CHICAGO — The Chicago Blackhawks have announced the activation of forward Craig Smith from injured reserve ahead of their match against the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday night.

Smith had been dealing with a persistent back injury, but he was cleared to join the team for the game. In this matchup against the Oilers, Smith took to the ice alongside teammates Lukas Reichel and Pat Maroon.

At the age of 35, Smith has contributed six goals and five assists over the course of 30 games since joining the Blackhawks this season.

In other roster movements, the Blackhawks sent defenseman Artyom Levshunov and forward Colton Dach down to the Rockford IceHogs, their American Hockey League affiliate.

Levshunov, who is 19 years old, was called up earlier in the week to allow him to train with the team during the AHL’s All-Star break. The IceHogs are scheduled to play their next game in Texas on Friday night.

Last year, Levshunov was selected second overall in the NHL Draft. He had missed the beginning of this season after sustaining a fractured right foot.

Interim head coach Anders Sorensen spoke positively about Levshunov’s experience, noting, “We’ve had two good, spirited practices with a lot of pace and compete and that was a good learning experience for him to see.” Sorensen added that Levshunov was surprised by the speed of play, which reflects how much he can grow and where he needs to focus his efforts.

Colton Dach, at 22 years old, made his NHL debut against the Montreal Canadiens on January 3. The 6-foot-4 forward, who was a second-round pick in the 2021 draft, has managed to tally one goal and three assists across his 13 games with Chicago so far this season.