Blackhawks’ Jason Dickinson out week-to-week with ankle sprain

Chicago Blackhawks center Jason Dickinson is sidelined on a week-to-week basis after suffering a sprained ankle, Blackhawks interim head coach Anders Sorensen confirmed to Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times on Friday.

Facing the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday, Dickinson exited in the second period and did not return after suffering the injury. On the season, Dickinson has made 53 appearances with the Blackhawks in which he has registered seven goals and nine assists for 16 points alongside 14 penalty minutes and a minus-seven rating.

Skating in his third season with the Blackhawks, Dickinson reached a career-high 35 points counting 22 goals and 13 assists through 82 showings last season. Originally chosen 29th overall by the Dallas Stars in the 2013 NHL Draft, the 29-year-old native of Georgetown, Ont., has totaled 496 career contests counting stops with the Stars, Vancouver Canucks, and Blackhawks in which he has collected 68 goals and 87 assists for 155 points. Dickinson has also added five goals and four assists for nine points through 40 appearances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Per PuckPedia, Dickinson is in the first year of a two-year pact that carries a $4.25-million annual average value.

A graduate of the OHL’s Guelph Storm, Dickinson was an offensive star in the junior ranks. Through four seasons and 253 regular season games with the Storm, Dickinson tallied 84 goals and 147 assists for 231 points. In 2013-14, Dickinson helped the Storm capture the J. Ross Robertson Cup as OHL playoff champions, putting up eight goals and 16 assists for 24 points in 20 games en route to the championship.

For the Blackhawks, the club sits second-to-last in the NHL standings with a 16-31-6 record and 38 points. On Friday, the Blackhawks host the Nashville Predators then head to Missouri on Saturday to take on the St. Louis Blues before breaking for the 4 Nations Face-Off.