The Blackhawks lost the second game of the Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase on Sunday afternoon. It wasn’t as bad as the Bears, but allowing seven goals isn’t ideal. Scoring four goals without Connor Bedard in the lineup was a good look, however. Over the course of two games in two days, some of the prospects showed a lot to the fan꧋s and coaches about where their development is heading, while some others got a taste of professional hockey and now have a better idea of where they need to work. I have a few thoughts coming out of the weekend as we now prepare for NHL training camp to begin later this week.
Nolan Allan really impressed me in practices before heading to Minnesota and in both of the games. He played his off-side, skating primarily with Kevin Korchinski (his teammate in Seattle last season after he was traded to the Thunderbirds) and looked comfortable. He was drafted to be a physical, shut-down defenseman and he’s shown the ability to be that, but we’ve also heard and seen some of his improved skating and offensive ability. On Sunday, he het up a goal for Colton Dach (also a Seattle teammate) with a really nice move.
This was more of what we might expect from Allan. He throws a Kronwall-esque hipcheck and then answers the bell when Wild prospect Ryan O’Rourke thought the clean hit meant someone should fight. Well, Mr. O’Rourke, maybe check the dance floor before turning on the music because Allan handled his business there as well.
Wyatt Kaiser didn’t play Sunday, but his play stood out all week. He also saw a lot of run on his off-side, which could benefit him and the Blackhawks in the not-too-distant future with Chicago needing defensemen who can play the right side. His play was clean and he showed a maturity one might expect from a player with three years of college hockey and nine NHL games on his resume. But players like Kaiser might try to do too much at times to show they want to be back in the big league and not in Rockford. That wasn’t the case with Kaiser. If he keeps playing the way he has thus far, it’s going to be hard for the coaches to not have him in Chicago.
Colton Dach looked more intentionally physical in the two games this weekend than he had been in previous camps with Chicago. That’s not to say he wasn’t physical, but he asserted himself more frequently/consistently this week. The biggest issue I had with his brother (and I don’t think I’m alone in this regard) was that Kirby had a power forward’s body but a small forward’s game. The Blackhawks have asked Colton to be a true power forward, and everything he’s done on the ice indicates he got the memo and is doing what they’ve asked. He scored in both games and was consistently in the goaltender’s face in both games. That bodes well for his career arc and the Blackhawks because he’s big enough and skilled enough to be a potential difference maker.
Nick Lardis scored on Sunday and he really looked like a gem. He’s got plenty of speed and skill to be a player. One of the questions about him going into the draft — likely what kept him from being drafted as high as the late first round — was whether or not he could be physical enough to make the move up to the pro ranks. I like what I saw from an 18-year-old this weekend. He’s still growing and will fill out even more in the coming years. The good news: the Blackhawks don’t need him in the NHL for a while, so he can take time developing. But I was left with a strong first impression.
Cut and paste everything I just wrote about Lardis for Martin Misiak. He was drafted higher, has a bigger body and will get a great opportunity this year in the OHL. He needs to get stronger, but that will come with age and time.
Ben Pope wrote about Misiak’s performance this weekend. His speed and skill stood out, and he has the size to develop into an intriguing forward for the Blackhawks.
Ethan Del Mastro was a good, big, strong player on the back end. He moved the puck well, took away space and cut off angles for opponents. I liked what I saw from him and look forward to him getting more work in Rockford this year.
If you watched the two games this weekend, it was impossible to not notice the Blackhawks’ defensemen. Kevin Korchinski looked NHL-ready, as did Kaiser. Allan, Del Mastro and Louis Crevier were all impressive as well. If that’s where the first wave of prospects is going to come from to impact the NHL roster, I like what I’m seeing. Keep in mind this group was that impressive with Alex Vlasic and Isaak Phillips staying in Chicago to get ready for NHL camp.
In other NHL news this weekend, the whole Mike Babcock thing in Columbus imploded real quick. After Paul Bissonnette brought up on the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast earlier in the week that Babcock had been up to some questionable activities with players — specifically asking to look at pictures on players’ personal phones — a firestorm of he said-he said took off. Boone Jenner and Johnny Gaudreau defended their *new* head coach. But the NHLPA launched an investigation into the matter… that concluded this weekend with what has been reported to be a fiery meeting between the Players Association and leadership in Columbus. On Sunday, Babcock resigned because of the controversy. The NHLPA apparently found that some younger players in the Blue Jackets organization weren’t comfortable with Babcock’s tactics.
What a cluster… for the Blue Jackets. They went out of their way to hire a guy who had essentially been fired by the Leafs for bullying his players and it backfired like an ’87 Camaro. — less than one week before the start of training camp. Aaron Portzline wrote a strong, on-point column about the larger questions about the structure of the Blue Jackets’ organization in the wake of this debacle/disaster.
How excited are you to have the NHL players back on the ice this week?
For all of the optimism we took away from this weekend as hockey fans, pour one out for our guys covering the Bears because… yeah…
Aaaaaaand….
