Rockford, Ill. - The Chicago Blackhawks have recalled forward Marcus Kruger from the American Hockey League’s Rockford IceHogs and assigned forward Brandon Pirri to Rockford.
Kruger, 21, appeared in seven regular-season games and five Stanley Cup Playoffs tilts with Chicago during the 2010-11 campaign in his North American debut. The Stockholm, Sweden, native notched the first point of his National Hockey League career with a helper in Game 5 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals on April 21.
Originally selected by the Blackhawks in the fifth round (149th overall) of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, Kruger paced Djurgårdens IF in scoring with 35 points (6G, 29A) in 50 regular-season contests last year, and shared the club lead with a +12 plus/minus rating. He was the youngest forward to finish among the top 20 scorers in the Swedish Elite League.
Pirri, a second round pick (#59 overall) by the Blackhawks in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, assisted on the Blackhawks lone goal in Friday night’s 2-1 loss to Dallas, his first career NHL point.
In 2010-11, the Toronto, Ontario native led all Rockford rookies and set an IceHogs AHL single-season rookie record with 43 points, in addition to tying a rookie mark with 31 assists. The 20 year-old made his NHL debut with the Blackhawks against Detroit on Oct. 9, 2010.