Chicago Blackhawks place Alex Stalock in concussion protocol

According to Mark Lazerus, Blackhawks’ goaltender Alex Stalock will enter the concussion protocol for the second time this season.

Alex Stalock is in concussion protocol again. Brutal.

— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) January 17, 2023

This is a tough break for the 35-year-old goaltender. He previously suffered a concussion earlier in the season on November 1 in a game versus the New York Islanders. He missed a month of games due to that injury.

He returned from the injury on December 20 but less than a month later, he’s back in the concussion protocol. Concussions are tricky injuries because a lot of variables are unpredictable and the timetable for a return is unknown.

Stalock had been having a successful season in Chicago, earning himself a record of 6-6-1 on the rebuilding team. He put up a 2.70 GAA and .918 SV% as the de facto starting goalie for the Blackhawks.

In a corresponding move the Blackhawks have called up Jaxson Stauber from the Rockford IceHogs. Stauber is a 23-year-old undrafted goalie prospect that played the previous two seasons for Providence College in H-East. From 2020-22 he had a record of 31-21-7 in college with a 2.24 GAA in year one, improving to 2.10 in year two.

Stauber has not played in an NHL game yet in his career. In 12 games for the IceHogs this season he has a record of 6-4-0 with a 3.06 GAA and .906 SV%. Those are promising numbers and he likely would have played more games but he has to battle with Dylan Wells and Mitchell Weeks for playing time in Rockford.

Stalock has played for four different NHL teams over his career which began in San Jose in 2011. He has been a backup in the NHL behind some accomplished goalies including Antti Niemi, Martin Jones, and Devan Dubnyk.

In his 11-season NHL career, Stalock has played 166 games with a record of 67-56-19. He has a 2.65 GAA, a .909 SV%, and 10 shutouts.