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Wyatt Kaiser

Blackhawks Recall Andreas Athanasiou, Wyatt Kaiser

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After a months-long stint in the minors, veteran forward Andreas Athanasiou is back on the Blackhawks’ roster. He’s been recalled from AHL Rockford along with defenseman Wyatt Kaiser, the Blackhawks announced Friday. Rookie blue-liner Nolan Allan was sent to Rockford in a corresponding move to keep Chicago at the 23-player limit.

Athanasiou, 30, returns to the NHL roster after captain Nick Foligno left yesterday’s game against the Golden Knights with an undisclosed injury. He hasn’t yet been ruled out for Saturday’s tilt against the Ducks, but Athanasiou gives Chicago a 14th forward on the active roster in case Foligno and another forward end up being unavailable.

The speedy 6’2″ forward is in the back half of a two-year, $8.5MM extension he signed with Chicago in the 2023 offseason. He’s made just 33 appearances for the Hawks since putting pen to paper on that deal, however. A lower-body injury cost him over half of the 2023-24 campaign, and he served as a healthy scratch for the overwhelming majority of Chicago’s games over the first few weeks of this season before clearing waivers and being sent down to Rockford in November.

Even in the minors, Athanasiou couldn’t avoid injuries. He sustained a wrist fracture almost immediately after his demotion and was sidelined for over a month as a result. When in the lineup, though, he’s been dominant in his first minor league stint in nearly a decade. The veteran of 492 NHL games posted 8-8–16 in 16 games on assignment to Rockford, checking in as their third point-per-game player this year alongside Joey Anderson and Frank Nazar – both of whom have been up with Chicago for a good chunk of the season.

Athanasiou made just five appearances for the Blackhawks this year, all coming in October. He went without a point and averaged a paltry 9:36 per game, and the Blackhawks were outchanced 31-17 when he was on the ice at 5v5, per Natural Stat Trick. It wasn’t a promising showing, so he’s unlikely to draw back into the NHL lineup unless another injury forces Chicago’s hand.

Kaiser, 22, has spent a much smaller portion of the season in the minors. He made the team’s opening night roster for the second year in a row and remained there until his first demotion on Dec. 20. He was back up in the NHL less than two weeks later but was reassigned back to Rockford on Jan. 23, where he’s remained since amid a lack of injuries on the Blackhawks’ defense.

A solid point producer in college and even during his first flashes of pro hockey in the NHL, offense has been hard to come by for the 6’0″ lefty in 2024-25. He has 1-5–6 in 52 combined appearances for the Blackhawks and IceHogs this year. However, he’s averaged 17:39 per game when up with Chicago and played decent defensively in those minutes despite a lack of a physical edge. Kaiser’s 46.7 CF% at even strength ranks third among active Blackhawks skaters behind Ethan Del Mastro and Teuvo Teräväinen. It’s unclear whether he’ll slot into the lineup immediately, but his two-way play has earned him another chance despite the lack of production.

The 21-year-old Allan hasn’t fared nearly as well defensively in a depth role, leading to his first demotion of the campaign. The 2021 first-rounder has made 43 appearances for the Hawks this year, the first of his NHL career, but has been a healthy scratch in six of their last eight games. He’s still a developing shutdown rearguard and would do well with more consistent playing time and extended minutes in the minors.

Allan contributed a 1-7–8 scoring line while averaging 15:08 per game, logging 48 blocks and 61 hits. His 41.5 CF% at even strength trails every defender on the team aside from Louis Crevier’s 41.4%, though, and Chicago has been outscored 34-19 in Allan’s 5v5 minutes. Among Blackhawks regulars, only T.J. Brodie and Philipp Kurashev have worse goal shares.

Blackhawks Recall Ethan Del Mastro, Reassign Wyatt Kaiser

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3:10 p.m: Charlie Roumeliotis of WGN Radio reports the Blackhawks have also reassigned defenseman Wyatt Kaiser to AHL Rockford in a corresponding roster move. The transaction brings Chicago back to seven defensemen on the active roster and 22 players in total.

1:19 p.m: The Blackhawks announced Thursday they’ve recalled defenseman Ethan Del Mastro from AHL Rockford. They placed winger Craig Smith, who hasn’t played since Jan. 8 due to a back injury, on injured reserve to open up a roster spot.

