The Chicago Blackhawks have assigned defenseman Viktor Svedberg and four other players to their AHL affiliate in Rockford, the team announced Tuesday. All five players cleared waivers after being made available to the other 29 teams on Monday afternoon.
Forwards Spencer Abbott, Pierre-Cedric Labrie and Sam Carrick, and defenseman Ernest Schilling are joining Svedberg in Rockford. All five players were placed on waivers Monday, which gives teams 24 hours to make claims. Nobody did, so the Hawks were free to assign them to the IceHogs.
Chicago now has 17 forwards, eight defensemen and three goaltenders on its active roster, so we’re closing in on the group that will play against St. Louis on opening night.
Svedberg and company passing through waivers isn’t especially surprising. The big-bodied defenseman was the most likely of the five players to get claimed, but he’s 25 years old and seems to lack the mobility and puck-moving skills to rise up an NHL depth chart. At this point, Svedberg seems like good AHL depth, and that’s what he’ll be with the IceHogs.
The other four players will also provide depth in Rockford. Abbott and Carrick signed deals with Chicago over the summer, while Labrie and Schilling were also part of the IceHogs last season.