June 9: Now that the tournament is over, the Blackhawks have officially signed Reichel to his three-year entry-level contract. The deal comes with a cap hit of $925K. Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman released a statement on his newest forward:
Lukas made tremendous strides in his second year as a professional. The game appeared to slow down for him this past season, which allowed his play-making skills to be on full display. Bringing him over to North America is the logical next step for his continued development and we’re excited to be able to add such a young, dynamic player to our forward group.
May 22: After being drafted last fall, Blackhawks prospect Lukas Reichel estimated that he was a couple of years away from being ready for the NHL. However, after a strong season with Eisbaren Berlin in Germany where he worked his way up the lineup down the stretch while transitioning from the wing to center, that timeline could be accelerated. To that end, Reichel’s agent Allain Roy told Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times that the expectation is that the youngster will sign his entry-level deal at the conclusion of the World Championships.
The 19-year-old was a late riser in the 2020 draft and went from being ranked as a second-round pick by some agencies to the 17th pick by Chicago after a good first season with Berlin. He followed that up by finishing fifth in scoring with Berlin this season on a veteran-laden team with 10 goals and 17 assists in 38 games while chipping in with five more points in nine playoff contests. That helped him earn an invite to the Worlds where he is tied for the tournament lead in scoring through the first few days with two goals and three helpers in just two games. His presence at that tournament prevents him from being signed right away which is why they’ll have to wait a couple of weeks.
Chicago doesn’t have to have Reichel in the NHL right away, however. Though he’s still junior-aged, he is eligible to play with AHL Rockford since he wasn’t drafted out of the CHL and that might not be a bad idea for his development to ease his transition to the smaller North American ice surface. In that event, his deal would be eligible to slide a year if he plays in nine or fewer NHL games next season. Either way, Reichel should be playing under the watchful eye of the organization in 2021-22.
If he has his Uncle Robert’s sick penalty shot move,he’ll play 20 years.
I think Dan Cloutier is still looking for it.
A former NHL player who is very familiar with the DEL told me before the draft that Reichel was the best prospect in Germany. Given that Ottawa took one at 3 o/a, that’s lofty praise.
Hes not as good nor will be as good as Stutzle.
So what?! That’s not what I said. Although someone who was a top 10 pick himself and who knows the DEL very well… well, I believe his word over yours.
What I was saying is that Reichel was a steal where Chicago drafted him.
You can believe his word all you like. But 1 guy put up over a half point per game in the NHL as a rookie while the other did the same but in the DEL. And nowhere did you mention anything about it being a steal of a pick at 17 in your original comment
Well, I did explicitly state that he was a steal when Chicago took him.
I posted that after the implicit message was too subtle for you.
I never said Reichel was better than Stutzel. But the fact that someone with the credentials I cite makes the comment interesting.
What teenagers do is not proof of anything. It only points to the future. The absurdity is you, somehow, seem offended at the notion that Reichel could have been a great draft pick b
Great news, albeit expected. I’m looking forward to training camp, this kid is going to be something special.
He might not be good as Stutzle but if I was playing with patty Kane I would be in cloud nine…45 pts man for sure…20g 25a guy…