The coronavirus pandemic continues to affect virtually every aspect of life, and the hockey world has been no different.
Now its effects are being felt by several Blackhawks prospects who were hoping to play in the upcoming World Juniors Championship, including Chicago’s 2020 first-round pick.
Lukas Reichel, whom Chicago selected 17th overall in the 2020 NHL Draft, has tested positive for the coronavirus.
Germany’s national team announced the positive test result Wednesday morning, which means that Reichel will now be playing in the World Juniors that are scheduled to begin on Christmas Day in Canada.
This tweet from Eisbaren Berlin, Reichel’s professional team in the DEL, says that Reichel is symptom-free and in quarantine.
Reichel was added to Germany’s preliminary roster for the World Juniors in November. At last year’s version of the tournament, he tallied five points (three goals, two assists) in seven games. Reichel also played for Germany’s Under-18 World Championship team in 2019, scoring three goals with assists while helping the Germans win the gold medal.
The news comes two days after 2020 second-round pick (46th overall) Drew Commesso and 2019 second-round pick (43rd overall) Alex Vlasic were held out of training camp for Team USA as a result of COVID-19 protocols, meaning that they will not play in the World Juniors, either.
With Reichel no longer playing for Germany, only four Blackhawks prospects remain on rosters for the upcoming tournament: Kirby Dach (Canada), Landon Slaggert (USA), Michael Krutil (Czech Repbulic) and Michal Teply (Czech Republic).