Chicago Blackhawks General Manager Dale Tallon announced Friday that the National Hockey League team has assigned right wing Akim Aliu to the American Hockey League’s Rockford IceHogs.
The second-round pick (56th overall) in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft is expected to join the team in Syracuse, N.Y., where the IceHogs play the Syracuse Crunch tonight.
Aliu finished his fourth campaign in the Ontario Hockey League this season, notching 44 points (18g-26a) in 45 regular season games between the London Knights and Sudbury Wolves. The 19-year-old forward ranked second with two goals and tied for fourth with three points in six postseason games with Sudbury.
The Okene, Nigeria, native made his professional debut last season with the IceHogs, posting two penalty minutes in two contests after being signed to an Amateur Try-Out agreement. He signed a three-year NHL contract on August 25, 2008 with the Blackhawks.
In his OHL career, Aliu has recorded 167 points (76g-91a) and 407 penalty minutes in 205 games between the Windsor Spitfires (2005-06), Sudbury (2005-07, 2008-09) and London (2007-08). Last season, he ranked third on London with a career-high 61 points (28g-33a) and paced the squad with 133 penalty minutes in 60 regular season games.
