Blackhawks assign Korchinski, Nazar to AHL

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Blackhawks assigned forward Frank Nazar and defenseman Kevin Korchinski to their top minor league affiliate on Wednesday.

Defenseman Louis Crevier also was assigned to Rockford of the American Hockey League. Forward AJ Spellacy, 18, who had an impressive training camp after he was selected in the third round of this year's NHL draft, was sent to Windsor of the Ontario Hockey League.

The 20-year-old Nazar was selected by Chicago in the first round of the 2022 draft. He scored in his NHL debut on April 14 against Carolina.

The Blackhawks had an active offseason, leaving little playing time for Nazar if he remained with the team.

“I think getting Frank to be down there to be a No. 1 center and to be on the power play, penalty kill, where if he's here, that might dwindle, the ice time," Chicago coach Luke Richardson said, “or even be in and out of the lineup as a young guy.”

Korchinski, 20, was the No. 7 overall pick in the 2022 draft. He had five goals and 10 assists in 76 games with the Blackhawks last season.

“Kevin wasn't able to go down last year to work on his game ... so this is kind of a time for him to kind of do that,” said Richardson, a former NHL defenseman. “We don't want him to struggle here as a young defenseman. We want him to go and flourish down there just like what the organization saw when they drafted him.”

The cuts reduced Chicago's camp roster to 28 players (15 forwards, nine defensemen and four goaltenders). The Blackhawks visit Utah for their opener on Tuesday night.

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