Blackhawks Recall Veteran Forward Dominic Toninato From Rockford IceHogs

Dominic Toninato spent nearly the entire 2025-26 season putting up the best AHL numbers of his career in Rockford. The Chicago Blackhawks decided that was enough to bring him back.

Chicago recalled the 32-year-old forward from the IceHogs on March 20, the organization's third time shuttling Toninato between the NHL and AHL this season. The move came with the Blackhawks dressing only 11 forwards and seven defensemen in recent games, a configuration shaped by Oliver Moore's potentially season-ending injury and Sacha Boisvert remaining in limbo while awaiting a work visa after signing his entry-level contract earlier in the week.

The numbers Toninato posted in Rockford this season made the decision straightforward. In 52 games, he recorded 16 goals, 27 assists, and 43 points, with the assists and point totals representing AHL career highs. His 43 points share the team lead on the IceHogs, while his 16 goals and 27 assists each rank second on the club. He also accumulated 57 penalty minutes, fitting the physical profile of a veteran depth center.

His NHL résumé this season is thin by comparison. Toninato appeared in five games for Chicago and recorded one assist, 10 hits, four penalty minutes, and a plus-1 rating while averaging just 9:12 of ice time per game. He went 10-for-22 on faceoffs, a 45.5 percent clip. His last NHL appearance before this recall was December 27 against the Dallas Stars, nearly three months prior.

Across 194 career NHL games over nine seasons with the Colorado Avalanche, Florida Panthers, Winnipeg Jets, and Blackhawks, Toninato has totaled 13 goals, 23 assists, 36 points, and 226 hits. The Duluth, Minnesota native signed a two-year, two-way deal with Chicago last summer after spending the previous five seasons as a depth option in Winnipeg. His cap hit is $850,000, and he cleared waivers early in training camp, removing any roster complications for Chicago to recall him freely.

Sam Lafferty's continued status as a healthy scratch created the opening. With Lafferty sitting and Moore unavailable, Toninato was projected to slot in around the bottom of Chicago's forward group, functioning as roughly the sixth center option. The Blackhawks faced the Colorado Avalanche the evening of March 20, giving Toninato a potential first appearance since late December against a franchise he played for earlier in his career.

Originally drafted 126th overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2012, Toninato has built a 194-game NHL career largely on his ability to win faceoffs, absorb physical minutes, and contribute defensively in limited ice time. His production in Rockford this season suggests he still has offensive capabilities that tend to disappear in the compressed role he occupies at the NHL level.