdoor games.

 IceHogs Chirps

• The IceHogs lost their third straight game with a 5-1 loss at the Tucson Roadrunners last night. Gerry Mayhew scored the only Rockford goal, with Cole Guttman and Zach Sanford picking up the assists. Allan played on the top defensive pairing with Cavan Fitzgerald and was a minus-2.

• The defensive corps was down a man as Artyom Levshunov served his one-game suspension. However, they did get two key prospects back in the lineup. Forward Gavin Hayes returned from a shoulder sprain. He had one shot on goal in his first game since Dec. 28. Goaltender Drew Commesso was back in uniform after a sprained ankle kept him out since Feb. 8. He wasn’t scheduled to play but came into relief Mitchell Weeks in the third period after he allowed five goals on 25 shots. Commesso is likely to start tomorrow’s rematch against the Roadrunners. Former IceHog Jaxson Stauber should get the start for Tucson.

NHL Chirps

• ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski put together a very cool read on how the NHL officials working the Stadium Series game between the Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings will get some help from their Apple Watches.
• Andy Strickland of FanDuel Sports reported that the Carolina Hurricanes are working on a contract extension with Taylor Hall. The veteran winger has a goal and an assist in his nine games since being acquired by the Blackhawks.
• The Montreal Canadiens announced that Kirby Dach will miss the rest of the season after undergoing successful knee surgery. This means he’ll miss 129 games in his three seasons with Montreal. Marc Dumont tackled the long-term impact of Dach’s injury for Montreal Hockey Now.
• According to Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli, Brock Boeser turned down a five-year, $40 million offer from the Vancouver Canucks because he wants more term on his next contract. This is food for thought, as Boeser should be someone the Blackhawks target this summer.
• Seravalli added that the St. Louis Blues are asking for two first-round picks for captain Brayden Schenn.