Del Mastro, 22, has eight assists, 38 PIMs and a plus-four rating in 38 AHL showings this year. It’s not a ton of offense, although still third on the team behind Kevin Korchinski and Artyom Levshunov in assists and points among defenders, but that’s not the stay-at-home lefty’s calling card.

The 6’4″, 209-lb Del Mastro projects as a defensively responsible complementary piece on an NHL pairing long-term, and he’s had a strong development track since Chicago selected him in the fourth round in 2021. He unexpectedly popped for 37 points and a +14 rating in 67 games in his rookie AHL season last year, leading to a late-season recall and his NHL debut in a pair of games against the Predators and Hurricanes in April.

Del Mastro now has the chance to add a third NHL game to his tally, although it’s unclear if he will. The Hawks are now carrying eight defensemen on the active roster, and interim head coach Anders Sorensen only told reporters that the organization “wanted to reward Del Mastro for his recent play in Rockford,” per Scott Powers of The Athletic.

Smith, 35, has now missed 14 of the last 18 games with back problems. He sat out for most of the second half of December before returning to the lineup for a four-game stretch starting on New Year’s Eve.

In addition to a few healthy scratches, Smith has been limited to 30 of Chicago’s 47 games after signing a one-year, $1MM contract last summer as a free agent. The five-time 20-goal scorer has six tallies and five assists for 11 points with a minus-seven rating, averaging 11:41 per game.

The Blackhawks remain without veteran fourth-liner Pat Maroon due to back problems, but he’s carrying a day-to-day designation and hasn’t landed on IR after missing Monday’s game against the Hurricanes. Defenseman Connor Murphy also remains sidelined with the groin issues that have kept him out of the lineup since the calendar flipped to 2025.

Blackhawks Reassign Kevin Korchinski, Recall Wyatt Kaiser

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The Chicago Blackhawks are making a roster swap with two of their depth defensemen. The organization announced they’ve reassigned defenseman Kevin Korchinski to their AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs, and recalled Wyatt Kaiser to the NHL roster.

Korchinski is not a depth defenseman in the true sense of the word but he has been utilized like one this season. He’s only three years removed from being the seventh overall pick of the 2022 NHL Draft and played through his rookie season last year. There’s reason to believe Korchinski was inappropriately rushed to the NHL last year as his rookie campaign yielded lethargic results.

It was never going to be an easy transition for Korchinski. He was tasked with shouldering top-four minutes on a weak Blackhawks’ roster and he ended the year with five goals and 15 points in 79 games with an eye-popping -39 rating. Chicago understandably sent Korchinski down to the AHL this season to help the young blue-liner regain confidence and take a small step back in his development.

Under his current recall, Korchinski skated in nine games for the Blackhawks but failed to find the scoresheet averaging 16:46 of ice time per game. He saw a minor increase in his CorsiFor% but a nine-game trial isn’t enough to make any serious judgement calls about Korchinski’s current development.

He’s produced better offensively with AHL Rockford scoring two goals and 11 points through 21 games but hasn’t quite yet gained the defensive maturity required for professional hockey. Still, being back with the IceHogs will allow increased playing time and an opportunity to compete for a playoff spot down the stretch.

Kaiser is back on the Blackhawks roster after a small demotion over the holiday break. He’s suited up in 28 games for Chicago this season but had been serving as a healthy scratch for their last three. He sits fourth on the team in blocked shots and will likely slot into the bottom-pairing duo next to T.J. Brodie for the team’s game against the Dallas Stars later today.

Blackhawks Activate Wyatt Kaiser, Reassign Isaak Phillips

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As alluded to a few days ago, Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Wyatt Kaiser will start his season against the Winnipeg Jets tomorrow night. The Blackhawks announced they have activated Kaiser off of injured reserve while reassigning defenseman Isaak Phillips to their AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs.

Wyatt Kaiser missed Chicago’s regular-season opener against the Utah Hockey Club on Tuesday night due to an illness. Fortunately, he didn’t miss much, as the Blackhawks lost decisively to the league’s newest team.

It may take some time for Kaiser to catch up to speed with the Blackhawks as the former 81st overall pick of the 2020 NHL Draft failed to play in the preseason thanks to an undisclosed injury suffered early on in training camp. He’s coming off a 2023-24 regular season tallying seven assists in 32 games while averaging 17:19 of ice time per game. He should slot into the left side of the bottom pair next to veteran Connor Murphy when he’s fully ready to play.

Phillips stayed with the Blackhawks after clearing waivers on the last day before the regular season. He did not skate with Chicago in their opening night loss and will now look to play more consistently in Rockford. Phillips has been a reliable player for the IceHogs since transitioning to professional hockey in 2020-21 scoring 22 goals and 71 points in 171 contests.

Central Notes: Kaiser, Johnston, Bourque, Lehkonen

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Chicago Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson told the media today that young defenseman Wyatt Kaiser will be ready to return to the lineup either late in the team’s season-opening road trip or shortly after (as per Ben Pope of The Chicago Sun-Times). Chicago starts the season with four games on the road, which puts Kaiser’s timeline to return from his illness sometime around mid-October.

The Blackhawks placed Kaiser on the IR this past Friday and made it retroactive to September 19th, but given the timeline, it appears that he may only be out of action for another week or possibly two.

In other Central Division notes:

  • Dallas Stars forward Wyatt Johnston has been called probable for opening night by Stars head coach Peter DeBoer (as per Dallas Stars reporter Brien Rea). Johnston practiced with the team today, albeit in a limited capacity, as he tries to recover from an undisclosed injury. The 21-year-old was the Stars’ leading scorer last year, posting 32 goals and 33 assists in 82 games. The Toronto, Ontario native was also fantastic in the playoffs tallying 10 goals and six assists in 19 playoff games.
  • Stars reporter Brien Rea also reported that Dallas rookie Mavrik Bourque has been called doubtful for the team’s season opener. The reigning AHL MVP posted 26 goals and 51 assists in 71 games last season with the Texas Stars and is expected to take a permanent role in the NHL this season. With Bourque out, it likely means that Oskar Bäck will make his NHL debut in his place.
  • Colorado Avalanche beat writer Evan Rawal writes that forward Artturi Lehkonen won’t be back with the team for a little bit longer. Lehkonen has a five-month check-in at the end of October and that meeting will determine how the team and player can advance from there. Lehkonen underwent shoulder surgery in May and was placed on the injured non-roster list today meaning that he likely won’t return until November at the earliest.

Laurent Brossoit, Artyom Levshunov, Wyatt Kaiser To Begin Season On IR

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The Blackhawks released to reporters yesterday that, as expected, goaltender Laurent Brossoit and defensemen Artyom Levshunov and Wyatt Kaiser will all begin the regular season on injured reserve. Mario Tirabassi of CHGO Sports relayed the news.

There’s still no specific timeline for a return for Kaiser, the only one of the group placed on standard IR. The placement, which is due to illness, is retroactive to Sep. 19, Tirabassi relayed. That was the first day of Chicago’s training camp, which Kaiser has yet to be a full participant in. Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times reported earlier in the week that pre-camp testing flagged an undisclosed concern with Kaiser’s health that was invasive in nature, but that he’d since been cleared. He’s still ramping up to game speed, though, and won’t be ready for their season opener in Utah on Oct. 8.

Kaiser shouldn’t miss too much more time after that, though. That’s good news for the Hawks, who are hoping to work the 22-year-old into more regular minutes this season. A third-round pick in 2020, he split last year relatively evenly between Chicago and AHL Rockford. He looked like he’d taken a step forward in his NHL appearances, though, posting seven assists and an even rating in 32 games. Averaging 17:19 per game, they certainly could’ve gotten worse out of a young defender on a rebuilding squad.

Meanwhile, Brossoit and Levshunov are beginning the season on the non-roster list, which is no surprise. Both sustained knee and foot injuries, respectively, late in the offseason that the team said would keep them out of training camp and plunge their regular season opener availability into doubt. Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson did say Thursday that Brossoit is on track to return sometime during their season-opening road trip, though, so he’ll likely be added to the roster by the end of next weekend.

The 31-year-old will serve as a far more formidable backup to Petr Mrázek this year after logging a sparkling .927 SV% over the past two years in limited usage with the Golden Knights and Jets. That’s a massive step up on the level of play provided by 25-year-old Arvid Söderblom last year, who posted a .879 SV% and 3.92 GAA in 32 appearances behind Mrázek en route to carrying one of the worst stat lines in the NHL.

