The Blackhawks will open the second half of the season with rookie defenseman Henri Jokiharju in the minor leagues.
The team reassigned Jokiharju to the Rockford IceHogs this morning before flying to Buffalo for this afternoon’s practice.
The Hawks had a surplus of defensemen going into the All-Star break, and coach Jeremy Colliton made Jokiharju a healthy scratch against the Capitals last Sunday. They have also been expecting defenseman Gustav Forsling back from an upper torso injury soon.
Jokiharju, the No. 29 overall pick in 2017, has played 37 of 51 games and has no goals and 12 assists.
