Blackhawks place forward Craig Smith on IR with nagging back injury

CHICAGO — The Chicago Blackhawks placed veteran forward Craig Smith on injured reserve on Thursday with a nagging back injury.

Smith hasn’t appeared in a game since he skated for around 10 minutes during a 3-1 victory over Colorado on Jan. 8. He also was on IR with a back injury from Dec. 20-31.

The 35-year-old Smith has six goals and five assists in 30 games in his first season with Chicago.

The last-place Blackhawks also recalled Ethan Del Mastro from Rockford and assigned fellow defenseman Wyatt Kaiser to their American Hockey League affiliate.

Del Mastro, 22, was a fourth-round pick in the 2021 draft. He made his NHL debut in April, appearing in two games with the Blackhawks.

Chicago is 7-12-2 since Anders Sorensen took over as interim coach in December. The Blackhawks host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday night.

Also Thursday, the team announced it had agreed to a three-year contract with forward AJ Spellacy that runs through the 2026-27 season. The entry-level deal carries a $975,000 salary cap hit.

Spellacy, 18, had an impressive training camp with Chicago after he was selected in the third round of last year’s draft. He has 11 goals and 14 assists in 40 games this season with Windsor of the Ontario Hockey League.