Why The Chicago Blackhawks Loaned Pius Suter To GCK Lions

The Chicago Blackhawks brought Pius Suter into their organization in July, and now they are loaning him to get him on the ice during the Blackhawks off-season.

In a press release earlier today, the Chicago Blackhawks announced that Pius Suter was being loaned to the GCK Lions of Switzerland’s NLB. This is an excellent addition for the Lions, as Suter is one of the Blackhawks’ most promising prospects for next season, and it also is great for the ‘Hawks.

The goal is for the NHL to return to play again in December, but who knows what is going to happen when it comes to creating another season in the NHL. There are so many hoops to jump through when it comes to COVID-19 and creating an atmosphere where the players are safe. The point is, players will not be back on the ice till December at the earliest.

Chicago wants to make sure their young prospects are getting the time they need to develop. We saw the team loan Philipp Kurashev and Michal Teply just a few days ago, and before that, it was Tim Soderlund going to Sweden.

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Pius Suter is the latest Blackhawk to be loaned away to keep them on the ice during the next few months, and he probably won’t be the last. I am sure we are going to see a lot of players want to continue to play hockey and take some time to elevate their games during the coming months.

Who knows what we are going to see next season. Maybe it is a shortened year, or perhaps we are going to be watching hockey again into September, but either way, players want to be ready. In 2013 the NHL had a shortened season due to a lockout, and the Blackhawks were one of the teams most prepared to start the season.

Chicago began the season with an incredible point streak that led to a president’s trophy and a Stanley Cup in 2013. Maybe we are going to start seeing big-name players head overseas to continue playing during this pause; we saw players make decisions like that during a lockout.

Loaning players like Suter, Teply, and Kurashev is only going to help their game long term. Keeping them on the ice to learn and grow as players will only advance their development. The Blackhawks are going to need help from their young players next season.

We do not have the cap-space to go out and bring in depth forwards, so Chicago is going to need their young guys to step up. Hopefully loaning these young guys will give them the time to develop and get ready for an NHL season where they will get an opportunity to play in the NHL.