I already wrote about it this morning and, frankly, we expected it but the prospects rankings around the NHL are starting to drop and Blackhawks fans should be absolutely thrilled at the progress the organization has made since Kyle Davidson took over as the general manager. Before the 2021-22 season, the Blackhawks were in the bottom third of the league. Now, they’re No. 2 in the league-wide rankings at The Athletic. They’re loading up top 100 lists. College sites are talking about the impact a healthy Frank Nazar will have at Michigan and the opportunity for Oliver Moore to replace Logan Cooley at Minnesota.
Yes, we’re still in the rebuild. And yes, the only guys on most of these lists that we’ll probably see this season in the NHL are Connor Bedard and Lukas Reichel (perhaps a few defensemen as well, depending on the list). But the future looks incredibly bright for the Chicag🌞o Blackꦐhawks thanks to the work GMKD and his staff have done in collecting premium draft capital and using it effectively.
Landing Bedard is incredible. But it takes more than 1-2 players to win a championship (ask the Oilers). The depth of quality in the Blackhawks’ system right now is at minimum enviable. “After a few years of a tepid rebuild, Chicago has a foundation now to turn around their organization,” wrote Corey Pronman at . Let’s get it!
I’ve been told I have a face for radio. But that isn’t necessarily a requirement for this fun job opening. If you’re passionate about the future of the Blackhawks — which I assume you are because you’re here — and like talking about the game while it’s going on, the IceHogs have a gig available.
The Blackhawks shared on Wednesday that focuses on his work ethic. I absolutely love this comment from former No. 1 overall pick Taylor Hall, who was acquired from Boston earlier this summer to help mentor Bedard during his rookie season — and show the world he’s still a top-six forward.
“With Connor, it’s about just letting him enjoy playing and I think it’s going to be a really fun year on and off the ice,” Hall said. “I guess that’s what I wish that I had done a little bit more was take it in enjoy the moment a bit more when I was young, because there was a lot going on.”
It looks like Seth Jones was at the pro camp at the University of Denver (yes, they go by DU but it’s the University of Denver — my brother got a master’s there) and he’s working with some new equipment.
The Mascot Hall of Fame named TommyHawk the NHL Mascot of the Year. Even the Blackhawks’ mascot is getting into the hype train.
The NHL announced on Wednesday that the league and Players Association are talking about formalizing a World Cup of Hockey-like event that would rotate with the Winter Olympics in the future. “So if we do a ’25 international tournament, we do the ’26 Olympics, the ’28 World Cup of Hockey, the ’30 Olympics, the ’32 World Cup of Hockey, and so on,” NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told Dan Rosen at the league’s website. “That’s the goal.”
Daly said they aren’t firm yet on the format — and whether or not it’s exclusively NHL player driven or not — and there is still a hurdle to clear regarding Russian athletes competing in any event (including IIHF and Olympic events). But Daly said there isn’t a deadline yet to have something locked in for February of 2025. Stay tuned!
The huge news on Wednesday was the enormous extension betw🎶een Auston Matthews and the Mapleꦿ Leafs. But Matthews wasn’t the only former No. 1 overall pick getting paid. The Rangers and Alexis Lafrenière agreed on a bridge deal as well.
The Arizona Coyotes might not know where they’ll be playing in three years, but they’re confident they know who will be coaching the team. The Yotes signed head coach André Tourigny to a three-year extension on Wednesday.
Finally, the baseball world was dealt a tough blow overnight when the Angels announced Shohei Ohtani has a torn UCL and won’t pitch again this season. The first thing to go through my mind was this generation is losing its Bo Jackson. We have never seen someone like Ohtani. He’s an elite pitcher and elite hitter in the same package. And he’s headed to free agency this winter. Some good thoughts on what it means to Ohtani and teams that covet the incredibly talented baseball player.
