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BLACKHAWKS ASSIGN FIRST ROUND PICK DANAULT TO ROCKFORD

Danault phillipdraft
Chicago, Ill.-The Chicago Blackhawks have assigned forward Phillip Danault to the American Hockey League’s Rockford IceHogs.

Danault, 19, was selected by Chicago in the first round (26th overall) of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft and signed a three-year contract with the Blackhawks on Jan. 2, 2012. The captain of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s Victoriaville Tigres ranked second on the club with a career-high 53 assists and registered a career-best 71 points in 62 regular-season contests. He closed the campaign with points in 15 of his last 16 regular-season contests (8G, 14A), and paced the Tigres with three assists in four QMJHL postseason tilts.

The Victoriaville, Quebec, native ranked second in the QMJHL with 830 faceoff wins during the regular-season and paced the league with 66 wins in the faceoff circle through the first four games of the 2012 postseason. Danault was honored with the 2011 Guy Carbonneau Award given annually to the best defensive forward in the QMJHL.

Over parts of three seasons (2009-12) with the Tigres, Danault posted 166 points (51G, 115A) and a +47 plus/minus rating in 187 regular-season contests, and 19 points (5G, 14A) in 29 QMJHL postseason games. He represented Canada at the 2010 Under-18 Ivan Hlinka tournament and Team Quebec at the 2010 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.

Next Home Game: Friday, March 30 vs. Peoria Rivermen. The puck drops at 7:05 p.m. The IceHogs and Rivermen meet for a 12th and final time this season when they square off at the BMO Harris Bank Center. It is also Rockford’s final Illinois Lottery Cup matchup of 2011-12. The first 1,500 fans to the game will receive an IceHogs Fitness Towel courtesy of Peak Fitness and the band The Sensations will perform before the game, during each intermission, and after the contest ends.