Chicago Blackhawks’ forward Lukas Reichel says healthy scratch was a “wake-up call”

One of the young guns on the Chicago Blackhawks is taking a recent demotion as an opportunity to learn.

On Sunday, the Blackhawks scratched a healthy Lukas Reichel before their game against the Minnesota Wild. Watching from the press box, Reichel’s team lost 4-1, extending the team’s losing skid to three games.

When speaking to the media on Tuesday, the 21-year-old admitted that he had not been playing well as of late, saying the scratch was “a good wake-up call”.

“It’s disappointing,” Reichel said. “but I know I’ve got to be better…Now, it’s just about playing good, playing my game.”

Through 22 games, Reichel has two goals and four assists, with his last goal coming in a 5-1 loss to the Detroit Red Wings this past Thursday.

According NBC Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis, Reichel was slated on the fourth line during morning skate before Tuesday night’s game against the Nashville Predators, staged on a line with Ryan Donato and MacKenzie Entwistle.

The German winger is on the last year of his three-year entry-level contract, with an AAV of $925,000. Reichel, who is set to be an RFA, has 22 points in 56 career games with the Blackhawks, and was nearly a point-a-game player with Chicago’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs, last season.

Reichel had high expectations since being drafted 17th overall in the 2020 NHL Draft. With his excellent playmaking abilities and and finishing touch, the Blackhawks are hoping this is just a bump in the road. The former Eisbären Berlin made his presence known after an impressive performance at the 2020 World Junior Championships, having represented his country various times throughout his career as well.

Chicago is last in the Central Division with 14 points, with their .304 winning-percentage just a hair better than the San Jose Sharks for the worst record in the NHL.