He or Kaiser will be the first one to return to action. Levshunov’s season debut, whether it comes with Chicago or Rockford, will need to wait until mid-to-late October. Hawks general manager Kyle Davidson said on Sep. 20 that the 2024 second-overall pick was still four weeks away from returning to game action after taking a puck to the foot in rookie camp. Levshunov, 19 later this month, had 35 points and a +27 rating in 38 games for Michigan State last year as a freshman before promptly signing his entry-level contract after being drafted by Chicago.

Central Notes: Boldy, Middleton, Marino, Bjugstad, Kaiser, Barlow

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The Wild have upgraded winger Matt Boldy’s status from week-to-week to day-to-day, head coach John Hynes said Tuesday (via NHL.com’s Jessi Pierce). He hasn’t been ruled out of Friday’s preseason game against the Blackhawks, a strong sign he’ll be available when Minnesota opens its regular season against the Blue Jackets on Oct. 10.

Boldy was initially termed week-to-week on Sep. 23 with a lower-body ailment, but the team wasn’t concerned he’d miss any regular-season action. That appears to be the case. He’s been skating since Saturday.

His presence is crucial for the Wild. The 23-year-old set career highs last season with 40 assists and 69 points in 75 games, finishing second on the Wild’s 21st-ranked offense in scoring. With most of their bottom six either declining or overtaxed in offensive roles, he’s an irreplaceable source of secondary scoring behind Kirill Kaprizov, at least until Minnesota’s next wave of prospects hits their stride.

It’s not all good injury news for the Wild today, though. Defenseman Jacob Middleton is now day-to-day with bruising, Hynes added, but isn’t expected to miss their season opener, which is still nine days away.

There’s more from the Central Division:

  • The Utah Hockey Club may be without a top-four stalwart on defense for its first-ever game. John Marino’s availability for the season opener is now in doubt after missing all of training camp to date with an upper-body injury, per ALL Utah Hockey’s Craig Morgan. The team will know more about his timeline for a return next week, Morgan added, but for now, he hasn’t been ruled out of any action past then and is still day-to-day. They’re also not expecting center Nick Bjugstad back until Nov. 1, per Morgan. He’s out with an upper-body injury, but his absence isn’t new. He was already ruled doubtful for the start of the season last week.
  • Defenseman Wyatt Kaiser has been mysteriously absent from Blackhawks camp thus far, but that’ll end soon. The Blackhawks told the Chicago Sun-Times’ Ben Pope that an undisclosed concern popped up during his pre-camp physical that required “some invasive testing.” He’s passed all of them, though, and will begin ramping up to game speed. The 22-year-old is a strong candidate to land on the opening night roster after posting seven assists and an even rating in 32 games with Chicago last year.
  • Jets prospect Colby Barlow has officially requested a trade in the OHL from the Owen Sound Attack, Postmedia’s Greg Cowan reports. Winnipeg returned Barlow, the No. 18 overall pick in 2023, to Owen Sound on Sunday. The 19-year-old left winger had 40 goals in 50 games last year but recorded only 18 assists for 58 points, placing him fourth on the team in scoring overall. He won’t be reporting to Owen Sound’s camp at all, Cowan adds, so expect him to be on the move before the start of the OHL regular season.

Blackhawks Reassign Wyatt Kaiser

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The Blackhawks have assigned defenseman Wyatt Kaiser to AHL Rockford, Mario Tirabassi of CHGO Sports reports Monday. This leaves the Blackhawks with only six healthy defenders, suggesting Connor Murphy may be ready to come off injured reserve before Wednesday’s game against the Blues.

Kaiser, 21, has looked promising when given NHL minutes this season. He’s goalless through 32 games but has seven assists, 46 blocks, and only slightly below-average possession metrics on a badly understaffed Chicago blue line. The Minnesota native has largely been limited to bottom-pairing minutes, averaging 17:19 on the season, but had seen over 20 minutes of ice time in three of his last five outings.

He made the team out of camp but was assigned to Rockford in early December, where he remained for most of the season aside from a brief emergency loan later that month. Chicago brought him back a few weeks ago, playing him in each of their last nine games. The left-shot defender has been decent on the farm, where he has three goals and 15 points in 31 games.

A strong skater and good outlet passer, he’s done enough to put himself in consideration for an opening-night job again this fall. He has one season left on his entry-level contract, which carries a $917K cap hit, and will be an RFA in 2025.

