Besides Reichel and Vlasic, IceHogs who have appeared in NHL games this past season include team leaders Isaak Phillips, Alec Regula, Arvid Soderblom and David Gust. For these players, it allowed them to step up during critical moments following some major injuries or following trade deadline that added more help with players like Anders Bjork and Joey Anderson.
One of the biggest development growths to come out of Rockford that Seth Jones has noticed has been with Reichel's game. While putting in some games between both teams this season, the defenseman knew it benefitted the rookie forward and his opportunity to grow into a bigger role with the Blackhawks later in his career.
"I think there's some good young talent," Seth said. "When [Reichel] came up, I thought he played very well. He's gonna be a big piece of this as he starts to grow into his body and grow into his game a little bit more, and he gets a full 80 to 82 game season. I know he's been great in Rockford this year, and you can just see the speed and the level of consistency he plays with offensively."
As players continued to grow and develop with the Blackhawks, this gave players the opportunity to learn how to play in challenging games against tough teams that they can take going into the playoff rounds with the IceHogs. As they prepare for a postseason run, they can now used all their new skills on a bigger stage in games that will make-or-break their season.
While it created some challenges with the different mixes of lineups some nights, Tyler Johnson stated that the younger players handled it well and proved that they can compete at a top level. He hopes that the team can use some of those familiar faces to build a stronger foundation not only in the AHL but moving into the new season.
"You never really knew who was going to be in at any night and I think that's a testament to the team and organization that we're able to keep battling and just tried to go through it," Johnson said. "Hopefully, we can take that next step and maybe not have as many moving parts but everyone kind of come in fill some roles and kind of start building."
Coming into the season, the team's biggest focus went into the development of younger players within the Blackhawks' pipeline. Following the last few games of the season and now Rockford starting their playoff run, Blackhawks General Manager Kyle Davidson is seeing the future move in a positive direction.
During his press conference on April 13, Davidson mentioned that he hopes to see some of those players return next season on a full-time basis following their development in Rockford.
"Development's a huge part of what we're doing, and we've seen some really positive steps, both at the amateur levels as well as in the pro ranks," Davidson said. "Some of those players we've seen here throughout the season and then also to finish up the year with Chicago."
