Chicago Blackhawks recall defenseman Kevin Korchinski from Rockford as Artyom Levshunov misses Sunday’s game vs. Devils with a left hand fracture. Young blue line gets even younger. Latest Blackhawks roster and injury news.

The Chicago Blackhawks have recalled defenseman Kevin Korchinski from the Rockford IceHogs, the team announced Sunday morning ahead of their road game against the New Jersey Devils.

Korchinski, the seventh overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, is expected to make his fifth NHL appearance of the 2025-26 season. He is projected to pair with fellow Rockford product Ethan Del Mastro on the third defensive pairing.

The move comes after Artyom Levshunov will miss Sunday’s contest with a fracture in his left hand. The 21-year-old suffered the injury during Tuesday’s win over the New York Islanders but played through it in the subsequent two games before further testing and imaging confirmed the issue. His return timeline remains undetermined, per Ben Pope of the Sun-Times.

Head coach Jeff Blashill confirmed the details on Levshunov’s injury during the morning skate in New Jersey.

Story continues below.

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With Levshunov sidelined and veteran defenseman Matt Grzelcyk also unavailable, the Blackhawks’ blue line will feature an extremely young group. The projected pairings for Sunday are:

Vlasic-Crevier

Kaiser-Rinzel

Korchinski-Del Mastro

All six defensemen in the lineup will be between 21 and 24 years old.

The Blackhawks wrap up their current road trip with the Sunday night matchup against the Devils.