Murphy looks to return after missing the last two and a half months with osteitis pubis, the same inflammatory groin issue that sidelined Sharks captain Logan Couture for all but six games this season. The 31-year-old told NBC Sports Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis last week that being “a part of the solution” has pushed him to close out the season back in the lineup. The veteran shutdown man complemented his eight points in 43 games with some of the team’s better possession numbers prior to exiting the lineup in January, posting a 44.4 CF% and -7.4 expected rating.

Blackhawks Recall Wyatt Kaiser

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The Blackhawks recalled defenseman Wyatt Kaiser on an emergency loan Monday, per CapFriendly. It’s the 21-year-old’s first recall since Chicago assigned him to the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs in late December.

Since his recall comes under emergency conditions, the Blackhawks maintain their two remaining post-trade deadline standard recalls. Kaiser must replace one of Chicago’s six currently healthy defenders, one of whom is likely questionable for Tuesday’s game against the Kings, to remain eligible for an emergency loan. Otherwise, the Blackhawks must convert his recall into a standard one or return him to the IceHogs.

The 2020 third-round pick played in a career-high 23 games in the first few months of the season, recording four assists and a +1 rating. Averaging 16:40 per game, the former University of Minnesota-Duluth standout wasn’t quite the relative shutdown master his positive rating on a rebuilder suggests. Above-average goaltending boosted his actual results, while his even-strength possession numbers (42.7 CF%, 40.3 xGF%) reflected that of a developing talent.

Nonetheless, Kaiser is one of the Blackhawks’ more intriguing defense prospects and may get another shot to log some games after making the Blackhawks’ roster out of camp. Ranked as the 11th-best overall prospect in Chicago’s system and the third-best defenseman by The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler, he has three goals and 15 points in 31 games for Rockford in his first taste of AHL action this year. Over three seasons at Minnesota-Duluth, he recorded 45 assists, 52 points, and a +5 rating in 97 contests.

Kaiser is in the second season of his three-year entry-level contract, which took effect immediately after signing in March of last year. He carries a cap hit of $917K and will be an RFA in 2025.

Central Notes: Scandella, Wild Injuries, Savoie, Kaiser

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The Blues are one of the teams that are still in the mix for a Wild Card spot but even if they fall out of the race, Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic wonders (subscription link) if it could be a quiet deadline as a seller.  Their most prominent rentals up front are the struggling Kasperi Kapanen and Jakub Vrana, who is currently playing in the minors; neither would likely have much of a market.  However, Rutherford suggests that blueliner Marco Scandella could be the likeliest player to garner attention around the league if he isn’t signed to an extension first.  The 33-year-old has had a very limited role this season but can still kill penalties and is the type of depth player that playoff teams will often look to add for injury insurance purposes.  That said, at $3.275MM, St. Louis would certainly have to pay half of that to facilitate any sort of move while an extension, if one was to be reached, should check in closer to the $1MM mark.

Elsewhere in the Central Division:

  • Wild winger Vinni Lettieri is listed as questionable for tonight’s game against Anaheim, relays John Shipley of the Pioneer Press. The 28-year-old has been out since late December with a lower-body injury after seeing some consistent minutes as he had played in 19 games on recall.  Meanwhile, Shipley adds that winger Adam Raska skated before practice Friday.  He was injured last weekend; head coach John Hynes suggested the injury isn’t a significant one and is more soreness-based.  The 22-year-old was acquired in November from San Jose and has played in five games since being recalled earlier this month.
  • The Blackhawks activated prospect Samuel Savoie off season-opening IR and assigned him to QMJHL Rouyn-Noranda, CapFriendly reports (Twitter link). The 19-year-old recorded just shy of a point per game with the Huskies last season, notching 59 in 60 appearances, helping him earn his entry-level contract in July.  However, he was injured in a preseason game and underwent femur surgery, keeping him unavailable to play until now.  This should be Savoie’s final junior season as he’ll be AHL-eligible in the fall.
  • Still with the Blackhawks, blueliner Wyatt Kaiser has been placed in concussion protocol, per an announcement from AHL Rockford (Twitter link). The 21-year-old has split the season between Chicago and the IceHogs but any potential recall is out of the question for the time being now.  Kaiser has played in 23 games with the Blackhawks, picking up four assists while logging nearly 17 minutes a night.  With Rockford, his numbers have been similar, notching a goal and two helpers in 15 contests.

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