Caution: Blackhawks rookie Reichel still under construction; Hawks fall 3-0 to Canucks

Lukas Reichel had an odd start to his NHL career, playing 16 of his first 18 games at the United Center.

Weird, right?

Well, not when you stop to think about it. By having Reichel stay almost exclusively at home, it allowed Blackhawks coaches Derek King (last season) and Luke Richardson (this season) to dictate which opponents' lines and defense pairings the forward would match up against.

For the most part, you can protect a young player this way and ease him into the pro game.

That hasn't been the case over the past month, however, as Reichel has played five games at the UC and 10 games in visiting arenas.

And guess what? He's loving it.

"It's nice to get on the road," Reichel said last week. "You get to know the guys a little more, where you're close to them. We've lost (a lot) and it's not fun, but it's a good experience for the young guys to get some games and feel the league out a little bit."

Some of the road games have been against top-notch teams, too, with Reichel facing Florida, Tampa Bay, Colorado, Washington and Minnesota. The Hawks lost those games by a combined 21-6, but Reichel still feels like he's benefited.

"I love playing against their top guys," said Reichel, chosen 17th overall in 2020. "That's how you get better and that's how you learn, (by) playing against the best players in the world."

Reichel only had 1 assist in 11 games in 2021-22, but has truly shown some flashes during a 22-game trial run this season. He didn't register a point Thursday during a 3-0 loss at Vancouver, but did show off his blazing speed midway through the second period when he knifed through two defenders in the offensive zone and rifled a shot on net.

These highlight-reel moves are becoming much more common, and we are seeing plenty of top-notch defenders left in Reichel's wake.

"He's been really good," said Taylor Raddysh. "Since he's been up here, he's been really flying around and playing well. It's awesome to see.

"He's a great kid and it's nice to see him play with some confidence."

That confidence is most apparent when Reichel is pushing the pace through the neutral zone.

Reichel is also supremely confident in his shot, a trait not always shared by those in the early days of their careers. A good example came at Minnesota on March 25 when Reichel wristed a puck past Marc Andre-Fleury during a 2-on-1 break with Andreas Athanasiou. The defender was clearly taking away the pass, so Reichel made the right play and fired away.

Reichel's also scored a couple of times by being in the right spot in front of the net, and he was inches away from tying last Friday's game against St. Louis in the waning moments. The puck deflected off a defender and bounced off the post.

"I feel more comfortable and feel like I can create more things offensively," said Reichel, who has 6 goals and 7 assists. "Defensive zone has been good, and that's what I've wanted to focus on. I feel if I play good defense I get more ice time and that's what I want."

That comment has to please Richardson because one of the things the first-year coach has been preaching is patience.

Not every shift is going to result in a shot on goal or even time in the offensive zone. It's a long game. Stick with the process and good things will happen.

"They have to learn as a young player that ... you might have to work all night and get your chance late in the third period," Richardson said. "But you didn't give up any. And that's good.

"If you start forcing the issue and you give up three chances trying to get one, that's not really a good equation for a guy that's learning in this league."

The highlight of Thursday's loss for the Hawks was a tremendous windmill save by Alex Stalock on a point-blank shot from Anthony Beauvillier with 16:40 remaining in the second period. The twirling, spinning Stalock stopped the puck with his left leg stuck almost straight up in the air.

The Hawks (25-47-6) were shut out for the ninth time and lost all three games to the Canucks this season.

The Hawks close out their three-game road trip at Seattle on Saturday, then return home to host Minnesota on Monday.