Breaking: Hawks' key player injured against the Blue Jackets

Chicago Blackhawks forward Nick Schmaltz apparently suffered an injury on Saturday night, in the opening minutes of the game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

As Chicago Sun Times' Mark Lazerus said, "Schmaltz was speeding down the middle of the ice, and just as Ryan Hartman sent a cross-ice pass to Kane for the goal, was hit from both sides by David Savard and Jack Johnson. Schmaltz was slow to get up, and had to be helped off the ice and to the bench before slowly making his way to the dressing room."

We do not have more information about the nature of the injury.

A first round pick (20th overall) in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, Schmaltz made his pro debut last season in Chicago and scored 6 goals while adding 22 assists for 28 points in 61 games. He also added 9 points in 12 games with Rockford of the AHL. 

While the 21 year-old didn’t make many headlines in a stacked NHL rookie class that included instant stars like Auston Matthews or Patrik Laine, the youngster impressed during his rookie campaign. Let's hope he'll be okay.