ROCKFORD — When the Blackhawks sent Alec Regula down in mid-November, he had slipped into a bad headspace.
Throughout the summer, knowing he was entering the final year of his three-year entry-level contract, the 22-year-old defenseman had loaded pressure onto himself to make the NHL full-time. It wasn’t exactly stressing him out, he insists, but it was certainly on his mind.
