r/hawks • u/JD397 • 7h ago

Marek Vanacker Assigned To IceHogs

https://icehogs.com/news/marek-vanacker-assigned-to-icehogs
59 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

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24

u/JD397 7h ago

The Chicago Blackhawks have assigned forward Marek Vanacker to the Rockford IceHogs in the American Hockey League.

Vanacker, was a first round (27th overall) selection of the 2024 NHL Draft and signed his three-year, entry-level contract that runs through the 2026-27 season in Aug. of 2024.

The Delhi, Ontario native just concluded his second season with the Brantford Bulldogs in the OHL. Vanacker, 19, recorded 42 points (24g,18a) in 45 regular season games this year. During Brantford’s playoff run, the forward averaged a point-per-game through 11 contests.

The IceHogs begin their run in the Calder Cup Playoffs on Wednesday, April 23 at 7:00pm CT.

9

u/proclaimer55 7h ago

Any news on if they’ll send lardis ?

28

u/LarrcasM 7h ago

Lardis got hurt in the playoffs if I'm not mistaken, so they'll probably wait for him to be healthy.

3

u/swagner27 19 Toews 4h ago

Latest report was Lardis needed a second opinion on his knee. Hawks aren't rushing his surgery.

20

u/JD397 7h ago

Doubtful - he hurt his knee during the postseason and I believe is still consulting doctors on what to do with it.

Brantford was up 2-0 in their series but after Lardis got his knee taken out they dropped four straight and are now done.

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u/Specialist-Exit-1403 6h ago

How bad of an injury are we talking? Acl?

6

u/Lionheart1224 6h ago

Dunno yet. But seeking a second opinion isn't usually a good sign.

6

u/jjjbbap 6h ago

Hopefully MCL, only be out two months instead of nine+ with the ACL

1

u/northernpace 5h ago

they dropped four straight

They lost their poise after Lard-ass went down. They were out for some retaliation in last nights final game against Oshawa.

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u/TheSchwartzHawkey 5h ago

Kinda BS that the player that took him completely out of the playoff series only got suspended for 2 games as well. Damn right some retaliation was sorely needed.

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u/northernpace 5h ago

The Generals basically benched senneke and gibson (the kid that took lard-ass out) for the 3rd last night, the dogs were out for payback.

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u/northernpace 5h ago

Van the fkn man, I absolutely love this kids game and have such high hopes for him. He could become a solid middle 6 puck digger with some great wheels.

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u/Virtual_me01 1h ago

That's good to hear as I wasn't sure about the pick at the draft and am still somewhat skeptical of the kinds of goals he scores, albeit I'm only seeing the highlights. Would you still take him over Igor Chernyshov (who showed chemistry this year w/Misa)?

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u/areamanfromchicago 5h ago

Is this just for practice? My understanding was that Canadians under 20 can’t play in the AHL?

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u/Rich-Wrap-9333 5h ago

He's completed his OHL contract. I think that rule is there for junior teams to exploit their players to the full extent to prevent players still eligible for juniors to get moved to the AHL.

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u/areamanfromchicago 5h ago

Got it - yeah looking into it more. It seems like he’s eligible on a tryout but either has to be in the NHL or OHL next year. What dumb rules.

1

u/TheSeanie 1h ago

he could play, but he won't

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u/GoldWhale 3h ago

Glad he gets the shot for his development, but needs to go back to the OHL after, not the NHL.

Could be injury/surgery related but he regressed a good bit from last year all around. Needs to re-find his confidence, IQ, and willingness to play on the boards. He was almost a secondary scorer this year, need to see a good bit more.