BICKELL AND DOWELL RECALLED TO CHICAGO

Bickell becomes 17th different Rockford skater to get promoted

Chicago, Ill.- Chicago Blackhawks General Manager Dale Tallon announced today that the Blackhawks have recalled forwards Bryan Bickell and Jake Dowell from Rockford of the AHL. Bickell becomes the 17th different Rockford player to get a recall to the Blackhawks this season.

Bickell has appeared in 58 games for Rockford scoring 16 goals to go along with 15 assists for 31 points with 50 penalty minutes.

Bickell, 21, stands at 6-4 and weighs in at 226 pounds. He was the Blackhawks’ 2nd round pick (41st overall) in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. Bickell made his NHL debut last season when he appeared in three games for the Blackhawks and scored two goals. In fact, he scored his first NHL goal in his first NHL game which was on April 5, 2007 against the Detroit Red Wings.

Dowell has appeared in 32 games for Rockford scoring five goals to go along with six assists for 11 points with 43 penalty minutes.

This will be Dowell’s second recall of the season by the Blackhawks. He has played in 18 games for the Blackhawks this season scoring 2 goals and 3 points with 6 penalty minutes. Dowell played in his first career NHL game at Calgary on November 22nd and scored his first NHL goal, a shorthanded tally, in a 2-1 win.

Dowell, 23, was the Blackhawks’ 5th round pick (140th overall) in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.

In other IceHogs news, the team is expected to sign center Greg Rallo from the ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads to 25 game professional try-out. In 37 games with Idaho this season, Rallo has 17 goals and 20 assists. This won’t be Rallo’s first stint in the AHL as last season the Gurnee, Illinois, native played in 28 games with the Iowa Stars registering three goals and two assists and played in five games with the Albany River Rats earlier this season.

Rallo was a teammate with current IceHogs winger Derek Nesbitt in Idaho last season during the Steelheads Kelly Cup Championship run and also at the collegiate level at Ferris State University. In 14 Kelly Cup Playoff games last spring Rallo racked up eight goals and three assists.