Blackhawks activate promising young defenseman 

As alluded to a few days ago, Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Wyatt Kaiser will start his season against the Winnipeg Jets Friday night. The Blackhawks announced they have activated Kaiser off of injured reserve while reassigning defenseman Isaak Phillips to their AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs.

Kaiser missed Chicago’s regular-season opener against the Utah Hockey Club on Tuesday night due to an illness. Fortunately, he didn’t miss much, as the Blackhawks lost decisively to the league’s newest team.

It may take some time for Kaiser to catch up to speed with the Blackhawks as the former 81st overall pick of the 2020 NHL Draft failed to play in the preseason thanks to an undisclosed injury suffered early on in training camp. He’s coming off a 2023-24 regular season tallying seven assists in 32 games while averaging 17:19 of ice time per game. He should slot into the left side of the bottom pair next to veteran Connor Murphy when he’s fully ready to play.

Phillips stayed with the Blackhawks after clearing waivers on the last day before the regular season. He did not skate with Chicago in their opening night loss and will now look to play more consistently in Rockford. Phillips has been a reliable player for the IceHogs since transitioning to professional hockey in 2020-21 scoring 22 goals and 71 points in 171 contests.