BLOG: Davidson, Team Want to See Reichel Flourish as Leader in Rockford

On Friday, the Chicago Blackhawks announced that
they reassigned Lukas Reichel to the Rockford IceHogs
after recording three points (1G, 2A) in three appearances this past week.
General Manager Kyle Davidson described how excellent Reichel played in the three matchups he performed in. But he knows when he is in Rockford, he can become more of a leader and learn some valuable lessons to strengthen his game.
"He's done everything we've asked him and worked really hard at the areas that we wanted him to work at," Davidson said. "Moving forward, I think it's valuable for him to go down and play center, be a go-to guy and be a leader on a team that's going to play meaningful hockey games down the stretch."

Davidson views this opportunity as Reichel creating more valuable playing minutes and having that one-on-one coaching time with the IceHogs that he might have not with the Blackhawks currently. Head coach Luke Richardson also notes that this chance will allow Reichel to become stronger at the center position where he can practice going down low in scoring situations.
Reichel might not understand the team's plan right now, but Davidson knows that it's his job to help players understand the long-term goals to benefit both the team and players.
"Being in situations that we can provide them in Rockford on a very good team in a very good league, I think is something that we really, really value and we really place high value on it and then their exposure to our coaches every single day," Davidson said. "That's not something you get very often in hockey development."

In the short stint Reichel had this past week, Richardson seen the improvement within the rookie's playing style. However, Richardson also sees more benefits for the young forward to hone his skills in Rockford with more playing time, especially as Patrick Kane makes his return to the lineup.
Although, Richardson stated that the line of Reichel, Max Domi and Philipp Kurashev clicked well together, they couldn't connect on many chances throughout the three games together. Whenever Reichel is called back up further down the road, the team knows he can be a reliable player for them.
"I thought that line played pretty well together, but it was still creating chances last game," Richardson said. "It didn't click and go in for them, but I think it's nice to know down the road, when he gets another opportunity, that we have that option to go to."
While sitting out for the last three games, Kane felt he has seen a confidence boost within Reichel's game compared to last season. He feels that management's plan is working for the young forward.
"He's playing well," Kane said. "I think especially this year compared to last year, it seems like he's playing with a lot more confidence and all three games he was up he played pretty well, I thought. Hopefully he's a guy I can play with in the future."

As the German native prepares for play for Rockford again, Davidson explained that not only will he improve his confidence and playing style but also learn from different game situations. With the IceHogs sitting in third place in the Central Division, Reichel will be able to compete for the lead rather than chasing it like he would do with the Blackhawks and that is a situation that management has to think about as well.
"There're great situations in Rockford where our young players have to go out and defend the lead and defend close games, and they get opportunities to play and score and come back from tight games against other really good teams," Davidson said. "So, there are just different situations right now, so we have to take that into account too."