BLACKHAWKS RECALL CRAWFORD FROM ROCKFORD, PLACE JOHNSON ON INJURED RESERVE

Chicago, Ill.-The Chicago Blackhawks have recalled goaltender Corey Crawford (6-2, 201) from the American Hockey League’s Rockford IceHogs and have placed defenseman Aaron Johnson on Injured Reserve.

Crawford, 23, leads the IceHogs with six wins (6-3-0) and has registered a 2.75 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage in nine appearances this season. The Montreal, Quebec, native appeared in a National Hockey League career-high five games with the Blackhawks last season, registering a 1-2 record with a 2.14 goals-against average and a .929 save percentage. He spent the majority of the 2007-08 campaign with Rockford, posting a 29-19-5 record with 2.83 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage.

Chicago’s second choice (52nd overall) in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, Crawford also made two appearances with the Blackhawks during the 2005-06 season as a rookie. He has amassed 95 wins in 172 career AHL tilts spanning his four-year professional career with the Norfolk Admirals and IceHogs (2005-08).

Johnson ranks second among NHL defensemen and is tied for fifth overall in the league with a +13 plus/minus rating this season. The 25-year-old blueliner has already matched a career high with three goals this season – tied for second-best among team defensemen – and has collected seven points in 18 games with Chicago.