The Center position requires more responsibility on the ice, accounting for two-way play, being defensively responsible, and winning face-offs. The Blackhawks' top prospect last season and over the course of the past 3 years has been Lukas Reichel, and he is still ranked as #2 in the organization.
In preparation for the shift to Center, it sounds like the Blackhawks urged Reichel to hit the gym so he could add body mass, so he wasn't pushed off the puck as easily as in the past.
The German-born center was previously listed as weighing 170 lbs on HockeyDB.com. As a result of his hard work and dedication, he has gained 18 pounds of muscle mass.
His team and he hope he can continue achieving the level of play he was drafted to be after a short breakout season last year.
In addition to developing Reichel as a skilled forward, they now want him to become a two-way weapon.
Selke season here we go!
POLL | ||
23 SEPTEMBRE | 152 ANSWERS Blackhawks advise their top prospect to hit the gym instead of train Do you think Lukas Reichel will grow into the center position well? | ||
Yes | 122 | 80.3 % |
No | 30 | 19.7 % |
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