The Blackhawks re-assigned rookie defenseman Adam Boqvist to the Rockford IceHogs in the AHL on Thursday.
Boqvist, 19, scored one goal and had 10 shots in six games while playing on the first and third pairings for Chicago with Connor Murphy (groin) on long-term injured reserve. Murphy practiced for the first time earlier this week and is eligible to return for the Blackhawks against the Predators on Saturday.
Chicago opted to send Boqvist down because he’s the only waiver-exempt defensemen on the NHL roster. The Blackhawks will use the first year of his three-year entry-level contract if Boqvist is called up again and plays in four NHL games otherwise his contract will slide to the 2020-21 season. He scored his first professional goal with Rockford the night before he was called up in his sixth AHL contest of the season.
Boqvist skated with fellow Swede Philip Holm early on in his AHL stint before linking up with the newly-acquired Ian McCoshen. Rockford plays a home-and-home this weekend against the Grand Rapids Griffins, starting Friday in Grand Rapids.