Lukas Reichel officially spent the entirety of March on the Blackhawks’ roster.
It’s by far the longest NHL stint to date for the young forward, who will turn 21 in May. And the greater comfort level and improved decisiveness the continuity has provided is becoming evident in his game.
In the Hawks’ 5-3 loss to the Blues on Thursday, it seemed to dawn on Reichel that the Hawks need him to take charge of their offense, provided he doesn’t do so in a reckless way.
He helped the team produce their best performance in a while — they finished with a 30-25 edge in scoring chances, for example — even though it proved insufficient to avoid a seventh consecutive loss.
“From last year to this year, he has taken a big step,” Taylor Raddysh said. “He’s really fast and he can make plays with it. He’s a smart player, as well. It’s pretty cool to watch and see.”
Reichel made a particularly pretty play near the end of the second period when he blazed through the neutral zone, sliced past a Blues defenseman, pulled up in a one-on-four situation and somehow hit linemate Andreas Athanasiou in the far corner with a pinpoint pass.
In the third period, with the Hawks pushing hard, Reichel added a power-play assist and then nearly tied the game with a one-time shot that hit the post in the final minutes.
“[With] any luck at the end there, he puts that home,” coach Luke Richardson said. “Half of our bench jumped up [and] thought it was in.”
Reichel now touts 10 points in 19 games this season — a healthy 43-point prorated pace. Richardson has ridden him relatively hard, though, trying to ensure he learns from every good and bad moment.
‘‘We showed Reichel some clips this morning of where he was really good, [where he] could maybe make some more offense in the ‘O’-zone and where he can’t,’’ Richardson said before the game.
Added Richardson after the game: “I can see that already [making a difference after] just one day of showing clips. ... When he gets full-time here and [has] lots of practice and a whole training camp, [it’ll help] if he can stay on the same track of learning when to be explosive offensively and when to be smarter in the game, where he doesn’t have to force something and turn it over.”
The Blue Jackets earned a point Thursday in Boston, meaning the Hawks are now tied for last in the NHL.
Seney gets extension
The Hawks signed depth forward Brett Seney, 27, to a one-year contract extension for 2023-24 with a $775,000 salary-cap hit.
Despite his 5-9, 167-pound frame, Seney has been very productive for Rockford this season, notching 48 points in 50 AHL games. He also has been called up a few times and has one point in seven NHL games.
‘‘He’s not the biggest guy, but he’s not afraid and he’s sturdy on his feet,’’ Richardson said in February. ‘‘He’s a guy you can play anywhere. He’s that type of player. You can just tell by talking to him, explaining things to him.’’
Wagner makes debut
Forward Austin Wagner made his Hawks debut, logging 11:11 of ice time.
Richardson said before the game that Wagner — whom the Hawks acquired from the Kings on March 3 but who had been sidelined by an infected hand injury — could ‘‘create some offense with that breakaway speed.’’ Sure enough, he produced a semi-breakaway in the first period.
“I just tried to move my legs and keep it simple out there,” Wagner said.