Blackhawks assignments push the team one step closer to opening night roster.
Prior to the Blackhawks preseason opener, the organization made some minor training camps moves. Defensemen Carl Dahlstrom and Joni Tuulola were sent to Rockford to join the Icehogs training camp. With this move the Blackhawks are left carrying seventeen forwards, ten defensemen, and four goalies.
Connor Murphy and Corey Crawford currently remain on the injured list and defenseman Brandon Davidson is still playing on a professional tryout agreement.
Dahlstrom, who is one of the few defensemen in the Blackhawks organization with size, broke through last season and made the AHL All-Star team. In 77 total games (64 regular season, 13 playoffs) with the Icehogs last year, Dahlstrom had 37 points (6G, 31A). He also played 11 games with the Blackhawks, collecting three assists. The 23-year-old Sweden native was selected in the second round (51st overall) in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.
The 22-year-old Tuulola was signed to an entry level NHL contract last March and played six games (2 regular season, 4 playoffs) with the Icehogs, after finishing his last season in the Finnish Liiga with Vaasan Sport. He brings over 3 seasons of professional experience in Europe with him to Rockford lineup. Tuulola was a sixth round pick (181st overall) in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft