The Blackhawks assigned forwards Andreas Martinsen and Dylan Sikura to the AHL on Saturday morning.
Sikura had no goals and three assists in 11 NHL games since being called up to the NHL in December. When he was called up, Sikura led the Rockford IceHogs with nine goals and 18 points in 26 AHL games.
Sikura had three assists in five NHL games last season after signing his entry-level contract following his 54-point (22 goals, 32 assists) senior season at Northeastern University. The Blackhawks drafted him in the sixth round of the 2014 NHL draft.
Colliton on Sikura: “We think he’s got the chance to be a top 9 player & we don’t want him to stop developing offensively. So that’s kind of the reason behind if he wasn’t going to be in the top 9 necessarily night in and night out then let’s get him back playing in Rockford…”
— Scott Powers (@ByScottPowers) January 5, 2019
Martinsen was sent down after he cleared waivers. The 6-foot-3, 229-pound winger had one goal and three assists in 24 games this season with Chicago. The 28-year-old has played a limited role on the fourth line, swapping in and out of the lineup with John Hayden.
Martinsen signed a one-year contract extension worth $650,000 in June after scoring one goal and recording 35 hits in nine NHL games with Chicago. He also posted 28 points (12 goals, 16 assists) in 64 AHL games with the Rockford IceHogs. In 13 Calder Cup playoff games, he notched five points (two goals, three assists).