Blackhawks Assign Ethan Del Mastro to Rockford

The Chicago Blackhawks have assigned Ethan Del Mastro to the Rockford IceHogs on Feb. 9. The move comes just as the Blackhawks' two-week break begins because of the 4 Nations Face-Off international tournament. 

Between now and when the Blackhawks return to the ice (Feb. 22 against the Columbus Blue Jackets), the IceHogs are scheduled to play five games. Although there's no guarantee that Del Mastro will get called up again, it's good ice time for the young defenseman, who hasn't looked bad.

Del Mastro was called up on Jan. 23 and played six games while potting an assist. Six games is a tiny sample size. But let's dive into some of his numbers. 

Averaging 15:16 minutes a night, Del Mastro has a 52.35 Corsi and 55% expected goals share at 5-on-5. Those are currently the best on the team, with the massive caveat that he's only played six games. Those numbers will regress with more games played.

Ethan Del Mastro has a goals-against rate of 2.65/60 and an expected goals-against rate of 1.75/60. This might indicate that his defense has been worse than anticipated. He's also played most of his minutes with defensive "stud" T.J. Brodie (61:47 minutes together). 

I went back and watched all of his shifts in his most recent game on Feb. 8. Below are some highlights that stood out to me. First up is a nice shift where Del Mastro (CHI38) is involved in the OZ and makes responsible plays in the DZ: