The Blues got on the board early with a battle of young former WHL standouts going their way as Jake Neighbours beat Kevin Korchinski in a footrace and one-on-one battle to score the opening goal. Almost exactly two minutes later, former Blackhawks draft pick Kevin Hayes made it a 2-0 game with a decent snipe and Chicago was facing a multi-goal hole just five and a half minutes into the contest.

Ryan Donato made it 2-1 in the first period with a tip-in goal off a shot from Isaak Phillips with just over five minutes left to play in the opening period, but the momentum swing back in Chicago’s favor only lasted a little more than two minutes as the Blues made it 3-1 on a backdoor tap-in on the powerplay by Pavel Buchnevich on a no-look pass from Robert Thomas.

The game would remain 3-1 from that point through the second period and most of the third period with the Blackhawks controlling most of the offensive action and chances.

Create where it’s due, Jordan Binnington played well today and was able to make the saves asked of him when the Blackhawks got their scoring chances. The effort today wasn’t the problem with the Blackhawks, but rather the execution on the finishing of those chances made the difference.

With just over six minutes to play in the third period, the Blues put the game away with the 4-1 goal coming after Pavel Buchnevich picked the pocket of Korchinski and found Neighbours in front of the net to bury his second goal of the game. In the final moments of the game, the Blackhawks made it a 4-2 effort as Boris Katchouk, who felt due after having a ton of chances this season with none converting, buried a breakaway chance for his first goal of the season.

Arvid Söderblom played in back-to-back games for the first time this season following his overtime win over the Maple Leafs on Friday afternoon. He made 24 saves on 28 shots faced and sees his record fall to 2-7-0 on the year. With the loss, the Blackhawks record falls to 6-13-0 on the year and with 12 points in the NHL standings, are just two points ahead of the San Jose Sharks for dead-last in the league.

Greg: Blackhawks Still Chasing First Winning Streak

The Blackhawks picked up their sixth win of the season in dramatic fashion over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday. That gave them their sixth chance to win back-to-back games, something they have been unable to accomplish this season. In fact, the Blackhawks are the only team in the NHL to not have won back-to-back games. Even the San Jose Sharks have a two-game winning streak.

“It will build our team’s confidence,” Luke Richardson said about winning two games in a row. “It will also get us in a mindset when playing here at home – making it a difficult place to come in and play. It’s a two-win situation today if we can double up on the wins at home and make it difficult on the other team. That’s what we’re looking for today. Our game plan is very similar to the last game. Put it in deep with lots of speed, put pressure on them, and have as much control of that puck as much as we can.”

Richardson and the Blackhawks did not get the start they were looking for, giving up two goals on the first four shots of the game. After Donato got them on the board, they allowed a late first-period goal to the worst power play in the NHL.

The overall effort wasn’t terrible. The Blackhawks were the better team for stretches of the game. The biggest difference was that the Blues were able to take advantage of their scoring chances, and the Blackhawks could not. St. Louis’ top players played as such and won their team the game. When the talent gap is big on most nights, it will be hard to string together wins. However, it would be nice to finally get two in a row at some point.

Jay: Backdoor goals are killing the Blackhawks

Over their last three games, the Blackhawks have given up six goals that can be described as “back door.” What does that mean? While the puck is being carried on one side of the ice, the offside forward sneaks to the side of the net, looking for a pass to come their way as they’re uncovered. 

It happened three times vs Columbus, twice vs Toronto and again vs St. Louis. 

Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson was asked about it after Saturday’s practice. “We have to be better for our goaltenders, for sure, in that department,” Richardson said. “We talked to the D to be up a little more. When they shift they have to shift together and shift early, so we’re on the puck but we’re also covering the middle of the ice. If they can sauce a pass 85 feet across the ice and land it flat nowadays, well then we’ll give them that. It’s at least only one big push from the goaltender, it’s not a last-minute scramble to the backdoor. It’s usually about the top circles or hashmarks at least. That’s something we have to make sure we’re better at.”

With an inexperienced team, these learning lessons can be expected, but it hasn’t only been the young defensemen. On Sunday, it was Connor Murphy who was the defenseman in front of the net on the Blackhawks “diamond” penalty kill. He’s responsible for the forwards in front. As you can see in the highlight above, Jake Neighbours (63) leaves the net front area. This should turn Murphy’s attention to Pavel Buchnevich, the eventual goal scorer. In fairness, Murphy is responsible for defending a potential one-timer, which could have been an option for Neighbours, but it’s a calculation Murphy has to make there. Söderblom is square to the potential shooter on Neighbours’, side. He could let Söderblom handle the shooter while he handles the back door. 

Looking over the last few games, you can see that opposing teams have gone to school and are looking for the play vs Chicago. Until they make the adjustment, expect it to continue. 

Mario: Nick Foligno is without question the Captain of this Blackhawk team

Without wearing a “C” on his chest, Blackhawks newcomer Nick Foligno is undoubtedly the Captain of this year’s team. Following today’s 4-2 loss, and seemingly following every difficult game or scenario this club has faced, Foligno was again facing the media and answering questions with necessary brutal honesty. That’s a trait in a player that this club needs and that they have had in recent years with Jonathan Toews.

Here is Foligno’s full media availability following today’s game.

A former Captain himself in Columbus, Foligno is in his 17th season in the NHL and has the presence and cache in a locker room to call things as he sees them. What Foligno is calling out of his teammates, rookies and vets alike, after just 19 games in Chicago is the truth: there’s a missing culture to this team. Last year, the Chicago Blackhawks played with a dedication to keeping things simple and playing hard. Two simple things Luke Richardson asked of his team in his first year behind the bench. On most nights they were out-matched on talent, but they weren’t often out-worked.

This year’s team has not had that same identity or team culture surrounding them. Foligno called it out on Sunday afternoon and it is a message this roster needs to absorb and put into action. There’s a lot of “looking in the mirror” time coming for this team if they cannot find the will and commitment to executing the simplicity of the game and playing within the system Richardson is asking of them.

The organization has preached transparency under the new regime headed-up by front office leaders Danny Wirtz, Jaime Faulkner, Kyle Davidson, and head coach Luke Richardson. We’ve seen it in practice on a number of occasions since the four of them have been in their current positions.

And that’s why the lack of information and comments regarding Perry’s absence these past few days has been so mystifying.

On Tuesday, before getting on the plane to head to Ohio and face the Columbus Blue Jackets, the 19-year veteran Perry was playing on the top powe rplay unit for the Blackhawks along with Lukas Reichel, Philipp Kurashev, Connor Bedard, and Kevin Korchinski. There was at least some optimism and excitement to see what the four kids could do with their “hockey dad” and the team’s third-leading scorer playing on the man advantage.

Richardson said that there were no expected lineup changes heading to Columbus and Perry even took time after practice to come off the ice and talk with a big group of kids who were at the Fifth Third Arena and sign anything they put in front of him.

Then, minutes prior to Wednesday’s game against the Blue Jackets, we learned that both Taylor Hall (later learning he required season-ending knee surgery) and Corey Perry wouldn’t be available for the game and that scratching Perry was an “organizational decision.” If Corey Perry had played poorly, you’d believe the decision would be merit-based. But since Perry has been one of the most effective players the Blackhawks have had to begin this season, none of it made sense.

To add to the confusion, it appeared even players were in the dark on the situation when they were asked about it after Thursday’s practice.

Between Wednesday afternoon and Friday morning, there has been no further information given into the “organizational decision” to have Perry not only out of the lineup, but also not around for the Thursday morning practice.

Prior to Friday afternoon’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Luke Richardson still had no further information or comments on Perry not being around the team.

With no further information coming from the club, the speculation over Perry’s absence has run rampant across the league. The made-up trade rumors and scenarios that may or may not, could or could not surround the situation don’t help either. It could largely be avoided with even a small bit of information.

Maybe we’re not entitled to that bit of information. If this is a personal matter for Perry, one would think the verbiage would reflect that like it did earlier this month when Nikita Zaitsev was away from the team.

This is also a side of Luke Richardson that we haven’t seen since he took over as head coach in Chicago. Usually full of very honest and open answers to pretty much any question given to him, this is the least information Richardson has been able to give on a topic. Which feels extremely out of character in this scenario. Again, if it was related to on-ice performance, no one would bat an eye. But the non-comments about the situation are, at the very least, extremely odd from the Blackhawks standpoint.

Buffalo opened the scoring with a snipe from Rasmus Dahlin in the first period to give them a 1-0 lead that they would carry into the second period. The Blackhawks responded well in the middle frame with two goals in the period, the 1-1 game-tying goal coming from Taylor Raddysh and the 2-2 game-tying goal from Philipp Kurashev, with a Jeff Skinner goal in the middle and it would be 2-2 heading into the third period.

In the third, the Blackhawks opened the period with a ton of sustained offensive pressure and nearly took the lead on at least two great chances. But it would be Buffalo once again taking the lead thanks to Erik Johnson making it 3-2 just past the mid-way point of the frame. Chicago threw everything they could’ve at the end of the game trying to get the equalizing goal, but came up just inches short from forcing overtime, ultimately falling 3-2. They have dropped five of their last six games and, excluding empty-net goals, all five of those loses were one-goal games.

Jay: Philipp Kurashev stays hot

“He’s been awesome. He’s a different player this year.”

That’s what Blackhawks’ analyst Troy Murray had to say about Philipp Kurashev’s hot start to the season. After picking up a goal in Saturday’s 4-2 loss in Nashville, the winger kept his production going, this time scoring a goal and an assist in Sunday’s loss to the Sabres. He now has 10 points in 10 games this season, and Sunday was his third multi-point game of the season. 

Focusing only on Kurashev’s offense is doing him a disservice, though. He made several solid defensive plays, including knocking a puck out of mid-air on an odd-man rush. His reliable defensive play also allows Luke Richardson to deploy the top line of Connor Bedard, Lukas Reichel and Kurashev, knowing Kurashev can help the trio recover from any turnovers or defensive lapses. 

“Kursh was the driving force on that line,” Luke Richardson said after the game. “He’s been pretty responsible. [He] brings speed to our game, [and] consistency since he’s been back.” 

At all strengths, Kurashev was on the ice for 25 shot attempts for and only 13 against. He is quickly becoming one of the bright spots in a season quickly lacking in bright spots. He’s become one of Richardson’s most dependable players, and won’t be moving from that top line any time soon. 

Greg: Connor Bedard & Lukas Reichel Finally Put Together

The Blackhawks did not hold a morning skate today, and Luke Richardson said that the forwards group would be the same when he met with the media. What he didn’t let on was that while it was the same 12 forwards playing, the top six got a major shakeup. In a move that many have been wanting to see for weeks, Reichel moved up to the left wing of the top line with Bedard and Kurashev.

The new-look top line was victimized on the first Buffalo goal. They had a chance to clear the zone after Mrazek stoned Zach Benson, but they failed to do so, and seconds later, the puck was in their net. With about five minutes left in the opening frame, they provided the Blackhawks with the most sustained zone time of the period. They did produce a couple of shots on goal, but it was a lot of skating around looking for the perfect play rather than just getting the puck on the net and crashing the crease.

All three forwards picked up a point on the Blackhawks’ second goal, with Bedard and Reichel getting assists on Kurashev’s fourth goal of the season.

The line was buzzing early in the third period leading to Reichel drawing a penalty. Unfortunately, the power play unit was unable to cash in on the opportunity. At the end of the net, the trio finished with a goal, three assists, five shots on goal, and 11 shot attempts. At 5v5, they were on the ice for 16 shot attempts for and 10 against for a 61.54 Corsi For percentage (CF%). There is no reason to break this line up for Wednesday’s game against the struggling Columbus Blue Jackets.

Mario: Blackhawks have a response in middle frame

Coming into tonight, the Blackhawks had been out-scored 17-9 in second periods this season, their worst goal-differential in any of the three periods of a regulation game. Often times we see this Blackhawks group coming out of the gates with a good start, but have it falter later in the first period or not have that start translate to the second period and end up leading to either blown leads or to the Blackhawks chasing games.

Tonight, Chicago was chasing a game five minutes into the competition and had to make up from that 1-0 deficit heading into the first intermission.

They were awarded an early powerplay in the period, and after what looked to be an underwhelming man-advantage, Taylor Raddysh would get a deflected puck past Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to tie the game just after the powerplay had expired. The Sabres would respond with an actual powerplay goal from Jeff Skinner to regain the lead but it wouldn’t last long as Philipp Kurashev would score a rebound goal to tie the game once again at 2-2 and that would be it for then second frame.

It wasn’t perfect, but the Blackhawks were able to show a bit of jump and response to the Sabres in the second period, more than they were showing yesterday against the Predators. In the middle frame, the Blackhawks out-shot the Sabres 12-5 (10-3 at 5v5), and out-scored them 2-1.

The momentum built in the second period seemed to translate into the start of the third period, but unfortunately didn’t turn into the third goal of the game for Chicago before the Sabres eventually took the 3-2 lead later in the final period.

After a good start to the first period, the Predators were able to get out to a 2-0 lead heading into the first intermission with goals coming from Yakov Trenin and Gustav Nyquist. The Blackhawks were able to cut into the lead with a goal coming from Philipp Kurashev, but the Predators got back to a two-goal lead with the 3-1 goal coming from Cole Smith. Tyler Johnson got the Blackhawks back to within one-goal later in the third period, but it wasn’t enough of an effort late in the game to tie the game and Smith potted the empty-net goal to seal the game.

The Blackhawks are back in action tomorrow night back home in Chicago as they host the Buffalo Sabres.

Jay: Production Has Arrived for Philipp Kurashev

It feels like Phiipp Kurashev has been around forever. He made his NHL debut in 2020-21 and played in his 200th NHL game on Saturday in Nashville.

Over those games, we’ve seen glimpses and flashes from Kurashev, and it was clear to see what the Blackhawks saw when they drafted him in the fourth round (120th overall) in 2018. He brings a unique package of skills, speed, and board work.

Consistency had always been the knock on Kurashev, though. Despite the skills and flashes, the points were never there.

Well, it appears the production has arrived. Kurashev scored in Saturday’s 4-2 loss to Nashville, and he, along with his linemates Connor Bedard and Nick Foligno, were dominant in the loss. They out-attempted Nashville 15-5 in the game at 5-on-5. They were the only line on the team that finished over 50% in shot attempts. Kurashev also finished the game as the Blackhawks’ highest-rated player (2.22), according to hockeystatcards.com‘s game score.

Since returning to the lineup after a preseason injury, Kurashev has three goals and five assists in nine games.
It’s unlikely he’ll continue his nearly point-per-game pace this season, but if he can be counted on to provide 35-45 points per season, it’s a massive win for the Blackhawks.

For all the skill they have in their system with players like Bedard and collegiate forwards Frank Nazar and Oliver Moore, the Hawks have a lot of skill without a lot of grit. That’s what makes Kurashev’s development so important. Those guys will need someone to retrieve the puck for them, and as of now, there aren’t any NHL sure-things on the horizon.

Greg: Arvid Söderblom Good, but Not Great in Net

Arvid Söderblom had high expectations heading into his full NHL season. We all thought he would lead the team in starts by the end of the season, and that still may happen, but he has not played consistently. His first two starts were very good, giving up three goals on 68 combined shots against the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs. His next two starts saw him give up five goals to the Vegas Golden Knight and seven to the Arizona Coyotes. He’s only had one other start with a save percentage (SV%) over .900 and that came in a 4-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Nov. 5.

Söderblom’s biggest problem seems to be his confidence. We heralded at time last season about his play between the pipes. He was always compact and had very little wasted movement. The past few games, he’s been all over the crease, struggling with his rebound control, and flat-out fighting off the puck at times.

The Predators’ first goal may or may not ticked off Kevin Korchinski’s stick, but it beat Söderblom cleanly to the short side. The second and third goals were both results of his inability to absorb a rebound and cover up the puck. To make matters worse, they both came very in the first and second periods. Those are the types of goals that just kill momentum.

These are things that need to be better if he wants to remain part of the future, let alone earn more starts this season. It was not all bad for Söderblom. He made a huge stop on the shift following Kurashev’s goal, as well as a big toe save on the late second-period power play. However, they were cancelled out by his inability to keep the puck covered up. He finished with 28 saves and a .903 SV% but does not look like the confident goaltender we saw so much with the Rockford IceHogs.

Mario: Stop playing down to competition

All we keep hearing and talking about on the CHGO Blackhawks podcast regarding the level of competition the Blackhawks have faced early this season is that the quality of opponent is going to start leveling-down after facing contender after contender to begin the year. But in the three games so far this season that were supposed to be “easier” for Chicago, they are 0-3-0 and have been outscored 15-5 against Montreal, Arizona, and Nashville today.

It is so frustrating to watch this team win games over Tampa Bay, Toronto, Vegas, and Boston, some of them in convincing fashion, and then have duds against teams you have to be competitive against.

This is not a Blackhawks team that has enough talent to only play a 20 or 30-minute game and come away with a win. You have to have full-team efforts for a full 60-minute game to come away with wins, or at the very least, come away with efforts to hang your hat on. Last year’s team was arguably less-talented across the board, but their “will” and “want to” was there in 90-percent of the games. That workmanlike effort hasn’t been consistent in this year’s version of the Blackhawks and is supposed to be a staple of this team coached by Luke Richardson. We haven’t seen it yet and that team identity needs to start coming to fruition if the Blackhawks are going to be respectable. Yes, this season is still going to likely end up with a top-five or top-ten draft position, but how the team gets there still matters.

Join Jay Zawaski, Mario Tirabassi and Greg Boysen to recap the narrow loss on the CHGO Blackhawks Live Postgame Podcast.

Chicago has one player as part of their next contending core that has that instinct and ability in Connor Bedard. He’s not someone to really worry about at this point. But he cannot be the only player with that ability and drive to want to be the goal-scorer on the team. If you look back at the Championship Blackhawks of the 2010’s, there were plenty of players that had that instinct from Patrick Sharp to Patrick Kane to Jonathan Toews to Marian Hossa to Alex DeBrincat and so on down the list. It’s not just about being able to score goals and shoot the puck at a high level. It’s about being willing to do whatever it takes to score goals in a league where the pretty goals are nice, but few and far between.

With the young group of players in the Blackhawks system like Bedard, Lukas Reichel, Philipp Kurashev, Frank Nazar, Oliver Moore, Colton Dach, etc., there needs to be a group of them that emerge to have that kind of mentality if Chicago is going to be able to keep up in a high-scoring era of the NHL. But can that “killer instinct” when it comes to scoring be taught to players, or is it just a part of a hockey player’s DNA?

“I think it’s up to the player to find it,” Richardson said on Wednesday before the Blackhawks left for their Florida road trip. “We show them examples from games to be aggressive and proactive. We want to keep our feet moving and thinking shoot first on two-on-ones, two-on-twos, and line rushes. If the defense reacts to you and opens up, there might be a time to pass. But if you’re stopping your feet and trying to wait-out the defense, it’ll usually get closed off.”

A veteran in the locker room, a former Stanley Cup winner, a former 50-goal scorer, and a former league MVP, Corey Perry echoed the same sentiment about players needing to have it within them to strive to be great goal-scorers. “It’s a little bit of both. You can talk to players, tell them how to do it, where to go, what to do. But somebody has to be willing to go do it. You have to have that instinct. At the end of the day, if you want to score goals, you have to go to the front of the net. It’s not going to be pretty each and every night. That’s what we’re trying to get through here. Those pretty goals are going to have but if you look around the league, most goals come from within ten feet of the crease.”

To Perry’s point, the Blackhawks rank dead-last in the NHL this season in High-Danger Chances with 119 at all-strengths. They also rank in the bottom-five of the league in Chances-For (632, 31st), Shots-For (324, 31st), and Goals-For (31, t-27th).

But the 19-year vet also said that the young players in the locker room now have that ability to develop that instinct at this stage in their careers. “I believe in everybody in this room that can go do that. Sometimes when you don’t want to, you have to be willing to go there. It’s a matter of continuing to grind at it and put it in people’s heads that this is a tough league to score in.”

It translated in Thursday night’s game when we saw Kurashev and Bedard connect on the game’s first goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Kurashev had a chance to cut to the front of the net from the corner and fed the puck across to Bedard, who was getting inside position on Victor Hedman for a net-front goal. These two working together over the past few games is giving me confidence that Kurashev could be another on the list of players for the future that can develop that “killer instinct.”

One that is concerning me as this season progresses is Lukas Reichel. We’ve seen his skillset at the NHL level before and a ton of it in the AHL over the past three seasons. But the player that Reichel has shown himself to be this season is a shell of what we all expected to see from him. He has just one point this season, a secondary assist, in 12 games played. At all-strengths this season, Reichel has created 32 individual Chances-For, 19 individual Scoring Chances-For, and nine individual High-Danger Chances-For. Those numbers all rank behind players like Ryan Donato, Nick Foligno, and a Tyler Johnson. It is early in the season still, but that is concerning.

Reichel himself knows that he needs to be more assertive with the puck this season. “Some guys just have that natural instinct and ability like [Auston] Matthews or [David] Pastrnak. It’s just more just like getting it into our heads, me included, to have that mentality to shoot when there’s a 50-50 play or on a two-on-one, if the defense plays it well, we want to shoot it instead of passing it and having nothing happen.”

I don’t know if Reichel is trying to defer offense too much or create for the players around him, but he hasn’t been playing too much this season with players who should be deferred to all that often. Reichel and Taylor Hall or Connor Bedard have not been paired together this season and the 2020 first-round pick should be the one getting offense deferred to him, not the other way around.

Luke Richardson spoke about the young players trying to be good teammates, even a little too much, this season as they get their footing in the NHL. “Everybody wants to be a good teammate and you think [the pass] is open, but nowadays one pebble on the ice and the puck bounces and you lose that great chance…Sometimes you get the ‘it’s Taylor Hall, I want to get him the puck’ or ‘it’s Corey Perry, I want to get him the puck,’ and it’s not the right time. They will call for it and demand it when it’s time. It’s a fast game in the NHL and things close quick. You got to have the determination when you have a little bit of space, you have to make something of it…We can show them the clips, but they have to correct themselves on the ice.”

So if the Blackhawks don’t have that player in their young group, besides Bedard, who has that instinct as part of their makeup, who can develop it? I think we are seeing early stages of Kurashev starting to become that kind of player.

Elsewhere in the system, Colton Dach could be a candidate to have that kind of mentality and willingness to go to the hard areas of the ice to score goals. He’ll need more time to acclimate to the professional game, but his tenacity and size give him the inside edge to become that kind of player. I see a bit of that in Landon Slaggert as well in his time at Notre Dame. He’s not likely going to be a dynamically skilled as Brandon Hagel, but he is that same kind of energy and hard-nosed style of forechecker. It would be nice to see that hard work translate at the professional level and create those gritty, greasy goals.

Frank Nazar and Oliver Moore also could have that mentality because of their speed. We’ve seen a player like Andreas Athanasiou drive to the net and get breakaway chances just from his footspeed. It would be amazing to see speedsters like Nazar and Moore do that same in the NHL someday, but with a more skilled finishing ability in their hands.

But that is all coming from a place of hope and wishing that these players can develop that instinct. One that seems to already have that goal-scorers mentality and kill instinct when it comes to goal production isn’t with any NHL team right now.

No, it’s not Phil Kessel. It’s Cole Eiserman.

Eiserman is currently the No. 2 ranked draft prospect in the 2024 NHL Draft Class behind only Macklin Celebrini. He plays for the U.S. National Team Development Program and is scoring at a pace that will likely see him surpass USNTDP elites like Kessel, Auston Matthews, Jack Hughes, and Cole Caufield when it comes to putting the puck in the back of the net.

From Steven Ellis of Daily Faceoff in his latest NHL Draft rankings on Eiserman, “Sorry, Cole Caufield. Eiserman’s coming for your scoring record. Featuring a release a la Phil Kessel and Auston Matthews, Eiserman should have no issue blasting past the USA Hockey National Team Development Program’s record of 72 goals in a season set by Caufield in 2018-19. Whether it be against USHL or NCAA competition, Eiserman’s tremendous shot has been one of the top highlights of the season. The Boston University commit can be caught watching a little too often, but there’s no question he’s a 50-goal threat in the NHL.”

Eiserman stands six-foot tall and 200-pounds as a 17-year-old right now and has 27 goals and 37 points in 19 combined games this season for the USNTDP, on pace for 83(!!) goals this season. The Blackhawks are going to be in the NHL draft lottery again this spring and will be picking high in the first round again this summer. There is a good chance it will be within the top-five or top-three picks. Cole Eiserman is a real possibility for the Blackhawks and could be that player, alongside Bedard, as a goal-scorer with that “killer instinct” in their hockey DNA.

Whether it’s developed, acquired, or drafted, the Blackhawks will need more players who will be a par of the future that have the ability and the “want to” to put the puck in the net by any means necessary. That’ll have to come from driving the net, playing within ten-feet of the crease, and having a willingness to be the one to say, ‘I’m that M-Fer that’s going to score.’ The more we end up seeing that from the young group, the more the contending picture for the future will become clear.

Despite scoring the game’s opening goal in under two minutes, Chicago wasn’t able to put together the bell-to-bell effort it requires to beat this top-tier Devils team on the second night of back-to-back games following a 5-2 win last night over the Florida Panthers.

Taylor Hall got things started quickly with his second goal in as many nights for the Blackhawks, putting the team out to the early 1-0 lead just 1:51 into the game. It marked the third-straight game that Chicago had scored the opening goal of the contest. But following an interference call on Connor Murphy mid-way through the first period, the Blackhawks lost all momentum they had built as the Devils scored on the ensuing powerplay with a goal from Dawson Mercer. That tying tally was followed by the 2-1 goal coming from Jack Hughes’ replacement Max Willman.

The Blackhawks would have a few chances to try to even the score, including a chance setup by Jason Dickinson and Tyler Johnson in the second period that would be saved by an incredible diving effort by New Jersey goaltender Vitek Vanecek.

The Devils held the majority of the game’s possession in the second and third periods, adding a 3-1 goal from Curtis Lazar in the third period to extend their lead. After a floundering powerplay with just over eight minutes to go in the game, it looked as if the Blackhawks had run out of gas completely. But with just under five minutes to play, Ryan Donato injected a bit of life into the game and the United Center crowd scoring his third goal of the season on his own rebound the make it 3-2 with 4:46 to play.

The game was nearly put on ice with 2:02 to play with an empty-net goal but it was called back by a Luke Richardson successful offside challenge and there was still life left in the building, though New Jersey would be able to kill the final minutes and add a legal empty net goal with just a second on the clock to end it officially 4-2.

Arvid Söderblom did everything he could to keep the Blackhawks in the game making 36 saves on 39 shots tonight. He has just three wins in 23 appearances for the Blackhawks in his NHL career, and tonight was another night in which the Blackhawks owed him a better result.

Following the loss, the Chicago media was held out of the locker room for about 20 minutes before it was opened. It ended up being a players-only meeting that seemed to focus on the team’s consistency, accountability, and reminding each other of working within the team system. Seth Jones and Corey Perry spoke about instilling the message of accountability in each other and making sure the team is working to execute on their goals as a group this season.

“We have a few words we came up with as a team this year that we want to live by, so we want to live by those.” Jones said about the message of the meeting. “You want to hold each other accountable. You’re not in there ‘Mother-effing’ guys, but if you make a mistake, your teammate should be able to tell you you’re wrong and vice versa.”

“Be accountable and play within the system that we’ve installed through camp and the first few games of the season,” 19-year-vet Corey Perry said following the meeting. “We do it in spurts, but we have to do it for a full game. We had a good heart-to-heart…We’re not putting anyone down. That’s not the message. It’s more about being brothers, being able to talk about it and figure things out as men.”

For a Blackhawks team that is working with a basically brand new leadership and veteran group, while also bringing in numerous young players hopeful to be a part of the next contending core group, there is miles of runway for these types of meetings and messages. Players like Perry and Jones, Nick Foligno and Connor Murphy, their top job this season is to make sure that players like Connor Bedard, Lukas Reichel, Kevin Korchinski, and the rest are acclimating to the professional game. Especially at the NHL level. It’s early in the season and getting players on the same page and adhering to the same message after game No. 11 is much better than having to do it after game No. 40 or later.

Jay: Wyatt Kaiser finding his game

During the Blackhawks preseason, Wyatt Kaiser was the darling of training camp. He was arguably the Hawks’ most impressive young defenseman and showed poise and ability beyond his years. Then the regular season began.

Kaiser was by no means awful to start the season, but it was clear he was struggling to adapt to the speed of the NHL game. He’d often have the puck stolen from behind as he took too long to move the puck, or he’d wait an extra tick or two too long and defenders would close in on him. An extra stickhandle here or there can make the difference between moving the puck into the offensive zone or a turnover. Kaiser’s mental clock has vastly improved.

Over the last 3-4 games, Kaiser has begun to look like the player we saw in the preseason. In fact, in Sunday’s loss to New Jersey, he was the Blackhawks’ highest rated player according to hockeystatcards.com.

Kaiser ended the game with 17:34 of ice time, one assist, two shots on goal, and two hits, all while spending the bulk of the game with Nikita Zaitsev (who has been decent in his own right). He was noticeable and has clearly gained the trust of Luke Richardson.

Greg: Arvid Söderblom Regains Form

The last time we saw Arvid Söderblom, he was torched by the Arizona Coyotes for seven goals on 22 shots. This was his second straight shaky start after he allowed five goals on 19 shots against the Vegas Golden Knights during the home opener. Normally giving up 12 goals in less than two full games is a major concern. However, Söderblom’s first two games against the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs were very good, allowing just three goals on 68 shots.

It’s because we have seen Söderblom have some flashes at the NHL level and be very good in the AHL that we get down when he has a bad stretch. We got the good version of Söderblom against the Devils. Mercer beat him with a quick shot to the short side while Nikita Zaitsev was getting boxed out in front of him for the first goal. The third New Jersey goal came on a redirect from in close, but he seemed to be cheating to his left, which left the five hole exposed.

The Willman goal was the worst of them all. Korchinski hustled back, but that was a save Soderblom needed to make. That has been the biggest difference between him and Petr Mrazek this season. Mrazek has been able to come up with the big stops more often than his younger counterpart.

The bottom line is that Soderblom had a nice bounce-back game following two rough outings. He made a season-high 36 saves and gave the Blackhawks a chance to win. You’d like to have one more big save, but this is all you can ask for on most nights.

Mario: Blackhawks need more out of their defensemen in the offensive zone

The Blackhawks blue-line is not their strong-point. While Kevin Korchinski, Alex Vlasic, and Wyatt Kaiser have been playing well as rookies, they are still very much prone to the rookie growing pains. Seth Jones and Connor Murphy are solid options as top-four defensemen in the NHL, but the all-around depth of the group is lacking at this moment in time.

What they also lack is goal production. Chicago defensemen have just one goal this season and it came on Saturday night from none other than Nikita Zaitsev.

On Sunday, I tracked the defensive shot-generation against the Devils and the period-by-period breakdown went as such:

– First period: Blackhawks defensemen accounted for ten of the 23 chances created and seven of the 14 shots on goal
– Second period: Blackhawks defensemen accounted for six of the 13 chances created and just three of the nine shots on goals
– Third period: Blackhawks defensemen accounted for just four of the 19 chances created and three of the 11 shots on goal

After the fast start to the game, the defensive efforts to create shots dwindled.

“We just need more goals. We need to make more plays on the blue-line.” A frustrated Seth Jones said following the 4-2 loss.

Alex Vlasic led all Blackhawks tonight with six shots on goal as well as leading in chances created with six.

Following Saturday morning’s optional skate ahead of the Blackhawks taking on the Florida Panthers, Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson essentially confirmed that Korchinksi’s plan this season is to remain in Chicago the full year.

“He had a good training camp and a really impressive start to the season,” Richardson said of the 19-year-old defenseman. “He’s composed out there and his skating ability is NHL-elite level already. His decision-making has been very good and he’s a bright kid. He takes in a lot of information and implements it into his game. There’s no reason to have that conversation at this point. He’s earned and deserved that right.”

Richardson said that his conversations with Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson about Korchinski and his development plan were back in the summer following a very successful season with the Seattle Thunderbirds for the 2022 seventh-overall pick. Was the plan in the summer always going to be having him with Chicago the full year?

“I think he had a really good opportunity to, but you never know,” Richardson continued. “He came in more mature and stronger from last year. He had a lot of good experiences last year too, going to the Memorial Cup and World Juniors, so there has been a lot of growth in his game and him as a person from last training camp to this year.”

Saturday’s game against the Florida Panthers will be the tenth game of the season that Korchinski has played, pushing him past the nine-game threshold that rookies have to play in the NHL before the first year of their entry-level contract kicks-in. For Korchinski, that means he’ll be a restricted free agent in the summer of 2026 and if he plays more than 40 games this season, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent one year earlier than expected.

Here’s where Kevin Korchinksi ranks this season among 25 rookie defensemen in the NHL who have logged 80 minutes or more of 5v5 ice time (via Natural StatTrick):

• TOI: 149:36 (8th)
• Corsi-For%: 49.54 (11th)
• Shots-For%: 51.15 (11th)
• Expected Goals-For%: 47.70 (17th)
• High-Danger Chances-For%: 46.88 (16th)
• PDO (on-ice shooting % plus save %): 0.891 (25th)

Outside of his 5v5 PDO, this underlying numbers haven’t been bad for Korchinski as he gets his first taste of the NHL. He is doing so while spending time next to veterans Connor Murphy and Seth Jones on the second and first-pairs for Chicago defensively, a role not many 19-year-old players are asked to handle. He’s also just one of six rookie defensemen to log 20+ minutes of powerplay time to begin this season and ranks 4th among all rookies in average ice-time with 19:49 per game.

While having him in Chicago appears to be the most beneficial for Korchinski, there’s plenty of people North of the border who are keeping tabs on him as the month of November begins and the December 10 opening of Team Canada’s 2024 World Junior Championship training camp opens. The defending Gold Medalists would surely welcome having Korchinski back for his second go-around at the tournament, held in Sweden this year.

Have there been any discussions about making Korchinski available for the World Juniors? According to Richardson, “That’s unlikely. It’s a surprise to me if it happens.”

Sorry, Canada.

Oh, we are SO BACK!

The Rebuild Report, that is. The Blackhawks … they’re still years away from truly being “back.” But since we last spoke to you on these here Rebuild Report pages, the Blackhawks are closer to the end of the rebuild process, and much of that can be attributed to winning the NHL Draft Lottery and getting Connor Bedard.

As we move forward into the 2023-24 season, the focus is no longer on getting Bedard and having him be the accelerator of the rebuilding process. That part of the plan is done. Now, we focus on the parts around Bedard in the organization as GM Kyle Davidson continues to build a team from the bottom-up in the organization to hopefully replicate and extend the window of success the Blackhawks enjoyed in the late 2000s and 2010s.

This season’s Blackhawks have a few more players on the NHL roster that matter when it comes to the rebuild, like Bedard, Kevin Korchinski, Alex Vlasic, and Lukas Reichel, so we’ll caution you that you won’t be hearing about them that much in the Rebuild Reports this year — barring the unlikely events of any of them being sent down to the Rockford IceHogs or back to their respective Junior clubs.

Instead, this year’s edition of the Rebuild Report will have a different feel to it as a number of the Junior and NCAA prospects have graduated from Mario’s beat (CHL and NCAA) to Greg’s beat (Europe and Rockford IceHogs).

Also, a new crop of draft picks have entered the fray — players who are already making major impacts on their NCAA, CHL, and European clubs.

Without any further ado, here’s the first edition of the Chicago Blackhawks Rebuild Report for the 2023-24 season!

Mario Tirabassi: ‘Speed Kills’ as Frank Nazar and Oliver Moore takeoff to begin NCAA season

After the dust started to settle on the draft floor around the Blackhawks selecting Bedard first overall at the NHL Draft last June, Davidson began trying his best to move up in the first round to make sure he could get Oliver Moore. Even though he was unable to get any teams to bite on moving down for the Blackhawks, Moore still fell right into his lap at the 19th pick.

Boy, does that look incredibly lucky right about now.

• Moore is a true freshman at the University of Minnesota this season, a team that lost Logan Cooley and Matthew Knies from their roster last season. The opportunity for Moore to step into a big role for the Gophers was there to begin the season, and he has run with it. Regarded as the best skater in the 2023 NHL Draft class, Moore has six points in his first four NCAA games with one goal and five assists.

• Moore and his Blackhawks prospect teammate Sam Rinzel, who has three assists in four games for Minnesota, have the team ranked No. 1 in the country.

Frank Nazar is another speedster up-front in the Blackhawks organization who is looking more and more like a future key to the rebuild. He already had those expectations last season after being picked 13th overall in the 2022 NHL Draft. But after missing nearly his entire freshman season at Michigan last year, Nazar has a lot to prove this season in a top-six role for the Wolverines. After the program lost Adam Fantilli, Luke Hughes, and Mackie Samoskevich, Nazar is taking his opportunity to be a leader for the Michigan program.

• In six games to start the season, Nazar has four points and is part of a five-way tie for second on the team in goals. Michigan is currently ranked No. 6 in the NCAA.

Staying in the Big Ten, the Notre Dame program is being led this season by senior captain and Blackhawks 2020 third-round draft pick Landon Slaggert. There was some speculation that Slaggert could have turned pro after last season with Notre Dame, a season that saw him deal with a number of injuries and a career-low 13 points in 35 games.

• Slaggert returned for a fourth season to play for the Irish under his head coach and dad, Andy Slaggert, and to play with his younger brother Carter after having the chance to play with his older brother Graham previously. Hard to argue with those choices.

• The middle Slaggert child is off to a good goal-scoring start for the Irish, with three goals in his first five games of the season.
• If I’m handicapping it, I’ll be shocked if Slaggert AND Nazar are not playing professionally for the Blackhawks organization in April.

Unfortunate news right at the beginning of the NCAA season for Minnesota-Duluth’s Dominic James as he sustained a shoulder injury that required season-ending surgery in the second game of the season.

Another 2023 NHL Draft pick not named Bedard to keep tabs on this season is Martin Mišiak.

• A second-round pick by the Blackhawks from the Youngstown Phantoms in the USHL, Mišiak came over State-side from Slovakia last year to join the Phantoms and helped them win the Clark Cup. Following being selected by the Blackhawks 55th overall, Mišiak was selected first overall in the CHL Import Draft by the OHL’s Erie Otters.

• In ten games with the Otters to begin the year, Mišiak has four goals and nine points, good for a tie for second on the club in scoring.

Nick Lardis has six goals in his first eight games of the year. He was selected by the Blackhawks in the second round last summer and is starting the season with the OHL’s Brantford Bulldogs.

• Lardis was picked 67th overall by Chicago and was widely regarded as a steal for the club at that position. He tallied 37 goals and 65 points in 69 OHL games last season, splitting time between Hamilton/Brantford and the Peterborough Petes.

Expect to hear A LOT about the OHL this season from me in these Rebuild Reports because that is the only CHL league that the Blackhawks have any prospects playing in this season in Canada.

• The WHL was populated by Colton Dach, Nolan Allan, Korchinski, and Jalen Luypen last season, but all have turned pro, and it looks less and less likely as the NHL season continues that Korchinski is headed back to “the dub” anytime soon.
  
• The other CHL league that will be unpopulated by the Blackhawks prospect system this year is the QMJHL after Gatineau’s Marcel Marcel signed an AHL contract this offseason after being selected by Chicago in the fifth round of the draft and Samuel Savoie’s season was ended with a broken femur in the preseason.
  
• Finally, if you’re new to the Rebuild Report, we don’t only focus on the Blackhawks’ current prospects but also on players who could join the ranks of the Chicago prospect system in the future. Players who are 2024 NHL Draft-eligible and playing in North America that will be of great interest to Blackhawks fans this season include names like Macklin Celebrini (Boston University), Cole Eiserman (USNTDP), Sam Dickinson (London Knights), Berkly Catton (Spokane Chiefs), Henry Mews (Ottawa 67s), and Cole Hutson (USNTDP), just to name a few.

Greg Boysen: IceHogs Off to Slow Start, European Prospects Fill the Scoresheet

The Rockford IceHogs are off to a 1-2-0 start to their American Hockey League (AHL) season. They started by swapping 7-2 decisions at the San Jose Barracuda before dropping their home opener to the Chicago Wolves 5-3 last Saturday night. They will be at the BMO Center all weekend with games against the Iowa Wild on Friday and the Grand Rapids Griffins on Saturday.

• Through three games, it is a pair of AHL veterans who are leading the way. Joey Anderson has two goals and six points, while David Gust has a pair of goals and five points.
• Rockford’s blue line is stacked with defensive prospects this season. Despite allowing 14 goals already, the young group is off to a solid start. Isaak Phillips leads the way with a goal and an assist, both coming on the power play. In fact, he is the only IceHogs defenseman with a point in the young season. Ethan Del Mastro, Nolan Allan, Filip Roos, and Louis Crevier have yet to find the scoresheet.
• Ryder Rolston scored his first professional goal in the season-opening win over the Barracuda. Jaylen Luypen picked up his first AHL point with the primary assist on the play. He added a second helper later in the game.

• Michal Teply is back for his third season with the IceHogs. It’s hard to imagine that he is still in the Blackhawks’ long-term plans, but a huge season could change that. We have seen flashes of Teply being a very good offensive threat the last two seasons, but consistency has been lacking. He scored a goal in the opening-night win in San Jose.
• Cole Guttman, who was sent back to Rockford last Saturday morning, picked up an assist in the loss to the Wolves. He spent the game centering the IceHogs’ top line.
• Drew Commesso, who switched his number from 29 to 33, has started two of the three games this season. He is 1-1-0 with a 3.04 goals-against average (GAA) and a .908 save percentage (SV%). Jaxson Stauber had a rough outing in San Jose, allowing seven goals on 49 shots for a .857 SV%.

Let’s start our trip across Europe in Sweden, where a trio of recent draft picks are playing. The veteran of the group, 20-year-old Victor Stjernborn, is playing full-time in the SHL for Vaxjo Lakers HC. He scored a goal for the defending champions’ most recent victory. Overall, the 2021 fourth-round draft pick has two goals and an assist in 11 games while averaging over 13 minutes a night.

• Milton Oscarson, a member of the most recent draft class, is in his second full season in the SHL with Orebro HK. The 6-foot-7 forward has a goal and an assist in 12 games. He has 10 shots on goal while playing about 14 minutes per outing.

• Nils Juntorp is back in his native Sweden after spending last season in the USHL. The 2022 sixth-round pick has a goal and three points in seven games for Kristianstads IK in HockeyEttan, Sweden’s third-tier league.
• Heading over to Russia, Ilya Safonov is looking to build off a breakout 2022-23 KHL season. He got off to a slow start for Ak Bars Kazan but picked it up of late. Since Oct. 1, he has four goals and seven points in 10 games.

• Roman Kantserov has started his first full season in the KHL with Metallurg Magnitogorsk after just one game in Russia’s top league last season. The 2023 second-round pick has started to find the scoresheet on a consistent basis after struggling early. He had two goals and five points in 20 games. Highlights like the one below show you exactly why the front office is excited about his potential, and you should be too.

• Riku Tohila has split his season between Finland’s top professional league and the U20 team. In 6 Liiga games for JYP, the 6-foot-8 center has no points. He has three goals and an assist in seven U20 games. The ice time differential is significant. The 2022 seventh-round pick is playing over 16 minutes a night at the U20 level but only about nine minutes in Liiga.
• Defenseman Janne Peltonen, drafted in the seventh round of the most recent draft, is also playing in Finland’s U20 league. In 17 games for Karpat U20, he has two goals and seven points while being a plus-4. The young blueliner is playing big minutes, playing over 21 minutes multiple times this season.
• Michael Krutil, still under contract with HC Sparta Praha, has been bouncing around the top two tiers of Czechia hockey. He’s had the most success in his native country’s equivalent to the AHL, with a goal and six points in eight games for HC Stadion Litomerice.
• Finally, let’s stop in Switzerland to check up on 2023 third-rounder Jiri Felcman. He’s made a brief appearance in both the NL and SL but has spent the most time in the U20-Elit league. He’s been an offensive force with five goals and 12 points in 10 games for Langnau U20.

That’s it for today! Remember to become a CHGO Diehard to get access to these Rebuild Reports all season long!

Sandwiched into the opening schedule that sees the Blackhawks face the likes of Pittsburgh, Boston (twice), Toronto, Colorado, and Vegas to begin the season was this game against Montreal, a team that finished in the Tank Standings last season alongside the Blackhawks. But after a scrambly, sloppy, and scoreless first period, the game broke open in the second period for the Habs. Cole Caufield tallied two goals and Sean Monahan scored on a short-handed chance to give Montreal a 3-0 lead after 40 minutes of play. The Blackhawks had nothing going for them at that point of the game with very little puck possession.

The third period was the best offensive attack the Blackhawks could muster-up with Tyler Johnson scoring twice to make it a 3-2 game, but time ran out on the Blackhawks. Seth Jones had a great chance to tie the game in the dying seconds, but it rang off the post and Chicago couldn’t get the puck back on net before the clock ran out.

With the loss, the Blackhawks fall to 1-2-0 on the season and have yet to score a powerplay goal through their first three games.

Greg: Penalty Kill Continues to Do It’s Job

It was hard to find a lot of positives from tonight’s game. This was one of the worst games of the Luke Richardson era. Sure, there were a lot of bad games last season, but we rarely questioned the effort. Tonight, the execution and effort were lacking at times. The team seemed disorganized, more so than at any point in Richardson’s first season. However, as bad as it was tonight, the penalty-kill continues to get the job done.

Last season, the Blackhawks surrendered four power-play goals on opening night to the Colorado Avalanche. That was just a sign of things to come as the team finished 22nd out 32 teams with a 76.2 penalty-kill rate. This season has gotten off to a much better start as they killed both penalties against Pittsburgh Penguins and all three versus the Boston Bruins.

The penalty-kill unit was on the ice for four minutes in the opening frame. Mrazek was the best penalty killer in the frame as he stopped all four shots he saw. The Blackhawks are still perfect on the season, killing off all seven power-play chances against.

Richardson has been relying on his veterans when his team is shorthanded. Seth Jones has had the most time among the defensemen. Jason Dickinson and Nick Foligno lead the forwards in shorthanded ice time. Boris Katchouk is showing us why he’s in the lineup as he’s been a key contributor to the kill. Surprisingly, Alex Vlasic is second among the defensemen for time on the penalty kill, as Richardson has shown trust in the young blueliner.

The power play is a mess right now, but at least the penalty-kill is working well. If the Blackhawks can continue to play disciplined hockey, that will go a long way in keeping the PK unit near the top of the league.

Jay: It’s Nice to Be Annoyed Again

For the first time in a couple of years, I felt myself irritated watching a Blackhawks game. Yelling at the television, muttering under my breath, rolling my eyes.

It was glorious.

Well, maybe not glorious, but it felt good to care about the outcomes of games for the first time in forever. While the Blackhawks are still in the early stages of a rebuild, we’ve left the “Tank Era” and entered the “Let’s Watch Players Get Better” era.

Tonight was the night Lukas Reichel was going to make a big impact on the top power play unit. That didn’t happen, as Reichel struggled to make any impact at all. I had selected Taylor Raddysh as my ‘Who’s Your Hawk?’ I thought he’d make the best of his opportunity to play with Connor Bedard. Nope. Not much there either.

The game was a dud top to bottom, and while I hope to never see the Blackhawks play this way again, by no means have I lost faith in “The Plan” at all. I still have full faith that Kyle Davidson has this team on the right path. I still have full faith the Lukas Reichel is a bona-fide NHL top-six forward, but man it felt cathartic to be frustrated…even a bit angry…after a loss again.

Maybe this means the Blackhawks are back.

Mario: Blackhawks Come Up Short in Measuring-Stick Game

This should have been a measuring-stick game for the Blackhawks, facing a team that should be closer to them in talent (on paper) than the opening two opponents they faced. The biggest question for the Blackhawks to answer in Game Three of this early season was whether or not this Chicago squad could replicate efforts like they did in Pittsburgh to begin the year more often than once in a blue moon.

The answer tonight was no.

In what felt like the most disjointed game the Blackhawks had played under Luke Richardson as head coach, Montreal dominated the majority of the game with an advantage in chances (66-61), shots (36-30), high-danger chances through the first two periods with a 13-6 advantage, and being able to score a short-handed goal while killing all seven Blackhawks powerplays. Just not a solid sixty-minute effort for the Blackhawks.

While their expectations this season are not to contend for much of anything, you want to see where the team can go with the youth driving the team. Tonight’s effort is a stark reminder that there’s a ton of growth to go for this team to get close to the level that the young Canadiens are at. Montreal is a team the Blackhawks should look at this season as where they want to be next season with a number of established young players beginning to take over as the established focal-points of the organization.

Two of those full-time NHLers in tonight’s contest were the brothers Foligno, with Marcus playing for the Wild and Nick playing for the Blackhawks. The two have faced each other before, but this was the first time they have each scored in such a game. Marcus and the Wild opened the scoring less than three minutes into the contest, but Nick and the Blackhawks responded with a goal coming just one second after a powerplay ended to tie it 1-1 going into the first intermission.

Mid-way through the second period, Ryan Donato made a great defensive read at the Wild blue line to breakup a pass, and Taylor Hall used a slick puck pickup to break himself away and finished the chance to make it a 2-1 game. The Blackhawks dominated the second period with a 17-6 shot advantage in the period, along with Hall’s goal, and took the 2-1 advantage into the second intermission.

For as dominant of a second period the Blackhawks had, they were worked in the third period by Minnesota, being out-shot 9-1 in the period. Pat Maroon took advantage of a Wyatt Kaiser blown tire behind the Blackhawks’ net and tied the game late in the period, and Minnesota nearly had the winner with a very late shot hitting the post but staying out. The game would head to overtime tied 2-2, but no game-winner would be found in the extra frame, so the shootout was needed. One lone goal was scored in the shootout as Mats Zuccarello tallied the game-winner, with Connor Bedard, Taylor Hall, and Lukas Reichel all failing to convert their chances.

Greg: The New Guys From Boston Lead the Way

Shortly after the draft last summer, Kyle Davidson acquired Hall and Foligno from the Boston Bruins in an effort to surround Bedard with some established veterans. Hall, a former Hart Trophy winner, was used more in a bottom-six role last season. He is going to see a jump in production this season as he will be attached to the hip of the Blackhawks’ new phenom. Foligno will play a big role this season too. He will be doing a lot of the dirty work on the ice while being a vocal leader off it. Both ex-Bruins found the back of the net for the first time in the preseason tonight.

Foligno played in all three facets of the game tonight. Less than seven minutes after watching his brother Marcus give Minnesota a 1-0 lead, Nick tied the game. The goal came one second after a Blackhawks’ power play expired.

Hall missed the net on an early first-period power play, but he made up for it in the second period. He deeked the puck around former Blackhawk Marc-Andre Fleury to finish off a breakaway and give the Blackhawks a 2-1 lead.

Foligno had a strong game. In addition to his goal, he had three shots, a blocked shot, a hit, and a takeaway, and played 2:59 on the penalty kill that went 6-for-6. Hall had four shots on goal, a hit, and a takeaway. Both of these veterans are going to play big roles during the regular season. They will have different jobs on the ice, but will both be huge leaders off of it.

Arvid Söderblom gives the Blackhawks a chance to win

With Petr Mrazek and Arvid Söderblom the only goalies left on the Blackhawks training camp roster, the position is settled, but the rotation is not. Söderblom got a chance to make his case to get the bulk of starts on Thursday, and while the game started in a less-than-ideal fashion, the 24-year-old netminder bounced back nicely, despite the shootout loss. 

Marcus Foligno (yes, Nick’s brother) and the Wild scored on their first shot of the game. Freddy Gaudreau sent a point shot through that was tipped by Foligno. Söderblom never had a chance, as he was screened by both Wyatt Kaiser and Marco Rossi. 

That trend continued throughout the first period, as the Wild sustained several long shifts in the Blackhawks zone. The Blackhawks will have to be stronger and more physical in front of their own net. This is yet another preseason coaching moment for Luke Richardson, who had to be screaming internally watching the chaos unfold.

In the second period, Söderblom, and his teammates, settled down a bit. The chaos in front was lessened, but that’s not to say Söderblom wasn’t tested. He made several in-close and difficult saves, including a point-blank save on a puck that ricocheted off of Seth Jones’ shin and on net. 

In the third period, the Blackhawks successfully killed off a 5-on-3 Wild power play, but a Wyatt Kaiser turnover led to the tying goal from Pat Maroon. In regulation, Söderblom stopped 26 of 28 Wild shots. He kept the team in the game and gave them a chance to win at the end. 

It remains to be seen how the goaltending workload will shake out, but I’d predict Söderblom leapfrogs Petr Mrazek before too long. 

Mario: Korchinksi’s confidence continues to grow

It’s pretty much a lock that Kevin Korchinski is going to start the season with the Blackhawks in the NHL. How long he stays here is the next question to be answered. But as far as the pre-training camp questions about Korchinski’s readiness for the NHL, he’s answered them all.

Prior to tonight’s game, I asked Korchinski’s defensive partner through training camp, Connor Murphy, about the 2022 seventh-overall pick and what he has seen from him in the preseason. “His skating and ability with the puck is hard to ever learn. To have that coming in right away is unique and a talent that will help him have a really long, successful career.”

Korchinski’s skating and creativity were on display tonight, with a handful of individual moves to help spring himself into the offensive zone to create chances. He notched a secondary assist on the first Blackhawks goal, 20:16 minutes of ice time, two shots on goal, and a 69.23 Shot-For% at all strengths tonight.

I’m still believing that most of his season this year will be played in Seattle with the Thunderbirds of the WHL, but the possibility of him playing most or all of his games this season in Chicago continues to grow incrementally in my eyes.

The Chicago Blackhawks got their revenge versus the Detroit Red Wings Tuesday night with a 4-2 victory. This came on the heels of a 6-1 loss to the Red Wings just 3 days prior. Corey Perry scored twice while Connor Murphy added a goal of his own for the Hawks. Connor Bedard tallied 2 assists and his FIRST GOAL, albeit on an empty-netter, to give him 5 points in 3 preseason games. Join Jay Zawaski, Mario Tirabassi and Greg Boysen as react to a triumphant Blackhawks team on the CHGO Blackhawks Live Postgame Podcast.

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Bedard is the focal-point of the Blackhawks organization this year and for many, many years to come, but his story is far from the only one worth watching. Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson iced a near-NHL caliber lineup for Game One of the preseason, so we were treated to not only our first looks at Connor Bedard, but also newcomers Taylor Hall, Ryan Donato, Corey Perry, Nick Foligno, and young guns Kevin Korchinski and Lukas Reichel playing prominent roles.

To put it lightly, this game was very preseasony. Lost edges, fumbled pucks, missed assignments, choppy ice, there was everything you’d expect in a tune-up game for most players on the ice and for a few trying to do a little too much to make an impact on their NHL clubs.

Philipp Kurashev opened the scoring for the Blackhawks in the second period with a nice forehand-backhand play after corralling a rebound off a Bedard shot. Kevin Korchinski and Bedard were credited with the assists on Kurashev’s 1-0 goal. St. Louis’ Robert Thomas tied the game mid-way through the third period and neither team was able to break the tie in regulation. In the overtime period, it was none other than Bedard coming in on a two-on-one chance with Andreas Athanasiou and the 18-year-old fed a cross-ice pass to Athanasiou who finished the play and gave the Blackhawks the 2-1 overtime win.

They are 1-0-0 in the preseason, woo!

Mario: Connor Bedard on full display

This kid is going to be special. That cannot be stressed enough. Seriously, Chicago, for as bad as the sports landscape is in the city, Bedard is the light at the end of the tunnel.

The decibel levels increased in the United Center every time he touched the puck, and for good reason. He had space and opportunities to create offense, whether by dangling through the entire Blues defense and creating his own shot or by setting up scoring chances with cross-ice feeds, Bedard is going to be a dynamic facilitator.

He finished his first game at the United Center with 21:20 minutes played (second-most on the team), two primary assists, five shots on goal, and won 62.5% of his face-offs.

Not too shabby, right? Wrong. Bedard said after the game that he felt like he didn’t play his best. The standards are rising, my frents.

While this was his first game at the United Center for the Blackhawks, it still was merely an appetizer for the regular season and for his official home debut coming on October 21.

Jay: Blackhawks Young Defensemen Learning on the Job

All of training camp, Blackhawks Head Coach Luke Richardson has expressed a willingness to let young defensemen learn on the job, and Thursday night was their first lesson. While Alex Vlasic, Wyatt Kaiser, Kevin Korchinski and Nolan Allan all had overall solid performances, there were a few moments each of them would probably want back.

Wyatt Kaiser, who seems as big of a lock to make the team as any of the kids on the blue line, looked poised and confident with the puck, but there were a few moments where he might have been overly confident. Kaiser, who was tied with Bedard for the team lead with five shots on goal, will have to learn to make the simple play to get the puck out of trouble. I counted three times where Kaiser had the chance to get the puck to safety, but he opted to make another move or two in attempt for a more perfect zone exit. Each instance led to a turnover. These are teaching moments for a young player, and if I saw them, you know Richardson already has them cued up for their next film session.

Nolan Allan, early in the game, had a turnover, but nothing fatal. There was another moment where he tried to get the puck from the right point to Connor Bedard, who was standing near the left face-off dot. It almost worked, but the pass was picked off and the Blues went the other way with the puck. In this instance, I don’t mind taking a chance to make a play, but these plays that worked in Junior will be tougher to make in the NHL.

Both of these example are nit picking. Every player in a red sweater had their moments of rust in this game. Connor Murphy and Seth Jones had some of the game’s most egregious errors, so there’s nothing to panic about. Just something to keep an eye on as these kids grow into their NHL careers.

Kevin Korchinski, unsurprisingly, was the most offensively involved Blackhawks defenseman. He took several pucks deep into the Blues zone and even rocked a shot off St. Louis goalie Joel Hofer’s mask. He seemed to have a knack for reading when and where to take his chances. He also showed great awareness after taking the puck deep in the third period. The puck moved its way back to center ice, and Korchinski turned on the jets from behind the Blues’ goal to get back to center ice to retrieve the puck. It was a solid game for Korchinski, who ended the game with an assist, three shots, and 21:10 of ice time.

Vlasic is the safest defenseman of the group and already looks like an NHL veteran. If he doesn’t make the team out of camp, I will be absolutely shocked. He’s paid his dues in Rockford and plays a safe game. He is the most NHL-ready of the group. He played 17:32 uneventful minutes, which is what the Hawks are looking for from him.

Greg: Drew Commesso Shines in Professional Debut

With all the attention given to Bedard’s United Center debut, Drew Commesso’s first taste of professional hockey was lost in the shuffle. The 21-year-old netminder relieved Petr Mrazek at the 10:15 mark of the second period. Mrazek wasn’t very busy but was perfect in stopping all eight shots he faced.

Commesso got to play with a lead right away thanks Kurashev scoring the opening goal 63 seconds after he entered the game. Two minutes later, he was tested by back-to-back shots from Zach Dean and Joseph Duszak and stopped them both. He had to be on his toes late in the middle frame when Connor Murphy blew a tire right in front of him, causing him to make an unexpected save.

During rookie camp, Commesso told us he used Andrei Vasilevskiy’s training program over the summer and focused on his lateral movements. Those movements were put to the test early in the third period when he quickly moved from his right to left to stop a one timer from Zachary Bolduc. A few moments later, Robert Thomas beat Commesso to his glove hand with a quick wrister to tie the game. It was the best shot he saw all night, and one that would have beat most goaltenders in the NHL.

For a kid playing in his first professional game, he looked calm and collected all night long. He never lost his crease and had solid positioning. He stopped 16 of the 17 shots he faced to earn the win. We are going to see a lot of Commesso with the Rockford IceHogs and you should be encouraged by what we saw at the United Center tonight.

The Blackhawks are next in action on Saturday night when they travel to take on the Minnesota Wild at 6:00 p.m. CT. The CHGO Blackhawks crew has your postgame show LIVE following the game on the CHGO Sports YouTube Channel.

Since May 8, 2023, Blackhawks fans have been waiting for their opportunity to see Connor Bedard in action with the organization. There was a sampler platter served up during the Tom Kurvers Rookie Showcase camp and games last weekend in Minnesota, but the real deal is finally here. Bedard, along with the rest of the Blackhawks hit the ice at the Fifth Third Arena on Thursday morning to open training camp, the second under the guidance of head coach Luke Richardson and general manager Kyle Davidson.

Tons of eyes will be on Bedard, the 2023 first-overall pick, when camp opens on Thursday and rightfully so. He’s the biggest set of shoulders on the ice that the future of the organization rests on. It’s not just him, but he’s the focal point. Bedard will be joined by a number of young players looking to carve their space into the Blackhawks organization like Lukas Reichel, Kevin Korchinski, Wyatt Kaiser, and Alex Vlasic to name a few. They’ll be led by a veteran core of players returning to the Blackhawks this season like Tyler Johnson, Seth Jones, and Connor Murphy, as well as long-time NHLers but new to Chicago’s locker room in Taylor Hall, Corey Perry, and Nick Foligno.

Expectations for the Blackhawks this year are still low and should still be tempered by fans. Even with Connor Bedard in the mix, this is still likely a team that will miss the playoffs and have good odds in the 2024 Draft Lottery. But at the very least, the 2023-24 season should feel much different than last year. The idea of “tanking” is not a prevalent as it was last year and the anticipated doom and gloom of the eventual departures of legends like Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews don’t loom over the organization. It will feel different. At the very least, it should be more entertaining because more matters for the club this year.

With that in mind, here are the biggest storylines the CHGO Blackhawks crew are looking forward to as training camp begins.

Enter the Connor Bedard era

Mario – There’s no denying it: Connor Bedard will be special. Yes, we should have expectations low so as to not be disappointed if he isn’t the Hart Trophy winner as a rookie and doesn’t put up 100+ points. But, the low expectations for Bedard, in my mind, are at least hitting 70-75 points and scoring 30+ goals. Even with the talent, or lack thereof, around him this season, given what we’ve seen of him as a player in the WHL with the Regina Pats and playing for Team Canada in the various junior tournaments in recent years, his ability to shoot the puck and create his own space alone gives him the ability and expectations to score at the NHL level. Bedard’s floor is higher than most of the players in the league’s ceilings are. He’s that good and I have zero doubts he’ll eventually be even better than that.

Jay – It’s become fashionable over the last, oh, say 25 years to immediately dismiss “the next big thing.” There are still people tying themselves in knots about LeBron James, who, at worst, ended up being the third-best player in NBA history after all of the warranted hype. I’m not saying Connor Bedard is going to be a top three player of all-time, but there might be a point in his career where’s he’s a top three player in the league, and guess what…you can and should be excited about that. Saturday’s Rookie Showcase game was just a glimpse into what’s to come with Bedard. Yes, he was playing against a handful of guys who may never sniff the NHL, but with the way he scored, it doesn’t really make a difference. Since before the Blackhawks won the draft lottery, we’ve heard about Bedard’s legendary shot. It was on display against the defenseless Baby Blues on Saturday, and I can’t wait to see it unleashed on NHL goalies. Remember, it’s okay to be optimistic. It’s okay to be hopeful. It’s okay to enjoy things. The Blackhawks have landed their next superstar. Sit back and enjoy while you can. If the dynasty of the 2010’s taught us anything, it’s that good things end before you even know they’re over.

Greg – All the pain last season was to put the Blackhawks in the best position to win the draft lottery and get Bedard in the organization. Now, we finally get the reward from one of the toughest seasons in franchise history. The young phenom teased us with a hat trick at the Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase. While many were quick to point out that the three goals were against other prospects, but that release is going to embarrass a lot of NHL goaltenders for the next decade plus.

Half of me wants to curb my expectations, while the other half wants to predict that Teemu Selanne’s rookie goal record is in serious jeopardy. I don’t think the pressure is going to get to this kid. Sure, there will be some growing pains and he will need to make some adjustments, but I am not worried about that. Bedard has a work ethic and a desire to be the best player possible that few players in the league possess. He is going to keep evolving and working at improving his game. At the end of the year, I think he will have 36 goals and 81 points and will start his hardware collection with the Calder Trophy.

Lukas Reichel Starting the Season at Center

Jay – I was somewhat surprised to hear how definitive Kyle Davidson was when asked if he envisioned Lukas Reichel as a center or as a winger.

“We envision him in the middle,” Davidson said. No hemming. No, “We’ll see what happens.” Reichel will get the chance to start his first full-time NHL season at center, where he played almost exclusively in Rockford.

We’ve been asked, “If they planned on him playing center, why didn’t he play there as the season ended last year?” It’s a fair question and one I’ve asked myself. If I’m thinking from the Blackhawks perspective, it might not have been ideal to throw a kid from the AHL to full-time NHL center duty right away. This way, he gets to work all offseason on face-offs and the defensive part of his game, so he can step in day one, ready to play a center’s game.

Immediately, the focus will be on how Reichel does from the face-off circle. Yes, it’s an important element of playing center, but it’s not the only thing that comes with the job. Pay closer attention to his work without the puck and in the neutral and defensive zones. The Hawks can live with a face-off percentage below 50% if he’s doing everything else correctly.

Lineup wise, Reichel’s move to center gives the Hawks much flexibility. I took a stab at the Blackhawks offensive lines, and here’s what I came up with.

Hall-Bedard-Raddysh

Kurashev-Reichel-Johnson

Foligno-Dickinson-Perry

Donato-Guttman-Athanasiou

That lineup is better and deeper than anything we saw last season. Every player on the ice is an NHL talent, and while the 2022-23 Blackhawks had Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, and Max Domi up front, there were too many AHL forwards on the bottom six. This year’s team might not be top-heavy, but it’s certainly deeper.

New Leadership Dynamics

Greg – One of the biggest things to come out of Davidson’s press conference on Tuesday was that the Blackhawks will not name a captain for the 2023-24 season. Just because there won’t be a guy wearing the ‘C’ on his sweater doesn’t mean this team won’t have a leader. In fact, they will have a huge leadership group in the locker room. Despite only one postseason appearance since 2017, this team has over 550 games of Stanely Cup Playoff experience.

There are plenty of veterans to help lead the influx of young talent coming into the NHL over the course of the season. Guys like Connor Murphy, Seth Jones, and Tyler Johnson are carryovers from last season. They were the first guys Davidson and Luke Richardson looked to when they wanted to lay the foundation for a winning culture. Throw in the additions of Taylor Hall, Corey Perry, Ryan Donato, and Nick Foligno and you have quite the impressive leadership corps, despite not having an actual captain. This group has collectively seen it all, including winning the Stanley Cup. They will be the calming force when things get intense, as well as being the guys who need to light the fire when they aren’t intense enough.

What Will Be Kevin Korchinski’s Timeline?

Mario – According to general manager Kyle Davidson on Tuesday, “everything is on the table” regarding how the Blackhawks will handle young defenseman Kevin Korchinski. He’s just 19 years old, so playing in the AHL with the Rockford IceHogs is not an option. So it’ll either be spending time in the NHL or going back to play in the WHL with the Seattle Thunderbirds. What I like about how Davidson and the organization is going to handle Korchinski is that it is going to be based on his play. If he plays well and shows that he deserves to play in the NHL, that’s where he’ll be. If not, he will go back to Seattle and take some more time to marinate in Juniors before making a full-time jump to the NHL in Chicago.

What Chicago wants to do is avoid the mistakes made with former young defensemen in Ian Mitchell, Henri Jokiharju, Adam Boqvist, etc. and not overload a young defenseman just because they have high expectations or because they were a high draft pick. The Blackhawks have nothing but time on their hands for Korchinski to become fully NHL-ready. He doesn’t have to win a Norris as a rookie and he can continue to mature his game, on and off the ice, with time in Juniors if that’s the route the team sees fit for him.

So Few Defensive Spots, So Many Options

Jay – I can’t wait to see how the Blackhawks’ defense shakes out this season. One of the spots seems like Kevin Korchinski’s to lose…partly because he’s looked really good so far, and partly because Rockford is not an option for the 19-year-old blue-liner.

Seth Jones (RD) and Connor Murphy (RD) are guaranteed spots. Jarred Tinordi (LD) seems to have a spot locked down, as well. That leaves three spots for some combination of Nikita Zaitsev (RD), Alex Vlasic (LD), Wyatt Kaiser (LD), Isaak Phillips (LD) and Filip Roos (LD).

Kaiser played exceedingly well at Rookie Camp and at the Tom Kurvers Rookie Showcase. The Blackhawks even put the ‘C’ on his jersey for Saturday’s exhibition. It should also be noted that the only players the Hawks decided to “rest” for the second Kurvers game were Bedard and Kaiser.

Meanwhile, Vlasic has played well in his NHL time over the last two seasons. Frankly, if he doesn’t make the team, I’ll be surprised. That means you have Korchinski, Kaiser, and Vlasic on the left side. Does that mean Tinordi sits for Zaitsev? Doubtful. Does that mean a rookie defenseman has to start his career on his off side? I’m not sure what sense that makes either. This is the conundrum Luke Richardson is faced with. I can’t wait to see it play out.

Expectations Between the Pipes

Greg – The Blackhawks enter their second season with Petr Mrazek as their top goaltender. Whether he remains in that spot throughout the whole season is another conversation. The veteran netminder gave us a bit of everything last season. He had a string of games where he looked great and some where he was the exact opposite of great.

And then there were the injuries. There are always injuries.

Staying on the ice has been Mrazek’s biggest challenge during his career and you are always worried that the next injury is just around the corner. Arvid Söderblom will be the backup to start the season, but the opportunity will be there to earn more starts. I see these two being handled much like Mrazek and Alex Stalock were last season when they were both healthy. Whoever is playing better will get the nod.

Söderblom has looked great in his two AHL seasons, but that has not carried over to consistent success at the NHL level. He will need to improve on his 3.45 goals-against average (GAA) and .894 save percentage (SV%) if he wants to pry more starts away from Mrazek.

Drew Commesso’s arrow is pointing up as he begins his first professional season. The Rockford net will be his and he will get the bulk of the starts with the IceHogs. However, don’t rule out Commesso making his NHL debut at some point this season. With Mrazek’s injury history, it is likely only a matter of time before a goaltender must be recalled from the AHL. The first nod may go to Jaxson Stauber, who started six games last season, but of Commesso is playing well, he may get a look too.

Year Two of Luke Richardson

Mario – When taking over the head coaching job last season, Luke Richardson was getting his first taste of being a full-time head coach in the NHL after a long playing career and several tenures as a minor league head coach and NHL assistant. There was almost universal praise for Richardson as he took the job from those who had played with him over the years and played under him at his various AHL and NHL stops. He came into a less-than-desirable situation in Chicago with a Blackhawks tram set up to lose games. But he made that difficult on Kyle Davidson’s unspoken “tank” plan as Richardson had one of the worst rosters in the NHL competing nightly and being in competitive games they usually had no business in. While that didn’t translate to wins on the record books, it was clear his coaching style and message was well-received by the locker room. He focused on keeping the X’s and O’s simple and letting the team’s work ethic and instincts take over.

Now heading into his second year behind the bench with a “generational talent” in Connor Bedard, a roster without Chicago legends in Toews and Kane, and expectations still low, how does Richardson improve on his first year with seemingly nowhere to go but up? I’m interested to see if the schematics within the team change or become a bit more dynamic with a different roster makeup and another year of his system in place. I’m also very interested to see if the players who were here last season (i.e. Connor Murphy, Seth Jones, Tyler Johnson) continue to buy-into his message and style in another season that will likely finish with significantly more losses than wins once again. Can he get this roster to compete the same way he had them last season?

Who Might Be Surprise Prospects in Camp?

Jay – The Hawks really have a log jam at forward, as I pointed out above. If my predicted lines come true, that means Colin Blackwell, MacKenzie Entwistle, Boris Katchouk and Reese Johnson, all of whom played major roles with the Hawks last season, are not on the opening night roster. It would take a huge performance for a Rockford forward to leapfrog those guys to earn a roster spot. That said, I could see Colton Dach quickly moving to the top of the Hawks call-up list. There’s a maturity to his game that, in my mind, elevates him over the Ryder Rolstons and Jayen Luypens of the world.

If the Hawks get in injury trouble, Dach could bypass one of the aforementioned forwards who spent time in the NHL last season.

Battle in the Bottom-Six

Greg – Davidson added a lot of veterans in the offseason, which is not great news for some of the guys who had cemented roster spots last season. With the likes of Perry, Donato, and Foligno in the mix there will be a couple of regular forwards we saw last year on the outside looking in. Mainly, Colin Blackwell, Boris Katchouk, Mackenzie Entwistle, and Reese Johnson are going to have to duke it out for only two spots.

Blackwell’s speed and experience on the penalty-kill may give him the advantage. If we get the Katchouk from March and April to start training camp, it will be hard to keep him out of the lineup. Things are not looking great for Johnson and Entwistle, but they will have training camp and the preseason to make their cases. Of course, whoever doesn’t make the squad on day one will likely see action as inevitable injury replacements are needed. It will be very interesting to see how this group looks on day one now that they have jobs to play for.

Embracing Nick Foligno and Corey Perry

Mario – He’s our pudwhack now. Was I as surprised as the rest of you when Corey Perry was announced as a signing by the Blackhawks? Yes. But, at the same time, you can absolutely see why he was brought into the organization. You have a player who is a former MVP-caliber NHLer, a Stanley Cup winner, and now playing on the back-nine of his career, has made a space for himself as both a leader in whatever locker room he is in and a peen to play against on the ice. Perry has 1,257 NHL games played, not counting postseason, and is bringing that experience and leadership into a locker room that is going to be younger and more inexperienced than last season. He’ll be able to be a guide to those younger players, without taking up too much air within the room, and be able to play a pest and protective role on the ice. Perry is a player that 31 other teams hate to play against and 31 other fanbases love to cheer against. He has his history against the Blackhawks, but I have a feeling a lot of that will subside very quickly within the United Center this season.

As for Nick Foligno, I have yet to come across someone with a bad thing to say about him as a player and person. Much like Perry, Foligno is a leader and veteran who is coming into this younger Blackhawks locker room and providing a mentorship role without being THE GUY in the room. Both he and Perry are no longer going to be looked at as point on-ice producers like they used to be in their careers, but don’t be surprised if they both factor in a couple of pinball points by being guys who will go to the front of the net and get bounces and rebounds to go their way. Both are players who will stick up for teammates, go to the rough areas of the ice, and be players who can create some space for their linemates. Along with Perry, I’ll be shocked if Foligno isn’t a player who Blackhawks fans, even in a short-term basis, don’t fall in love with.

The Chicago Blackhawks are heading to St. Paul for this weekend’s Tom Kurver’s Prospect Showcase, but not before hitting the ice for a brief practice on Friday. Jay Zawaski and Mario Tirabassi report what they say, finish tour Mailbag Monday questions, and give some interested Connor Bedard and Blackhawks odds.

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Kessel is a living legend in the sport of hockey. His enigmatic personality, along with his top-tier talent level, have made him a folk hero to hockey fans of all walks of life from big guys to lazy guys to funny guys to DGAF guys, Phil is just the man. On top of his personality, Kessel has a legitimate argument for being a Hockey Hall of Famer with 1,286 games played, 413 goals, 992 points, being a three-time Stanley Cup Champion, and the active NHL Ironman streak holder with 1,064-straight games played.

He’s also still a free agent after being a part of the Vegas Golden Knights this past season, lifting his third Stanley Cup.

But lifting the Cup this past June came with some pride-swallowing by Kessel after he was benched in the first round of the postseason by Vegas and failed to get back into the lineup before the end of the postseason. He put up 14 goals and 36 points in a full 82-game season with Vegas, and turning 36-years-old prior to the beginning of the 2023-24 regular season doesn’t scream “prime Phil Kessel” any longer. And although he’s turning 36 soon, it helps him in a way because he’s eligible to sign a one-year minimum contract with bonuses. So for teams potentially up against the salary cap, Kessel could be a very cheap option.

The Ironman streak lives because it only counts regular season games played, not postseason, but that is not something that Kessel wants to keep teams from being interested in signing him. Recently, Sportnet’s Eliotte Friedman reported that Kessel has made it clear to teams that being an every day player and continuing his Ironman streak is not a priority to him when it comes to playing in the NHL for the 2023-24 season, which he has expressed multiple times is his goal.

This is where the Blackhawks come in and actually make a ton of sense for Kessel.

Coming into the organization on a one-year, minimum deal, or even on a PTO coming into camp and then signing once the season begins, gives the Blackhawks virtually nothing lost in their cap space and gives Kessel an incredible roster opportunity to play a significant role on a team that won’t be pushing him out of the lineup anytime soon. Kessel could easily play a regular role for the Blackhawks in their top-nine forwards group and play a role off the ice for a team that is likely to not be any good again this season. Yes, having Connor Bedard makes things better and more interesting, but this Blackhawks squad is still going to pick in the top ten of the NHL Draft next summer. His demeanor could be a benefit to the dressing room when things aren’t going well, much like Alex Stalock did last season. Players love to play with him, and even more so, they just simply love to be around him.

Sure, Kessel isn’t signing up to be the court jester for a lousy team, but if he plays well on a very flippable and affordable one-year deal with the Blackhawks, come trade deadline time, he becomes an option for teams looking for another piece to their puzzle as contenders.

Kessel would get the opportunity to play more games in Chicago than likely anywhere else in the league and gets a chance to play with young up-and-coming players like Connor Bedard and Lukas Reichel, to potentially give him a youthful boost in what would be his 18th NHL season.

For the Blackhawks, you get another marketable player for a team that is going to have exponentially more eyes on it than last year’s squad. You have a player fans will gravitate towards, even if only for two-thirds of the season, that will take just a little bit more of the pressure and attention every day off of Bedard. Plus, if they are interested in selling milestones, Kessel is eclipse 1,300 NHL games played, you have the active Ironman streak for however long it lasts, and he is eight points away from 1,000 in his NHL career. If a player like Colin Blackwell or Joey Anderson or Reese Johnson or Boris Katchouk are sitting because Kessel is playing his way into the lineup and remaining there, so be it. There are more “Kessel” Blackhawks sweaters to be sold and potential draft capital on the table for Phil than any of those bottom of the roster players.

And for those that fear Kessel would take ice-time away from a young developing player, he has already expressed that staying in the lineup as an every day player is not a priority and there really isn’t a young forward here, yet, that shouldn’t be in the lineup that Kessel would/could block. Bedard, Reichel, Kurashev are all lineup locks with or without Phil around.

It makes too much sense to me and we haven’t even considered the food sponsorships and endorsement opportunities that would be brought Kessel’s way, another selling-point for him on coming to Chicago. At the very least, extending a PTO opportunity for Kessel would be very much appreciated by this Blackhawks fan.

With the rumors that the NHL would be participating again in the olympics in 2026 swirling, and the “plan” for the World Cup of Hockey to return as an in-season tournament in 2025, it got me thinking about who could play in that tournament and which Blackhawks, if any, would be representing their countries? But why wait for a hypothetical 2025 or 2026 roster? Let’s live in the here and now.

How would the rosters look, right now, if the World Cup of Hockey were to return this September?

For this exercise, I’m implementing two rules:
1) The 2016 “Nations” (USA, Canada, Russia, Sweden, Finland, Czechia, Team Europe, and Team North America) return
2) 25-player rosters to allow for expanded representation and roster rotation

Previous: Team Europe, Team North America, Team Czechia, Team Finland, Team Russia, Team Sweden, Team Canada

Finally, we have reached the main attraction: Team USA.

WHO DO YOU PLAY FOR?!

For how much disappointment there has been for the Men’s best-on-best tournaments for the United States in their last two iterations, finishing fourth at the 2014 Winter Olympics and losing in the quarterfinals of the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, this squad feels like it is too freaking stacked to fail to place at this hypothetical 2023 edition of the tournament. In 2016, the goal was to build a team to beat Canada. In doing so, the U.S. forgot that they needed to build a team to win a short tournament format, not just one team. Hence the early exit. There is star power and depth in all areas of Team USA’s roster and damnit if they shouldn’t be the odds-on favorite in this exercise.

Forwards

Jason Robertson – Auston Matthews(A) – Matthew Tkachuk(C)

Johnny Gaudreau – Dylan Larkin – Brady Tkachuk

Clayton Keller – Tage Thompson – Kyle Connor

Alex DeBrincat – Joe Pavelski – Jack Eichel

Alex Tuch – Jake Guentzel

Speed, scorers, flash, grit, dawgs. The U.S. forwards group has everything you need to win high-octane hockey games. Much like the Canadians and the Swedes, there will be star players in the NHL playing more depth roles that they are not used to doing, but they have the abilities to do. In Chicago, we saw Alex DeBrincat evolve his defensive game and play on the penalty-kill. No reason he couldn’t be a 40-goal scorer that can also play defensively in a fourth-line role for this short-style tournament. You have Mr. American hockey in Joe Pavelski right next to him too, so that helps as a guiding factor to players who are stars playing more selfless roles (cough* Jake Eichel *cough).

Clayton Keller absolutely deserves to be a key player in this lineup because if he were not playing for the Coyotes, he would be a household hockey name that everyone would know. All this before acknowledging that Auston Matthews and Matthew Tkachuk get to play together on a top-line that also is complemented by Jason Robertson, so choose who you want to try and stop, opposition, and be wrong with every choice you make.

Gah, this team would be sick!

Defense

Quinn Hughes – Adam Fox

Jaccob Slavin(A) – Charlie McAvoy

Zach Werenski – John Carlson

Jacob Trouba – Noah Hanifin

Alongside the Canadians, this is the best defensive group in the tournament. Norris Trophy winner Adam Fox and probable future-Norris Trophy winner Quinn Hughes make the top-pair for the American blue-line. Hughes, who could technically qualify for the U-23 Team North America, deserves the promotion to the full Team USA experience, and the Americans absolutely need him, frankly. Behind them, oh just two No. 1-caliber defensemen that could play a shutdown role with Carolina’s Jaccob Slavin and Boston’s Charlie McAvoy. Behind them on the American third-pair, oh just another pair of No. 1-caliber defensemen in Washington’s John Carlson and Columbus’ Zach Werenski.

Honestly, each of these three pairs could rotate as top, middle, and bottom pair and I wouldn’t be worried at all about minutes distribution or responsibility at all.

Goalies

Connor Hellebuyck

Jake Oettinger

Jeremy Swayman

There’s some debate who could or should be the No. 2 and No. 3 goalies on the American roster, but there is absolutely no debate who the top goalie is. Connor Hellebuyck is the guy for Team USA until he is not. He finally gets his chance to backstop the U.S. in a best-on-best format and I think, because of how the United States and Canada matchup, he’s the difference-maker when it comes to who should be the favorite in the tournament. Forget everything I said at the end of my piece yesterday talking about Team Canada. Their goaltending is going to cost them the tournament and it will be Hellebuyck and the Americans taking advantage of that weak spot in their lineup!

U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!

Last Cuts

Patrick Kane, J.T. Miller, Justin Faulk

It hurts to not have Patrick Kane on this roster, it really does. He was originally on it as an extra forward on the first draft, but after considering that even with this being a hypothetical situation, his injury recovery and lack of being on an NHL team at the time this tournament would take place made me reconsider and eventually take him off the roster. Sorry, Patrick.

Again, as I said just a minute ago in the goaltending portion, the forwards and defensive groups are as stacked as the Canadians and the difference comes in net. That’s where this U.S. roster goes above the Canadians for me as the favorites. Am I biased by my birthplace? Sure. But I still think most objective-thinking hockey fans could and would see the same thing in the two rosters. When you compare those two nations, and then add in the Swedish, Russian, and Finnish teams as well in the “Big Five” group, Team USA should still be looked at as the slim-favorite in the whole hypothetical World Cup of Hockey.

Now if only these rosters could actually play each other…We continue to wait.

With the rumors that the NHL would be participating again in the olympics in 2026 swirling, and the “plan” for the World Cup of Hockey to return as an in-season tournament in 2025, it got me thinking about who could play in that tournament and which Blackhawks, if any, would be representing their countries? But why wait for a hypothetical 2025 or 2026 roster? Let’s live in the here and now.

How would the rosters look, right now, if the World Cup of Hockey were to return this September?

For this exercise, I’m implementing two rules:
1) The 2016 “Nations” (USA, Canada, Russia, Sweden, Finland, Czechia, Team Europe, and Team North America) return
2) 25-player rosters to allow for expanded representation and roster rotation

Previous: Team Europe, Team North America, Team Czechia, Team Finland, Team Russia, Team Sweden

The defending champion Canadians could very well be looked at as favorites to repeat again as World Cup of Hockey champs in this hypothetical tournament with the amount of talent they could put together in their 22 skaters. The tricky part comes with their three goaltenders, but we’ll get to that part soon. Still, this iteration of a Men’s best-on-best Team Canada finally gets to see Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid playing on the same team representing the Great White North, a sight we were robbed of seeing for the first time when the NHL pulled out of the 2022 Winter Olympics. With how much we (I) have hyped up the six teams already put together in this tournament with how well they could do in the elimination rounds, is any of it enough to top this Canada team?

Forwards

Nathan MacKinnon – Connor McDavid(C) – Mitch Marner

Steven Stamkos – Brayden Point – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins

Zach Hyman – Sidney Crosby(A) – Brad Marchand

Jonathan Huberdeau – Bo Horvat – Mark Stone

John Tavares – Mat Barzal

Who do you want to win games for you, Canada? Crosby? McDavid? MacKinnon? Marner? Seriously, take your pick. There’s an incredible amount of talent for the Canadians, so much that the “B” team that Canada could field could still legitimately be considered true contenders to repeat as World Cup of Hockey champions. I’m not sure if there are many shocking omissions from this roster, you tell me, but I will say that I made it a point to put Zach Hyman on this roster because I feel like he is one of the most underrated and under-appreciated two-way forwards in the NHL and could (would) play an under-the-radar “x-factor” role for this Canadian team. So much so that maybe this hypothetical World Cup of Hockey would be a reintroduction for Hyman to the broader NHL fanbase.

Defense

Shea Theodore – Cale Makar(A)

Devon Toews – Alex Piertrangelo

MacKenzie Weegar – Josh Morrissey

Brandon Montour – Dougie Hamilton

You have your defensive do-it-all with Cale Makar for the Canadians, and then everyone else can do a little bit of everything and can play any kind of offensive or defensive role you need. Let Makar do his thing, and then everyone else fall in line. The Canadian defensive group is great and probably the most well-rounded in the tournament. Yes, I left out Drew Doughty out of spite.

Goalies

Carter Hart

Darcy Kuemper

Marc-Andre Fleury

Yeeesh. Hey, remember all the great things I was saying about the forwards and defensive groups for Canada? How about the opposite for their goaltending group. It’s not good. It might be one of the worst in the tournament. Canada, as a nation, has not produced a goaltending prospect that has lived up to the hype in a long time. You don’t have Carey Price anymore and Marc-André Fleury is well-past his prime days. Carter Hart is their best option if you ask me and he’s coming off the last two seasons in the NHL where he posted .907 and .905 save-percentages for the Flyers. If you’re looking for a hole in the Canadian armo(u)r, here it is.

Last Cuts

Darnell Nurse, Thomas Chabot, Jordan Kyrou, Jordan Binnington

I also left out Jordan Bennington out of spite.

If the Canadians could get average goaltending, they’re going to be just fine and likely have their ticket punched to the semifinals at least, likely even all the way to a spot in the World Cup of Hockey final again. The star-power is off the charts with McDavid, Crosby, Makar, and MacKinnon all on the same squad, not to mention Stamkos, Marner, Marchand and the like. I’m hesitant to call them the clear-cut favorites because of what their goaltending could cost them, but if I had one single dollar to place on this hypothetical tournament, I’m thinking it goes on the Canadians. Have to make that bet with my head and not my Red, White, and Blue heart.

With the rumors that the NHL would be participating again in the olympics in 2026 swirling, and the “plan” for the World Cup of Hockey to return as an in-season tournament in 2025, it got me thinking about who could play in that tournament and which Blackhawks, if any, would be representing their countries? But why wait for a hypothetical 2025 or 2026 roster? Let’s live in the here and now.

How would the rosters look, right now, if the World Cup of Hockey were to return this September?

For this exercise, I’m implementing two rules:
1) The 2016 “Nations” (USA, Canada, Russia, Sweden, Finland, Czechia, Team Europe, and Team North America) return
2) 25-player rosters to allow for expanded representation and roster rotation

Previous: Team Europe, Team North America, Team Czechia, Team Finland, Team Russia

First of all, I LOVE the Swedish colors for their uniform setups. The blue and yellow matchup so well and I love that they use both as primary colors for their home and away sets, instead of using a white sweater setup. Imagine if the Blackhawks had the red home setup and then the all black setup for away games? Sexy. Anyways, I’m getting side-tracked.

While the other Nordic representative nation of Finland had unassuming and underrated talent, their counterpart in Team Sweden has a well-known and stacked roster to take into this hypothetical World Cup of Hockey. You could probably make a second roster of players that wouldn’t be taken by the Swedes and that team could probably make it out of the group stage.

Forwards

Filip Forsberg – Elias Pettersson – William Nylander 

Jesper Bratt – Mika Zibanejad(A) – Adrian Kempe

Lucas Raymond – Elias Lindholm – William Karlsson

Andre Burakovsky – Joel Eriksson Ek – Viktor Arvidsson

Mikael Backlund – Niklas Backstrom

Two-way forwards, playmakers, play-drivers, and scorers all over the board for the Swedish forwards group. Almost every player could play a top-line role or a bottom-six role and you’d be happy with it. The roster flexibility and matchup capabilities of the Swedish forwards makes them an elite group. I almost put Lucas Raymond on the top-line for this exercise with William Nylander and Elias Pettersson because that would be appointment television, but I stuck with Filip Forsberg on seniority. There’s a ton of speed and creativity up-front in this group that I’d like to think they could win their group on the forward talent alone, but luckily their defensive group is solid enough that they wouldn’t have to.

Defense

Victor Hedman(A) – Erik Karlsson(C)

Rasmus Dahlin – Rasmus Andersson

Hampus Lindholm – Mattias Ekholm

Jonas Brodin – John Klingberg

Two of the top ten defensemen in the NHL right now being paired together as your top blue-line pair is never a bad thing. With Hedman and Karlsson, two Norris Trophy winners, the Swedes boast one of the best top-pairs in the tournament and a versatile attack with Karlsson being the offensive dynamo and Hedman being able to be the defensively-responsible player who could also jump into the attack whenever he wanted to. Beyond those two, you have four solid defenders headlined by another potential future- Norris Trophy winner in Rasmus Dahlin. You know things are good with your defensive group when you can confidently scratch Jonas Brodin and John Klingberg.

Goalies

Linus Ullmark

Filip Gustavsson

Jacob Markstrom 

It’s not great, but it’s definitely not bad for Team Sweden in net. Linus Ullmark is the reigning Vezina Trophy winner coming into this hypothetical World Cup of Hockey tournament, but he was playing behind a historically great Boston Bruins team last season. Still, winning the Vezina is not done by mistake. I think Ullmark is the best option for Sweden as their starter and, like playing with the Bruins last season, the guys in front of him are capable of pulling their weight and then some when it comes to helping their goaltender out. This would be the first time since 2004 that a Swedish team, in a best-on-best format, would not have Henrik Lundqvist as their top option in net.

Last Cuts

Leo Carlsson, Rikard Rakell, Gustav Forsling

I really like Sweden’s chances in this tournament. I feel like I’ve said that for almost every team in this exercise, but I truly mean it with this group. If Ullmark is solid in net, I fail to find a way where Sweden can’t be looked at as a legitimate tournament favorite right along with Canada and the U.S. If I were to poke a hole in the Swedish team, it would be that their forwards group almost has too many options to mix-up the lines and combinations and there would be a difficulty finding a rhythm. But that’s up to the coach to figure out. I’m just the hypothetical GM of all these rosters.

With the rumors that the NHL would be participating again in the olympics in 2026 swirling, and the “plan” for the World Cup of Hockey to return as an in-season tournament in 2025, it got me thinking about who could play in that tournament and which Blackhawks, if any, would be representing their countries? But why wait for a hypothetical 2025 or 2026 roster? Let’s live in the here and now.

How would the rosters look, right now, if the World Cup of Hockey were to return this September?

For this exercise, I’m implementing two rules:
1) The 2016 “Nations” (USA, Canada, Russia, Sweden, Finland, Czechia, Team Europe, and Team North America) return
2) 25-player rosters to allow for expanded representation and roster rotation

Previous teams: Team Europe, Team North America, Team Czechia, Team Finland

Throw the political concerns out the window for one minute. This Team Russia squad deserves a shot to be put together in this hypothetical tournament. Like I said, all eight “nations” are coming back from the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, and I’m not forcing the Russian players to play under the “O.A.R.” banner, even though we all like a good Crazy Game Of Poker. Plus, what good are international competitions without a little politicalization behind them, right? The 1980 Miracle On Ice wouldn’t have been as impactful had that U.S. team just beat Finland and Sweden. They had to take down the Soviets. It takes everything to another level as spectators.

Forwards

Alex Ovechkin(C) – Evgeny Kuznetsov – Kirill Kaprizov

Artemi Panarin – Evgeni Malkin(A) – Nikita Kucherov

Andrei Kuzmenko – Ivan Barbashev – Andrei Svechnikov

Nikita Gusev – Pavel Buchnevich – Vladimir Tarasenko

Matvei Michkov – Valeri Nichushkin

There is so much talent here. It’s crazy, when you take into consideration the geo-political climate of the world and the fact that the NHL has not sent their players to the last two Winter Olympics, the Russian’s have been robbed of some amazingly stacked teams.

Well, maybe I shouldn’t get too far ahead of myself since this hypothetical 2023 World Cup of Hockey roster for Russia actually has six members of the 2018 Olympic Gold Medal team on it again. Even still, Russian hockey has a ton of star power. Albeit aging stars. They’re still anchored by Ovechkin and Malkin, but they are paired with a young star in Kaprizov and more high-end talent in Kucherov and Panarin. The bottom-six will have largely have to play different roles than they are normally accosted to in their NHL lives, but most great players on highly talented teams in these kinds of tournaments have to deal with that.

Defense

Mikhail Sergachyov – Ivan Provorov(A)

Dmitry Orlov – Alexander Romanov

Vladislav Gavrikov – Artem Zub

Alexander Nikishin – Nikita Zadorov

Here’s where the talent-gap shows up for the Russian side. Sort of in the same vein of the Finnish team, the Russian defense is “fine” but it’s not likely going to be the “x-factor” that pushes them over the top in this tournament. There’s a stud top-pair player in Sergachyov, but beyond that it’s NHL guys who would all be just OK options as second and third-pair defenders. The Russians might be able to get away with this average defensive group though, considering the talent in the forwards group and the trio of goaltenders behind them.

Goalies

Andrei Vasilevskiy

Igor Shesterkin

Ilya Sorokin

I mean…holy crap. Literally, take your pick and you’re not wrong here. Each player could play a game in the group stage, and the Russians would have no worries about who it was. Now, naming a starter through the elimination round, should they go that far, would be a difficult task. If it were me, by the slimmest of margins, I’m still betting on Vasilevskiy being the best of the three.

Last Cuts

Alexander Radulov, Kirill Marchenko, Ilya Mikheyev

I really like the Russian chances in this hypothetical World Cup of Hockey. Like, really like their chances. If I were trying to put underdog odds on a team beyond Canada and the U.S., it might be on this Russian team. While the defense is just alright, that forwards group and the goalies are enough to make most believers. The biggest weakness I could see being an issue in this tournament for Team Russia would be the G.A.F. meter. But, I’d think with their first opportunity to represent Mother Russia in a best-on-best format, this squad would pull together a spirited effort.

With the rumors that the NHL would be participating again in the olympics in 2026 swirling, and the “plan” for the World Cup of Hockey to return as an in-season tournament in 2025, it got me thinking about who could play in that tournament and which Blackhawks, if any, would be representing their countries? But why wait for a hypothetical 2025 or 2026 roster? Let’s live in the here and now.

How would the rosters look, right now, if the World Cup of Hockey were to return this September?

For this exercise, I’m implementing two rules:
1) The 2016 “Nations” (USA, Canada, Russia, Sweden, Finland, Czechia, Team Europe, and Team North America) return
2) 25-player rosters to allow for expanded representation and roster rotation

Previous teams: Team Europe, Team North America, Team Czechia

If there is anything to be said about the state of Finnish hockey is that it is so good at being unassumingly so good. There’s a ton of underrated star power on this hypothetical Finnish squad that I fail to find a hole in the roster that would be a weak spot in this tournament. Then again, I’m biased because I created the roster, but even still the Fins have a legitimate shot at not only making noise beyond the group stage at this made up World Cup of Hockey, but at reaching the final.

Forwards

Teuvo Teräväinen – Aleksander Barkov(C) – Mikko Rantanen

Artturi Lehkonen – Sebastian Aho(A) – Patrik Laine

Erik Haula – Roope Hintz – Eeli Tolvanen

Mikael Granlund – Anton Lundell – Matias Maccelli

Kasperi Kapanen – Jesse Puljujärvi

Again, not a hole to be found in the forwards group. Mikko Rantanen had a real case to be made as a Hart Trophy candidate last season with the Colorado Avalanche and the slew of injuries they had to deal with. Rantanen was the go-to guy for long periods of the year for the Avalanche and he met every expectation along the way to a 55-goal, 105-point season. He’s the biggest scoring threat in this Finnish group up front that also boasts the universally underrated Aleksander Barkov at the top of the lineup and a solid separation of responsibility between the top and bottom-six forwards group.

Defense

Miro Heiskanen(A) – Henri Jokiharju 

Esa Lindell – Rasmus Ristolainen

Olli Määttä – Jani Hakanpää

Juuso Välimäki – Niko Mikkola

So it might not be the best defensive group in the tournament, but the Finnish blue-line is no slouch itself. Anchored by former Blackhawks defenseman Henri Jokiharju and future-Norris Trophy winner Miro Heiskanen (he’ll get at least one before his prime is over, trust me). Jokiharju has turned into a fine top-four option in the NHL with the Buffalo Sabres and Heiskanen is, again, an underrated stud defenseman in Dallas. Another former Blackhawks defenseman helps fill out the starting group of six with Olli Määttä in a trip-pair role. The second-pair of Esa Lindell and Rasmus Ristolainen gives me a bit of pause, but they’re “fine” together.

Goalies

Juuse Saros

Antti Raanta

Joonas Korpisalo

You could make a case that one could just “take your pick” out of these three goaltending options for the Finnish squad, but to me the clear front-runner as starter is Nashville’s Juuse Saros. He’s a top-end NHL netminder that is the benchmark in the league currently for “undersized” goalies to emulate to break the stigma that you have to be a six-foot-six giant to be a successful goalie. Former Blackhawks goalie Anntti Rant also gets to suit up for hypothetical Team Finland and get a front-row seat to Saros.

Last Cuts

Urho Vaakanainen, Joel Armia, Ville Husso

Finland has a solid squad in this hypothetical 2023 World Cup of Hockey. They have top NHL talent that all can be trusted to role-play in a best-on-best format. If Finland can have each player do their job and nothing more, you’d be talking about a well-oiled machine of a team that would “shock” people with a run deep in the tournament. Their only weakness would be if their workhorses like Barkov, Rantanen, or Heiskanen fall short of expectations.

With the rumors that the NHL would be participating again in the olympics in 2026 swirling, and the “plan” for the World Cup of Hockey to return as an in-season tournament in 2025, it got me thinking about who could play in that tournament and which Blackhawks, if any, would be representing their countries? But why wait for a hypothetical 2025 or 2026 roster? Let’s live in the here and now.

How would the rosters look, right now, if the World Cup of Hockey were to return this September?

For this exercise, I’m implementing two rules:
1) The 2016 “Nations” (USA, Canada, Russia, Sweden, Finland, Czechia, Team Europe, and Team North America) return
2) 25-player rosters to allow for expanded representation and roster rotation

Previous teams: Team Europe, Team North America

In the world of international hockey, there has been a steady growth in the competitiveness of every country outside of the United States and Canada. While the gape between those countries and the rest of the world isn’t as wide in the Men’s game as it is in the Women’s game, the gap is becoming more narrow on both fronts. Where the Men’s game has a “big five” in Canada, the U.S., Russia, Sweden, and Finland, there have been major strides coming from countries like Slovakia, Germany, Latvia, and Czechia to open the door to a wider-range of competition. There’s a lot to like about this hypothetical 2023 edition of Team Czechia for the World Cup of Hockey with a few returning names from the 2016 roster.

Forwards

Pavel Zacha – Thomas Hertl(A) – David Pastrňák(C)

Ondřej Palát(A) – Martin Nečas – Dominik Kubalík 

Filip Zadina – Filip Chytil – Jakub Vrána

David Kämpf – Radek Faksa – Tomas Nosek

Martin Kaut – Ondrej Kase

I think this top to bottom forwards group is very well-balanced. You have a lot of scoring power in the top-six with guys like Pastrňák, Hertl, Nečas, and Kubalík (on his good days), and then you pair that with a bottom-six that has scoring options in Zadina and Vrána mixed with depth defensively responsible players like Faksa and Kämpf. I think there’s very few holes that opposition could poke into this Team Czechia forwards group, and that’s good news for this team because the offensive forwards core is going to have to carry them in this World Cup of Hockey tournament.

Defense

Filip Hronek – Jan Rutta

Radko Gudas – Radim Simek

David Jiříček – Jakub Zbořil

Stanislav Svozil – Libor Hájek

Yeeesh. Not the best crop of defensemen to choose from for this hypothetical 2023 Team Czechia. Hronek is a very underrated NHL top-four defenseman who has experience eating a lot of minutes and tough responsibilities from his time playing with the Red Wings before being moved to the Canucks this past season. Rutta, a former Blackhawk, is past his best days in the NHL when he was playing a more prominent role on Cup-winning Tampa Bay teams, but is still serviceable in the NHL and, sort of by default, makes him a top-pair option for Czechia. There’s a lot to like in youngsters like Jiříček and Svozil, but that’s reaching for this defensive group.

Goalies

Vitek Vaněček

Pavel Francouz

Karel Vejmelka

Again, not the cream of the crop in NHL talent for Team Czechia in net. Some very good backup-quality NHL netminders here, with Vaněček feeling like the most reliable to me. This could be a spin the wheel each game and see who you land on kind of situation for the Czechs, and really no option would be wrong. They’re just isn’t one that is great.

Last Cuts

Lukas Sedlak, Jakub Lauko, Petr Mrázek

This is a roster for the Czechs that could score well in this hypothetical 2023 World Cup of Hockey tournament and provide some highlights, but stopping the opposition and stopping the puck could prove to be their downfall. Not sure how they still would stack-up against the likes of a Team Canada or Team USA, but this could also be a team that is one hot goaltending run away from making noise beyond a group stage setting, which they did not advance beyond in the 2016 tournament.

The tournament in 2016 was the revival of the World Cup of Hockey that was previously played in 1996 and in 2004, and took place right before NHL teams began training camp ahead of the 2016-17 season. It was the last time a tournament like it has been played for the men’s game with the NHL not participating in the 2018 or 2022 Winter Olympics. For far too long, we as hockey fans have been robbed of seeing these players play for something incredibly meaningful in a best-on-best setting and the players have been barred from representing their countries in meaningful ways.

With the rumors that the NHL would be participating again in the olympics in 2026 swirling, and the “plan” for the World Cup of Hockey to return as an in-season tournament in 2025, it got me thinking about who could play in that tournament and which Blackhawks, if any, would be representing their countries? But why wait for a hypothetical 2025 or 2026 roster? Let’s live in the here and now.

How would the rosters look, right now, if the World Cup of Hockey were to return this September?

For this exercise, I’m implementing two rules:
1) The 2016 “Nations” (USA, Canada, Russia, Sweden, Finland, Czechia, Team Europe, and Team North America) return
2) 25-player rosters to allow for expanded representation and roster rotation

Previous teams: Team Europe

Ah yes, the dream lives on that the best Under-23 players in North America get to have their own space to play the best of the rest in the world in this next hypothetical edition of the World Cup of Hockey. In 2016, hockey fans got to see Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews play on a team together with the likes of Nathan MacKinnon, Jack Eichel, Aaron Ekblad, and many others. In 2023, a handful of the last No. 1 overall draft picks get to play together on a squad that could once again make serious noise in this style of tournament.

Forwards

Trevor Zegras – Jack Hughes(C) – Cole Caufield(A)

Adam Fantilli – Matty Beniers – Connor Bedard(A)

Matt Boldy – Dylan Cozens – Dawson Mercer

Barrett Hayton – Mason McTavish – Wyatt Johnston

Logan Cooley – Kent Johnson

I had to wipe my laptop keep board after typing out this lineup from all the drool coming out of my mouth thinking about the absolutely insane amount of skill and creativity this forwards group could have. Get your mind out of the gutter!

The top line of Zegras, Hughes, and Caufield are all top performers from the U.S. Development Program and have become young studs in the NHL already. Plus, the trio seem to be best buddies if you look at all the time they spend together from their Instagram accounts. Then on the second-line you have the latest Calder Trophy winner and two of the top three picks in the 2023 NHL draft with Bedard and Fantilli. It’s an insane forwards group that would be must-see hockey TV.

Defense

K’Andre Miller – Noah Dobson

Owen Power – Bowen Byram

Jake Sanderson – Luke Hughes

Cam York – Braden Schneider

I love this group, too. There’s a ton of balance in the group with guys who can play effectively at both ends. There’s not a huge need for the defensive group to play big offensive roles, but players like Byram, Hughes, and Hutson could drive offense from the blue-line if they wanted to. But with the forwards group put together, focusing on the defensive part of the game would be the bigger need from this group.

**NOTE: I left out Quinn Hughes because he is going to turn 24 years old just days after the NHL regular season begins. Plus, you’ll see Quinn Hughes later this week.

Goalies

Dustin Wolf

Devon Levi

Drew Commesso

Now here’s a big question-mark for this group. The three D’s of Dustin, Devon, and Drew are all young up-and-coming goaltenders with a ton of promise to their games, but none have had big opportunities to prove it at the NHL level yet. If I were to pick a starter out of these three, I’m going with the guy who has done the most at the professional level in Dustin Wolf. He’s a two-time AHL goaltender of the year award winner at the ripe-old age of 22. This could be the make or break for Team North America in the 2023 edition of the World Cup of Hockey.

**NOTE: I left out Spencer Knight because of his current up-in-the air status in the NHL while being in the Player Assistance Program.

Last Cuts

Cole Sillinger, Alexis Lafrenière, Quinton Byfield

Of course the age difference and relative inexperience when it comes to playing against top professional-level competition comes into play with Team North America here. But like the 2016 edition of the team, I’d be shocked if this hypothetical 2023 World Cup of Hockey edition didn’t make a run outside of the group stage and deep into the knockout round. Seeing Connor Bedard playing alongside guys like Zegras, Caufield, the Hughes brothers, and Boldy would be awesome to see before he eventually gets to dominate against them once everyone involved graduates to playing for Team USA and Team Canada respectfully.

The tournament in 2016 was the revival of the World Cup of Hockey that was previously played in 1996 and in 2004, and took place right before NHL teams began training camp ahead of the 2016-17 season. It was the last time a tournament like it has been played for the men’s game with the NHL not participating in the 2018 or 2022 Winter Olympics. For far too long, we as hockey fans have been robbed of seeing these players play for something incredibly meaningful in a best-on-best setting and the players have been barred from representing their countries in meaningful ways.

With the rumors that the NHL would be participating again in the olympics in 2026 swirling, and the “plan” for the World Cup of Hockey to return as an in-season tournament in 2025, it got me thinking about who could play in that tournament and which Blackhawks, if any, would be representing their countries? But why wait for a hypothetical 2025 or 2026 roster? Let’s live in the here and now.

How would the rosters look, right now, if the World Cup of Hockey were to return this September?

For this exercise, I’m implementing two rules:
1) The 2016 “Nations” (USA, Canada, Russia, Sweden, Finland, Czechia, Team Europe, and Team North America) return
2) 25-player rosters to allow for expanded representation and roster rotation

After finishing as runner-ups in 2016 to Team Canada, the conglomerate of Team Europe returns looking to “shock the hockey world” again and maybe finish what its predecessor started seven years ago. There’s a good amount of players from that 2016 roster still around now seven years later.

Forwards

Tim Stützle – Leon Draisaitl(A) – Timo Meier

Mats Zuccarello – Anže Kopitar(C) – Nino Niederreiter

Kevin Fiala – Nico Hischier – Oliver Bjorkstrand

Nikolaj Ehlers – Yegor Sharangovich – Daniel Sprong

Lukas Reichel – Tomáš Tatar

You’re going to have a hard time finding a better trio of centers in this hypothetical World Cup of Hockey than what Team Europe could put together. Yes, in international tournaments it’s not uncommon for centers to play win because most of the best players on teams are centers, but Team Europe’s depth at wing is good enough that the top three centers on the team don’t need to load up on a top line. Draisatil, Kopitar, and Hischier provide an incredible two-way trio down the middle with skilled guys like Stützle, Meier, and Fiala having play-making and scoring abilities to drive the offense. And yes, I do have Lukas Reichel here because he’s one of the best German players on the planet right now.

Defense

Roman Josi(A) – Moritz Seider

J.J. Moser – Jonas Siegenthaler

Erik Černák – Martin Fehérváry

Tim Berni – Šimon Nemec

Speaking of some of the best German players on the planet, Team Europe’s defense is likely going to have to rely heavily on a top-pairing of Norris Trophy winner Roman Josi and star-in-the-making Moritz Seider. Beyond those two, this is maybe one of the weakest defensive groups in this hypothetical World Cup of Hockey. I could be convinced that Šimon Nemec is better than a “fourth-pair” option, but that doesn’t help this core all that much in the grand scheme of things.

Goalies

Philipp Grubauer

Frederik Andersen

Elvis Merzļikins

All three of these goalies, when healthy, are very, very good goaltenders. Luckily for Team Europe, the World Cup of Hockey isn’t much longer than two weeks long. Take your pick for a starter as the difference between these guys isn’t that wide of a gap, but if it were up to me, I’m going with Grubauer to begin.

Last Cuts

Lars Eller, Juraj Slafkovsky, John-Jason Peterka

I love the forward group of Team Europe, but I don’t think this group has the depth defensively or the trustworthy starter in net that could see them get out of the group stage in another edition of the World Cup of Hockey in 2023. Then again, they weren’t given much of a chance in 2016 and made it to the Final against Team Canada, so who knows in this kind of tournament. My next job for Team Europe is redesigning a better logo for them.

Preseason tickets hit the market on Monday morning as well, and with them comes a Hispanic Heritage Night on Tuesday, October 3 when the Blackhawks host the Red Wings.

The Blackhawks home opener will once again be a Red Carpet Event and the first 15,000 fans who are 21 or older will receive a rally towel courtesy of Modelo. Apologies to Connor Bedard, he will have to wait another three years to get his rally towel.

From the team’s official press release, here are the remaining highlights of the promotional schedule:

• Blackhawks will host the Best Day Ever* series across five Saturday and Sunday afternoon starts (Nov. 26 vs. St. Louis Blues, Jan. 7 vs. Calgary Flames, Feb. 17 vs. Ottawa Senators, Mar. 10 vs. Arizona Coyotes and Apr. 7 vs. Minnesota Wild)
  * The ‘Best Day Ever’ game series marks a celebration for Blackhawks fans of all ages with a strong focus on youth and the future of hockey, both on and off the ice. With entertainment for our next generation of fans at the forefront of this series of games, the team looks forward to building their love of hockey for years to come.
• Home for the Holidays (Dec. 5 vs. Nashville Predators, Dec. 7 vs. Anaheim Ducks, Dec. 9 vs. St. Louis Blues, Dec. 10 vs. Washington Capitals*, Dec. 17 vs. Vancouver Canucks, Dec. 19 vs. Colorado Avalanche, Dec. 22 vs. Montreal Canadiens and Dec. 27 vs. Winnipeg Jets)
  * Blackhawks will also honor and celebrate their community’s first responders during a pregame police vs. fire hockey game with a special ticket offer to be announced.
• Extended two-part St. Patrick’s Day weekend celebration (Mar. 15 vs. Los Angeles Kings and Mar. 17 vs. San Jose Sharks)
• Native American Heritage Night (Nov. 5 vs. New Jersey Devils)
• Military Appreciation (Nov. 16 vs. Tampa Bay Lighting)
• Hockey Fights Cancer presented by CIBC (Nov. 19 vs. Buffalo Sabres)
• Black History Month celebration (Feb. 13 vs. Vancouver Canucks)
• Pride Night presented by BMO (Mar. 26 vs. Calgary Flames)
• Fan Appreciation Night presented by American Express (Apr. 14 vs. Carolina Hurricanes)

As always, after every game, no matter what promotional night it might be, you’ll hear from us on the CHGO Blackhawks Podcast this year and we cannot wait. This season needs to get here now!

Chicago Blackhawks Chairman Rocky Wirtz died today at the age of 70. The CHGO Blackhawks crew reacts to the sudden passing of Chicago Blackhawks Chairman Rocky Wirtz and what legacy he leaves behind with the Blackhawks and hockey community at-large.

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What is the prospect pyramid, you may ask? It’s a simple solution to these lists that is not original to me, but I’m stealing it from Toronto Maple Leafs blogger/YouTuber/Fanatic Steve “Dangle” Glynn, who has ranked Maple Leafs prospects using the pyramid system for years. Instead of listing players, the pyramid system allows you to group players into different sections of the pyramid, with the very top of the rankings being the smallest but usually where you find the most-rare talent.

Eligibility 

Since this is my prospect pyramid, I can make up who is and who is not eligible to be considered a prospect. I have two simple disqualifiers: Players with over 90 NHL games played or older than 23 on October 10, 2023, the start of the 2023-24 NHL season. So here are the 43 players we are looking at in the Chicago Blackhawks prospect system.

Forwards (27): 
Connor Bedard
Milton Oscarson
Marcel Marcel
Frank Nazar
Ryan Greene
Samuel Savoie
Paul Ludwinski
Landon Slaggert
Riku Tohila
Nick Lardis
Oliver Moore
Alex Pharand
Liam Gorman
Nils Juntorp
Dominic James
Michal Teply
Roman Kantserov
Jiří Felcman
Colton Dach
Martin Mišiak
Jalen Luypen
Aidan Thompson
Gavin Hayes
Lukas Reichel
Ryder Rolston
Antti Saarela
Victor Stjernborg
Ilya Safanov

Defensemen (13):
Sam Rinzel
Kevin Korchinski
Isaak Phillips
Janne Peltonen
Slava Demin
Nolan Allan
Ethan Del Mastro
Connor Kelley
Wyatt Kaiser
Taige Harding
Louis Crevier
Michael Krutil
Alex Vlasic

Goalies (3):
Drew Commesso
Dominic Basse
Adam Gajan

From last year’s edition to this year’s edition, 13 names are missing, with six aged-out players, Jaxson Stauber, Arvid Söderblom, Cole Guttman, Mike Hardman, Filip Roos, and Artur Kayumov. Players that were either traded or unsigned by the Blackhawks include Josiah Slavin, Evan Barratt, Ian Mitchell, Alec Regula, Jake Wise, Jakub Galvas, and Nicolas Beaudin. Of these 13 guys, Söderblom is still sort of a prospect but will be a full-time NHLer this season at the age of 24, and the same can be said for Guttman.

Breakdown

Here’s how the Blackhawks prospect pyramid will be broken-down heading into the 2023-24 season and what each tier of the pyramid means. 

Level One: Special Prospect/Franchise Player

This is a player that you look at and have zero doubts about their ability to be that top-line/top-pairing superstar player—someone who you build an entire franchise around. 

Examples: Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby

Level Two: Quality Prospect/Long-time NHL Player

This is a player who may not be that “future Hall of Fame” type player, but someone who is going to be around for a long time and will have a big impact on your team. These are players that no successful franchise is without.

Examples: Patrick Sharp, Niklas Hjalmarsson, Tony Amonte, Brian Campbell

Level Three: Good Prospect/Complimentary Player

These players don’t jump off the page as someone who will drive your team, but they make those small, timely impacts that can make good teams great.

Examples: Andrew Shaw, Bryan Bickell, Dave Bolland, Johnny Oduya

Level Four: Average Prospect/Depth Player

This prospect level is good for players with high expectations, but we don’t know much about them. Like if they have played in Europe or have had injury issues, for example. Players whose NHL aspirations may or may not pan out.

Level Five: Everyone Else

As the title says, this is where everyone else lands. Usually, these are prospects and players with unlikely futures in the NHL or have not yet shown enough in their Junior careers to be excited about. These are just “guys.”

Now that we all understand each other, let’s get into the 2023-24 Chicago Blackhawks prospect pyramid!

Level One: Special Prospect/Franchise Player

Connor Bedard

Connor Bedard and Connor Bedard only.

This tier, in previous years in which I worked on Blackhawks prospect pyramids, has included the likes of Kirby Dach and Adam Boqvist. I’ve learned my lessons.

This tier is only for players who have that special, undoubted “it” factor that players like Bedard, Auston Matthews, Connor McDavid, etc. possess. I was wrong about Dach and Boqvist previously, but that was on my own ambition for what those players could have become. Bedard is different.

Recently, The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn wrote that the addition of Bedard to the Blackhawks’ 2023-24 roster would have made them one of the top-five most improved teams of the offseason. Bedard wasn’t added to the list, but Luszczyszyn said that Bedard alone would have accounted for a +12 goal differential by himself on the Blackhawks, with the highest improvement of the offseason being the Dallas Stars, who collectively added a +15.7 goal-differential as a team with ALL of their offseason moves combined.

No one has to convince you or me of his capabilities; he’s shown it many times over. He’s going to be special.

Level Two: Quality Prospect/Long-time NHL Player

Lukas Reichel, Frank Nazar, Kevin Korchinski, Alex Vlasic, Drew Commesso, Oliver Moore

Only one name was added from last year’s list to this year: Oliver Moore. But no names have dropped from the tier, which is a good thing. Each player that was in this tier last year is still developing their game at a pace to be part of the future core of the Blackhawks, and hopefully, all contribute to the rise and sustained Stanley Cup contention window in Chicago.

Lukas Reichel will be a full-time NHL player in 2023-24, and rightfully so. He achieved above and beyond expectations in two seasons in the AHL with the Rockford IceHogs, and his second tour of NHL games last season was a vast improvement over his first taste of the league. Is he a center? Is he a wing? Is he a top-line option or more suited for the second-line? All questions will have an opportunity to be answered this season, as Reichel should get every opportunity in the world to solidify his spot with the Blackhawks.

Kevin Korchinski still looks to be every part of the future top-pair defenseman he is billed to be. Whether or not he gets to showcase some of those abilities in the NHL this season is still up for debate, but there’s no doubt he’ll get some time in the NHL with the Blackhawks this season. He’ll likely play again for Team Canada at the World Junior Championships, and 2024-25 looks lined up to be the year Korchinksi gets his chance to break out as a prospect.

Frank Nazar has all the makings of a player who could take over the hockey world in Chicago. He’s got the look, the personality, and the skill set to be an immediate fan favorite. He missed nearly all of his freshman season at Michigan but returned at less than 100% at the end of the year and showed flashes of the skills that made him a top-15 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. He’ll have an entire season with the Wolverines in 2023-24, and his role will be elevated into the top-six group with Adam Fantilli leaving the Michigan lineup. If he hits all the benchmarks in his development, Nazar should be a borderline top-line forward in the NHL.

I kept Alex Vlasic up here because I still believe he holds all the tools to be not only a solid defenseman in the NHL but one that makes a lasting impact with the Blackhawks. He has the size and skating ability to hang in the NHL for a long time, and his defensive length and skills with the puck on his stick are improving. He spent most of the season in the AHL last year and his improvements from the end of the NHL season in 2022 to the end of the NHL season in 2023 showed. He’ll look to continue to build on those improvements, as he should be a full-time NHL defenseman this year in Chicago.

The newest addition to the pyramid and the highest-landing 2023 draft prospect, Oliver Moore, has a ton of potential and a ton of speed to burn. After essentially falling into Kyle Davidson’s lap at the 2023 draft at pick No. 19, Moore’s standing with the Blackhawks is high. He will attend the University of Minnesota and probably plays two seasons in college before he and we are contemplating his NHL future. He’s ranked by The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler as the No. 17 best-drafted NHL prospect in the league, and he was picked at No. 19 this year. For a player that was supposed to go in the first 10-to-12 picks of the draft in a loaded draft class, it’s feasible to think that Moore would have easily gone top-ten or even top-five in last year’s draft class. He was the fourth offensive option for Team USA in the NTDP this year behind players like Will Smith, Gabe Perreault, and Ryan Leonard, and he has the potential to be the No. 4 offensive option for the Blackhawks in the future behind guys like Bedard, Reichel, and Nazar. Or maybe he eclipses those guys? Who knows.

He’ll be making his professional hockey debut this season, but I’d be shocked if Drew Commesso doesn’t also make his Chicago Blackhawks debut at some point this year. He’s coming out of a very successful three-year college career at Boston University and represented the United States on three different occasions before ever playing a professional hockey game with his stints at the World Junior Championships, World Championships, and the 2022 Winter Olympics. On a recent episode of the CHGO Blackhawks podcast, we were asked who we thought would be the starting goalie on the next Stanley Cup-contending Blackhawks team. We all said Commesso. Now we wait to see if we are right.

Level Three: Good Prospect/Complimentary Player

Landon Slaggert, Colton Dach, Jalen Luypen, Paul Ludwinski, Ryan Greene, Dominic James, Isaak Phillips, Wyatt Kaiser, Ethan Del Mastro, Nolan Allan, Sam Rinzel, Adam Gajan, Ilya Safonov, Gavin Hayes, Martin Mišiak, Samuel Savoie

So while the “Prospect Pyramid” isn’t a perfect pyramid shape as they usually get fatter in the middle than at the top and bottom, the structure still makes sense. Plus, any good prospect system is filled in the middle with players who will be good players, and some may surprise you and become great.

This Blackhawks prospect group has a number of these players that, in my mind, have that “good” tier in their future but also have that capability in their games to be great and jump up a tier in the future. Some of those players include Ethan Del Mastro, Nolan Allan, Sam Rinzel, Ryan Greene, and Colton Dach. These are all players that look to be in that mix of “how good can they actually be?”

Rinzel and Greene are still a few seasons away from professional hockey. Still, Del Mastro, Allan, and Dach will all make their professional debuts this season with the Rockford IceHogs in the AHL. Like Commesso in the tier above them, I’d be surprised if we go the entire 82-game NHL season without seeing one, two, or all three players make their NHL debuts.

Not to be forgotten in this group are standout defensemen Wyatt Kaiser and Isaak Phillips, who both have a shot at making the NHL roster out of training camp this year. If they don’t, the top pairing in Rockford will be very productive in the AHL this season.

Level Four: Average Prospect/Depth Player

Aidan Thompson, Victor Stjernborg, Antti Saarela, Taige Harding, Ryder Rolston, Michal Teply, Marcel Marcel, Nick Lardis

There is still a good amount of potential in this grouping, but they have much to prove as young players to be more than just spot players in the NHL or to fill lower roles on future Blackhawks teams. That’s not to say none of them can move up the pyramid tiers or become more productive players in the NHL down the line, but right now, they just seem to fit that billing of one rung above being “just a guy” in the system.

Three players that will have my eyes on them a lot this upcoming season are Ryder Rolston, Victor Stjernborg, and Antti Saarela.

Rolston is coming out of a fruitful three-year college career at Notre Dame that was cut short last season due to a broken collarbone. The NHL pedigree is there for Rolston, the son of former NHLer Brian Rolston. He has the size and shooting ability to make it in the professional ranks; I just wonder about his skating and if his total package of skills is enough to break through the AHL and get to that consistent NHL standard. He’ll make his professional debut with the IceHogs this year and should get a regular role in their lineup all season.

Saarela is one of those prospects that I feel kept getting buried in the shuffle. Being in Europe can do that, and putting up pedestrian numbers in Europe will do that to a prospect. He is the younger brother of former Blackhawks legend Aleksi Saarela, but he has an opportunity to grow in the Blackhawks’ system that his brother didn’t take advantage of. He’s played in the Finnish Liiga the past five seasons, playing in 190 games and tallying 73 points in professional hockey before he turned 22 in June. Now he’ll likely transition to North American hockey with the IceHogs and see where his development is after being a fourth-round pick in 2019.

Finally, there might not be a younger and more decorated European prospect in the Blackhawks’ system than Victor Stjernborg. Already at the age of 20, Stjernborg is a two-time SHL champion with Växjö Lakers in Sweden, took home a Bronze Medal at the 2022 World Junior Championships, and Captained Team Sweden to a fourth-place finish in the 2023 World Junior Championships. As a teenager, he has already played 87 professional games in the SHL, with another 30 games of SHL playoff experience. Last season on his way to his second SHL championship, Stjernborg tallied seven points in 18 playoff games. He’ll again be with Växjö this season, and hopefully, more from the hard-working, speedy forward is to come before he potentially makes his jump to North America in 2024-25.

The remaining eligible prospects fall into the final tier, where basically everyone else lands. Not to say that these prospects don’t have a chance to turn into serviceable players at the professional ranks, but it’s currently hard to see a path for them to the NHL with the Blackhawks. For right now, at least.

Many of the European players fall in the bottom tier because of how hard it is to translate their young European careers to the North American standards at this stage in the game, and many of the recently drafted players in the 2023 class fall here because, again, it’s hard to quantify exactly what the Blackhawks have in these prospects yet before we get a chance to dig into their draft+1 seasons.

Hopefully, this has solved all the problems of ranking and evaluating the Blackhawks’ organizational depth chart. I’m sure no one will have any problems with where any of these prospects were placed in my prospect pyramid. But that’s the beauty of all of this. It’s my pyramid. If you want to do your own pyramid, by all means, go ahead. It’s fun. Especially now that the Blackhawks’ prospect system is filled with more assured talent and less “squint hard enough,” and maybe there’s a good player or two.

Next month, Marian Hossa is playing in a farewell in his native Slovakia, and the Chicago Blackhawks and NHL stars on the list are numerous. We’ll give an update on the roster, plead with potential sponsors to send us to Slovakia for the event, then update the latest on the unified women’s hockey league with Anne Tokarski.

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Quite the Birthday present, indeed.

There was never a question if Bedard and the Blackhawks would get to an entry-level deal (don’t listen to the internet sometimes) they just needed to wait until he was 18 to sign professionally.

The Blackhawks made Bedard the top-overall selection in the 2023 NHL Draft last month in Nashville, having a No. 98 Blackhawks sweater ready for him to wear on the Draft stage in Nashville. He’s repeatedly talked about his excitement to join the organization, and despite him so humbly saying he is just hoping to make the team out of camp this summer, he’ll be taking the first face-off of the season for the Blackhawks when they open the year at the Pittsburgh Penguins. He’ll be face-to-face with one of his hockey idols: Sidney Crosby.

There’s a ton ahead of Bedard in his hockey career and also a ton of expectations. Rookie of the Year, MVP, Stanley Cups, etc. they are already being tied to Bedard’s name and legacy and he hasn’t even stepped on the ice yet as an official member of the Blackhawks. But with the amount of expectations on him, the now 18-year-old Bedard seems more mature than your typical teenager and so centrally focused on playing hockey to the best of his ability, that the “outside noise” as so many professional athletes call it, seems to have little-to-no chance of bothering him. Bedard said multiple times during Blackhawks development camp earlier this month how he is just a “normal guy” and wanting to be a part of the locker room, not the sole focal point of the team.

It will be hard to not see Bedard that way, the face of the franchise and the focal-point to it’s hopeful turnaround back to contention, but Bedard will be leading a budding cast of Blackhawks future players that will also shoulder the weight of expectations on them and the franchise. For now, Bedard is officially officially a Chicago Blackhawk. A moment fans have been wishing and waiting for for what feels like two years.

A highly-skilled, smooth-skating, sizable defenseman with elite offensive ability, the temptation to play Korchinski right away was there. But Blackhawks General Manager Kyle Davidson’s plans for the organization and the prospects has been to be patient. After a strong showing in prospect camp, training camp, and the preseason ahead of the 2022-23 NHL season, Davidson had no issue with sending Korchinski back to the WHL to play top-pair minutes with the Seattle Thunderbirds.

He excelled, to say the least.

Korchinksi finished his 2022-23 season as a WHL Champion, a World Juniors Gold Medalist, a nominee for the WHL Defenseman of the Year Award, and was named to the CHL All-Star Third Team. He tallied 73 points in 54 WHL games last season and added 14 points in 19 postseason games. He did everything he was supposed to do.

So what more can he accomplish or does he have to prove at the Junior level?

During his first media availability of the 2023 Blackhawks Prospect Camp, head coach Luke Richardson addressed the possibility for the 19-year-old to make the opening night NHL roster.

Richardson is a full believer in playing time based on merit, not any other ancillary reasons. If Korchinksi is in fact going to be an 82-game NHL player, he’s going to have to prove it hundreds of times over and won’t be handed anything. A number of pundits and local media have Korchinski penciled-in for the opening night roster already, but opening night roster and 82 NHL games are two different things.

He has the tools, but how sharp are they right now?

If ever there was a season where the Blackhawks could throw ideas at the wall, so to speak, and see what sticks for the organization, this is the year to do it. Is Lukas Reichel an NHL center? Is Connor Bedard an NHL center? Is Avid Söderblom more than an NHL backup? Is Kevin Korchinski NHL-ready? This is the year to do it.

I’m not fully convinced he plays more than the nine-game limit allowed before burning the first-year of his NHL entry-level contract. But if the organization believes he is ready, who am I to question that decision right now, given the on-ice track record of Richardson and Davidson?

We profiled Oliver Moore earlier this month as part of our run-up to the NHL Draft. With the Blackhawks putting so much emphasis on players’ skating abilities, it’s no surprise that they used their second selection in the first round on one of, if not, the best skater in the draft class.

Moore put up 39 goals 100 points in 84 combined games this season with the USNTDP and helped Team USA win a U18 World Junior Championship Gold Medal, posting four goals and nine points in the tournament. He is headed to the University of Minnesota next season and will be teammates with another Blackhawks first-round pick, Sam Rinzel.

The moment Blackhawks fans have been waiting for since May 8, and really since the idea of “tanking” began in the early winter of 2021, has come as generational talent and top prospect in the 2023 Draft Class Connor Bedard is officially a Chicago Blackhawk.

Bedard shattered records at the World Junior Championships and put up points production in his draft year that nearly matched Connor McDavid’s. His arrival represents a shortcut back to respectability and contention for the Blackhawks organization and instantly becomes the face of the next era of hockey in Chicago.

The Blackhawks have nearly $40M in salary cap space and have to reach the salary cap floor ahead of the 2023-24 season and this move helps accomplish that. Hall has two years left on his current deal with a $6M AAV. On Tuesday following the trade, the Blackhawks officially signed Foligno to a one-year, $4M AAV deal for the 2023-24 season. With both moves, the Blackhawks are just a few million short of the floor with contracts still assumed to be added for Connor Bedard and Philipp Kurashev, among other potential free agent moves.

“We are thrilled to be adding players of Nick’s and Taylor’s caliber to our organization,” said Blackhawks General Manager Kyle Davidson in the team press release. “The two bring a wealth of experience and leadership that will strengthen not only our forward group, but aid in the development of our entire roster.”

Defensemen Ian Mitchell and Alec Regula both are players who were in danger of being leap-frogged in the organizational depth chart with the influx of young defensemen joining the professional ranks.

Hall, 31, is a former first-overall pick by the Edmonton Oilers and played the past two and a half seasons with the Boston Bruins. In the past two years, Hall recorded 97 points in 142 games and has 693 points in 822 career games. Foligno, 35, also spent the last two seasons with the Bruins and has tallied 39 points in 124 games. The former Columbus Blue Jackets captain has 525 career points in 1,081 games.

Today we profile high-motor Danish centerman Oscar Fisker Mølgaard.

Oscar Fisker Mølgaard Measurables

Position: Center
Height: 6’0”
Weight: 165

Rankings

The Athletic (Scott Wheeler): #39
Flo Hockey (Chris Peters): #46
NHL Central Scouting: #18 EU Skaters
Elite Prospects: #28

Quotables

“Mølgaard plays a driven, hard-working game that blends above-average skill with strong skating to push tempo, get after it, and make quick plays and decisions with the puck. His skill isn’t flashy but he plays to positive results, drives results, and projects as an everyday centre.” – Scott Wheeler, The Athletic

“The fact that a 2005-born played more than 40 games against some of the best competition in Europe is nothing to sneeze at. He was excellent against U-20 competition, and, honestly, the smart, controlled center could end up becoming one of the biggest steals of the draft given his pro-ready tools.” – Steven Ellis, Daily Faceoff

“You’ll never miss Mølgaard on the ice, that’s for sure. He plays with pace and is on pucks in a hurry. His ability to hunt pucks could carry him a long way. On top of that, he has the offensive ability to make some plays and finish chances. He appeared in 41 SHL games this season as a U18 player and didn’t look out of place because his motor is always running.” – Chris Peters, Flo Hockey

Video Highlights

Why Oscar Fisker Mølgaard fits the Blackhawks

If there is a forward in this draft class that fits the mold for GM Kyle Davidson and head coach Luke Richardson more than Oscar Fisker Mølgaard, I dare you to find them. The more I watch and read about his game, the more I want the Blackhawks to use one of their second round picks on the Danish centerman. Already having played more than half a season at the professional ranks in the SHL as a 17-year-old, the motor to Mølgaard’s game and his ability to read and react at both ends of the ice make him an intriguing player that could make the jump to the North American professional ranks faster than his potential future Blackhawks prospect peers.

Having players like Connor Bedard, Frank Nazar, and Lukas Reichel is fun and sexy when they reach their NHL-potentials, but a contending Blackhawks team is going to need forwards with the skillset of a player exactly like Mølgaard. There is a lot of Dave Bolland and Philip Danault that comes to mind when watching a player like him.

Today we’re looking water-bug, future Wisconsin Badgers forward William Whitelaw.

William Whitelaw Measurables

Position: Center/Right Wing
Height: 5’9″
Weight: 175

Rankings

The Athletic (Scott Wheeler): #57
Flo Hockey (Chris Peters): #76
NHL Central Scouting: #42 NA Skaters
Elite Prospects: #48

Quotables

“Whitelaw is an undersized skilled winger who plays a water-bug game and does everything he can to put opposing players on their heels. Whitelaw is excellent at corralling the long flip pass through the neutral zone, tracking the puck over his shoulder and creating separation like an NFL wide receiver. Whitelaw has a wicked quick release and gets to the net front as well as anyone in the draft class despite his size. He needs to engage on the defensive end of the ice a bit more, but he should have time to develop that side of his game as he is heading to the University of Wisconsin, where he will get time to get physically stronger and round out his game.” – Tony Ferrari, The Hockey News

“I’ve had people tell me they think he’s turning into a bit of a star, but I just haven’t been wowed in my viewings. He’s a good, talented player without question. He’s a competitive guy too who fights his way from battle to battle and one skill play to the next. He can make plays in transition or make something happen out of nothing inside the offensive zone through a combination of will and skill. I just haven’t seen him really take over games as much as I’d like, though.” – Scott Wheeler, The Athletic

“With outstanding hands and an ability to fool defenders with his high-end skill, Whitelaw is one of the truly gifted puck handlers in this draft. He put up big points in the USHL, was even better in the playoffs and added more bite to his game. Still, he does not have a big frame and at points can play too individualistic to have success at the professional level which is why there’s a fair amount of risk tied to him.” – Chris Peters, Flo Hockey

“I’m not a Whitelaw guy. He’s selfish. There’s a reason he was left off the World Junior-A challenge team. It has nothing to do with his hockey abilities. He thinks I am better than all of you guys. My teammates suck. Add in that he’s small. Not a fun guy to put your name on the line with. What’s funny is he is a legit goal scorer. Legit release. Very talented offensive player and goal scorer.” – NHL Scout, May 2023 (via Elite Prospects Draft Guide)

Video Highlights

Why William Whitelaw fits with the Blackhawks

The Chicago Blackhawks have four picks in the second round of this year’s NHL Draft, with two more in the third round. If they want to bolster the depth of their forward group in the prospect system, they’ll have plenty of opportunity to do so and the flexibility to find a player like William Whitelaw with one of those picks. Whitelaw is hard to pin-down in the draft rankings with some draft analysts having him as high as the late-20’s and some ranking him in the late-70’s. All over the board.

Whitelaw’s game is one that could evolve into a perfect fit in a third-line role in the NHL. His tendency to try to go one-on-one with opponents will likely decrease as he makes the jump from the USHL to the NCAA next season and he’ll get ample playing opportunities as a highly-touted incoming freshman to a rebuilding Wisconsin Badgers program. His competitiveness and penchant to battle in the corners and at the front of the net, despite being barely bigger than Alex DeBrincat, makes him an player that the Blackhawks could easily fit into the budding hard-work, north-south play of the organization under GM Kyle Davidson and head coach Luke Richardson.

Today we’re looking at high-motor Swedish forward Otto Stenberg.

Otto Stenberg Measurables

Position: Center/Wing
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 180

Rankings

The Athletic (Scott Wheeler): #29
Flo Hockey (Chris Peters): #22
NHL Central Scouting: #6 EU Skaters
Elite Prospects: #36

Quotables

“There is a lot to like about Stenberg’s game. He is a strong skater with good hands who can be a threat in transition. His shot is excellent, and Stenberg is often a threat to score from the faceoff dots, although I don’t know if that will be his role on an NHL power play. Stenberg isn’t the biggest forward, but he gives an honest effort every night and doesn’t shy from going into traffic. His hockey sense is good enough to score at higher levels, but he’s certainly more of a shooter than a passer.” – Corey Pronman, The Athletic

“Scouts are completely mixed here. The highs are high. The lows are low. He looked out of place in the SHL but was excellent against kids his own age. The raw talent is there, especially as a 200-foot threat that can be dangerous around both nets. His biggest asset might be his play-reads.” – Steven Ellis, Daily Faceoff

“There’s a legitimate drive to Stenberg. He pressures opposing defenses, has good enough puck skills to make defenders miss and can drive play. His last on-ice impression could not have been better as he put up 16 points in seven games for Sweden as they won silver at the World Men’s Under-18 Championship. The question is simply if the top end of his game is something he can repeat night in and night out, because there’s no question he has tools that can make him an impactful forward.” – Chris Peters, Flo Hockey

“There have been times where he looks like he’s trying a little too hard to impress and make things happen instead of allowing the game to come to him, but even when things aren’t going his way and the points aren’t falling, I’ve always liked his involvement level, so it’s hard to get too down on him. He’s a smooth skater. He’s got smooth hands. He’s patient under pressure and can find his way out of trouble weaving and swerving through holes or away from sticks. He’s quick side-to-side on little jumps and drags. And he likes to try to take D one-on-one, which can result in some high-end plays but also some turnovers…He’s a first-round talent who passes the eye test, and I think it’s only a matter of time until he starts to produce more consistently. I don’t think anyone who is familiar with his game would be surprised if he became a contributing top-nine forward at the NHL level someday.” – Scott Wheeler, The Athletic

Video Highlights

Why Otto Stenberg fits with the Blackhawks

A player who can skate, shoot, create plays, and bring a high-energy drive at high levels is hard to come by. Otto Stenberg checks all of those boxes as an averaged-sized forward in this year’s draft class. At one point this season, he was considered the second-best prospect coming out of Sweden behind only presumed top-five pick Leo Carlsson. Stenberg’s play at the top level in the SHL as a draft-eligible player was less-than stellar compared to what Carlsson was able to do, but Stenberg’s U18 World Championships performance and his 11 goals and 26 points in 29 games in the U20 SHL league with Frölunda are enough to prove that he is one of the top performers amongst his peers.

When the Blackhawks want to be contending again for Stanley Cups, they’re going to need players who are versatile and can play multiple ways to find success. Stenberg is one of those players. He can score and setup teammates at a high level, play on both ends of special teams, and brings an energy-level to his game that few in this draft class match. All traits of a player that Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson wants. His biggest detractor has been his ability to do all of those things every night. Most players at this age are going to have inconsistencies in their game and it shouldn’t be enough to make Stenberg fall out of the first round. If you gaze into the crystal ball and look at a potential future lineup for the Blackhawks with the likes of Nazar, Bedard, and Reichel in the mix, it could be very conceivable to see Stenberg playing in a top-nine role much like a Kris Versteeg of successful Blackhawks team in the past.

Today we’re looking at versatile defenseman Oliver Bonk.

Oliver Bonk Measurables

Position: Defense
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 180

Rankings

The Athletic (Scott Wheeler): #41
Flo Hockey (Chris Peters): #26
NHL Central Scouting: #20 NA Skaters
Elite Prospects: #56

Quotables

“Bonk was an important player on a strong London team this year, which isn’t always the case for defencemen his age under the Hunter brothers with the Knights, and speaks to the maturity of his game. He’s a pro-built defenceman who plays a firm game, possesses good overall skill, has solid edgework and directional changes, and escapes pressure well. He influences the game through his effectiveness and the consistency of his habits. He just looks like he’s going to be a solid two-way pro defenceman, though I would contend he has a high floor and a relatively low ceiling.” – Scott Wheeler, The Athletic

“A true two-way defenseman, Oliver Bonk will quickly become appealing to teams. Outside Reinbacher and Simashev, the latter of whom has the KHL contract question, there isn’t another defenseman in this draft who has NHL size, mobility, puck-moving ability and can make stops other than Bonk. He’s not sexy, won’t put up big offensive totals or run guys over, but has all the makings of a second-pair defenseman.” – Corey Pronman, The Athletic

“A true two-way defenseman who can produce points and pester opposing forwards in the defensive zone, Bonk’s versatility is his best asset. He skates well enough, has good enough size and is a right-shot. His offensive skillset may not portend to a high level of production at the NHL level, but his ability to take care of his own end, engage physically and break up plays to get pucks up ice is certainly attractive.” – Chris Peters, Flo Hockey

Video Highlights

Why Oliver Bonk fits the Chicago Blackhawks

It’s not always the sexiest picks that make or break future NHL lineups. You need to have the players that can fly under the radar, play important roles, and be okay being the unsung hero at times. Projecting lineups of future contending teams, Oliver Bonk could be that exact type of player. He’s a jack-of-all trades, master of none type of defenseman who can skate at a high level, is efficient in his own end and can produce offensively to a point where he may never win a Norris Trophy, but he could win-over 32 NHL teams.

The future of the Blackhawks blue-line has a great outlook with a number of young players who fit specific roles really well. Ethan Del Mastro, Isaak Phillips, and Nolan Allan play effective as physical, shutdown-style defensemen. Kevin Korchinski and Sam Rinzel project to be high-end offensive producers. But there’s not a lot of players who can cover all the bases well enough. If they are looking for someone to play on the powerplay, play on the penalty-kill, jump into the rush offensively, play physical, be effective in their own zone, and eat significant minutes, they could find one player to do all of that in Bonk, rather than splitting the duties amongst two or three defensemen.

Today we’re looking at smooth-skating defensive prospect Beau Akey.

Beau Key Measurables

Position: Defense
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 175

Rankings

The Athletic (Scott Wheeler): #61
Flo Hockey (Chris Peters): #61
NHL Central Scouting: #33 NA Skaters
Elite Prospects: #32

Quotables

“Akey is a beautiful, flowing skater with plus-level mobility in all four directions. He can transition pucks up ice, join in transition, walk the line, and fall back onto his heels and edges whenever he needs to. I like him defending the rush, where he uses his feet and stick to manage gaps and steer opposing carriers. I like the way he sees the ice and joins the offence. He can run a power play and likes to make himself available as a shot option at five-on-five.” – Scott Wheeler, The Athletic

“While most eyes have been on Brandt Clarke in Barrie this year, it’s hard to ignore Akey jumping up 30 points this year. He does an excellent job of rushing the puck down the ice from his own zone and he panic-passes the puck far less these days.” – Steven Ellis, Daily Faceoff

“One of the better skaters among defensemen in this draft, Akey has a good foundation with his footwork. He competes well and can contribute offensively as he had 47 points in 66 games with Barrie this season. Defensively, he still needs work, but the skating tool is such that a team would be very excited to get the chance to work with him and help him round out his game.” – Chris Peters, Flo Hockey

Video Highlights

Why Beau Akey fits the Chicago Blackhawks

One of the most important aspects of a draft prospect that the Chicago Blackhawks have repeatedly said that they value under GM Kyle Davidson is skating. If you cannot skate at a high enough level, you’re not going to be a Chicago Blackhawk. Defenseman Beau Akey shouldn’t have to worry about that as he is regarded as one of the best skating defensemen in the 2023 NHL Draft Class. While he lacks “elite” size as a defenseman, he’s not small and he doesn’t play small. Using his footwork to his advantage allows him to close gaps without having to rely on being physical. He vision, skating, and decision-making in the offensive end allow for him to create plays off the rush.

The Blackhawks have a good amount of sizable defensemen coming up the prospect system with Alex Vlasic, Isaak Phillips, Alec Regula, Ethan Del Mastro, and Nolan Allan to name a few. They also have Kevin Korchinski and Sam Rinzel coming up too, who both measure-in at desirable size and have the offensive upside that made them first-round talents in the 2022 NHL Draft. Akey would add that offensive element from the blue-line while not sacrificing much in terms of length. Not even defenseman needs to be in the mold of Brent Seabrook or Shea Weber. While it’s nice, having some players who fit the mold of Erik Karlsson or Roman Josi doesn’t hurt either. Now, not saying Akey will pan-out to be those players, but defensive prototypes don’t need to be rigid to have success.

It’s another edition of Mailbag Monday, and we’ve got some fresh Chicago Blackhawks, Connor Bedard and NHL-related queries this week. Jay Zawaski and Mario Tirabassi will answer all of your burning questions and look ahead to Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final on the CHGO Blackhawks Podcast.

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Today we look at Brandon Wheat Kings Captain Nate Danielson.

Nate Danielson Measurables

Position: Center
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 185
Rankings
The Athletic (Scott Wheeler): #20
Flo Hockey (Chris Peters): #13
NHL Central Scouting: #7 NA Skaters
Elite Prospects: #26

Quotables

“Danielson checks every box you want in an NHL forward. He skates like an NHL player, he has great stick skills, he can set up and finish plays, he has good size and he wins battles. The pure stats this season don’t blow you away, but his teammates were lacking in quality. From a pure pro projection and in thinking about what he could be, he has all the tools and has shown a history of scoring when with better players. If he hits, you could get a star.” – Corey Pronman, The Athletic

“Danielson feels like a ‘safe’ pick. I’m not sure he’s more than a 45-50 point guy in the NHL, but he’s consistent and valuable enough at both ends of the ice that he’ll have a solid, young career. You won’t find a ton of 18-year-old captains, either.” – Steven Ellis, Daily Faceoff

“Danielson’s a pro-sized, hardworking pivot who can skate and excels in driving through the middle of the ice, pushing tempo and playing with energy. He plays a well-rounded two-way game, is a proficient penalty killer, wants to make a difference in all areas when he’s on the ice and blends good overall skill with his effort. While his game doesn’t have the dynamism of the other kids in this loaded WHL class, most scouts like the projectability of Danielson to the pro game.” – Scott Wheeler, The Athletic

Video Highlights

Why Nate Danielson would fit with the Blackhawks

The size, the skating, the compete level, the playmaking ability, it’s all there for a player like Danielson to eventually translate to not only a regular NHL player, but a solid contributor. As Corey Pronman mentioned above, when he listed Danielson as being the No. 6 player in the 2023 Draft Class when it comes to highest NHL potential, Danielson checks every box that you want in a prototypical NHL centerman. There’s not much to not like about what he brings to the table down the middle of the ice.

The Chicago Blackhawks need a forward, specifically a centerman, who fits the profile of Nate Danielson. Big, physical, skilled in the hands, and can skate at an NHL-caliber. When you look at the prospect depth at the center position already in Chicago’s system, there is plenty of future skill and playmakers in the bunch with Frank Nazar, Lukas Reichel, and presumably Connor Bedard. But the Blackhawks lack that desirable size and two-way prowess that Danielson brings. There’s a chance, if the Blackhawks end up selecting Danielson, he could eventually find himself as a high-contributing third-line center, or even a second-line center in Chicago with special teams responsibilities when the team is competitive again. He jumped on my radar late in the game when it came to looking at draft prospects that would/could fit the Blackhawks’ needs, but he has rocketed up my personal favorites list in the 2023 Draft Class.

Today we look at top U.S. net-minder Trey Augustine.

Trey Augustine Measurables

Position: Goalie
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 185
Rankings
The Athletic (Scott Wheeler): #55
Flo Hockey (Chris Peters): #55
NHL Central Scouting: #3 NA Goalies
Elite Prospects: #45

Quotables

“Winning a World U18 gold medal and playing some of his best hockey in that gold-medal game was a validating performance. Augustine lost one game in regulation all season. He posted a .926 save percentage, too. At 6-foot-1, he’s right on the edge for NHL teams who value size more in goaltending, but his poise and composure are hugely attractive qualities in a goalie. On top of that, Augustine has legitimate technical skill, reads the game exceptionally well. His coaches also laud his preparation and intense focus.” – Chris Peters, Flo Hockey

“He rarely seems out of position and tracks pucks like a pro. Even when the play is moving quickly, or there’s a lot of action behind the net, he seems to anticipate what’s going on seamlessly and be in position to square up the shot…He checks a lot of boxes between his quickness, technique, brain and consistency but his frame will be the major question on Augustine and whether he’s a special enough of an athlete at that size to be a regular NHL goalie.” – Corey Pronman, The Athletic

“In a draft class with very few netminders showcasing the consistency needed at the next level, Augustine has displayed exactly that for the NTDP. The American net-minder isn’t quite the 6-foot-3 goalie that teams look for, but he is crisp in net, ensuring his movements are calm and efficient while still showcasing the athleticism needed to make the impact saves that truly make the difference in a game.” – Tony Ferrari, The Hockey News

Video Highlights

Why Trey Augustine fits with the Blackhawks

While there is no clear-cut elite goaltending prospect in this year’s draft class, that doesn’t mean it’s not deep on quality talent. Trey Augustine is near the top of the class when it comes to goalies in 2023, in the conversation with the likes of Carson Bjarnason and Michael Hrabal. Augustine’s resume heading into his draft year speaks volumes as a Gold and Silver medalist at the U18 World Championships with Team USA and a World Junior Championships Bronze medal in his trophy case already. While he is “undersized” at 6’1″ for goaltenders, he still has time to physically mature and has the athletic ability to overcome his lack of prototypical goalie size at the professional level.

The Blackhawks are in a unique position with their goaltending depth. While they don’t have their bonafide NHL starting goaltender right now on their NHL roster, they have two young goalies that should battle for that title in the next few seasons with Arvid Söderblom and Drew Commesso. They also have Jaxson Stauber in the mix, who had an impressive first professional season that included an unexpected six appearances in the NHL as a rookie this season, winning five of those games.

With that trio, Chicago has some time banked to let their goalie of the future develop and show himself out of those three right now. If they are to use one of their higher second or third round picks in this year’s draft on a goalie, they would be attempt to stack their deck with net-minders that have higher upsides. Augustine is set to play at Michigan State starting next season and could go the route similar to Commesso, playing three NCAA seasons before heading to the professional ranks. That would make it the 2026-27 season before a player like Augustine could be making the leap, when players like Söderblom and Commesso could have, hopefully, established one or both of themselves a legit starting NHL goalies. It would be a move to potentially insulate the position for the long-term.

June 9th, 2023 is the 13-year anniversary of the Chicago Blackhawks 2010 Stanley Cup championship…their first since 1961. Jay Zawaski and Mario Tirabassi look back at the run through the lens of all that has happened since, and reflect on if it all feels the same on the CHGO Blackhawks Podcast.

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Today we look at sizable center Charlie Stramel.

Charlie Stramel Measurables

Position: Center
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 215
Rankings
The Athletic (Scott Wheeler): #37
Flo Hockey (Chris Peters): #29
NHL Central Scouting: #30 NA Skaters
Elite Prospects: #47

Quotables

“He has a good base level of skill and uses his size effectively when it comes to protecting the puck. He still has room to grow when it comes to being a physical presence away from the puck. Stramel has a good shot that he uses off the rush, going north-south. He lacks lateral agility but could be a very good off-puck winger who can get himself to the net offensively.” – Tony Ferrari, The Hockey News

“There’s no shortage of teams that want the services of the 6-foot-3, 216-pound forward with a high hockey IQ. Sure, the offense didn’t follow, but he’s a pain in the rear end to play against.” – Steven Ellis, Daily Faceoff

“A massive center who can play a strong two-way game, Stramel had an underwhelming season at Wisconsin. This is more of an upside play based on his total body of work. Stramel has a good shot and good skating ability. His athleticism will attract teams looking to getting bigger down the middle. Stramel plays a physical game and is very difficult to knock off the puck. This season certainly raised some concerns about his overall hockey sense and if the offense would get there consistently enough, but Stramel has showed enough versatility to make the case he’s going to find a role in the NHL.” – Chris Peters, Flo Hockey

Video Highlights

Why Charlie Stramel fits with the Blackhawks

Don’t let the down year as a freshman at the University of Wisconsin fool you. Everyone at the program had a down year. Stramel’s physical tools, athleticism, and skating ability make him a desirable target for any team picking between the 20’s and late-30’s in this year’s draft. He may not light-up the NHL for 30+ goals a season, but his ability to play a physical game down the middle and get to the net give him a good shot at sticking around in the NHL for a long time being a garbage man and willingly going into battles in the corners and at the front of the net.

Looking at the top prospects in the Chicago system that project to play center or have a chance to play center, the physical presence isn’t there. Likely top-overall pick Connor Bedard may play center in the NHL but clocks-in at 5’11” and 185-pounds. Frank Nazar is of similar size and Lukas Reichel isn’t going to be packing on the pounds to make a significant impact in his game physically. The Blackhawks have some size on their wings and down their lineup, but a player who could be effective as a third-line pivot and chip-in offensively and is built like a linebacker sounds hard to pass-up. Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson has emphasized targeting players with high-character, high-skill, high-motor, and high-compete levels, and while the puck skills for Stramel aren’t elite, he checks the rest of the boxes the organization is looking for.

Greg and Jay are off today, so Kevin Kaduk joins Mario to reminisce about the 2013 Western Conference Finals Game Five between the Blackhawks and Kings and some of their favorite non-Stanley Cup Final Blackhawks games. Plus, the Blackhawks make the Darren Pang news official and sign Andreas Athanasiou to a two-year deal.

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