All of the buzz in Chicago on Thursday night centered around Connor Bedard — and rightfully so. He picked up two assists in his first professional (preseason) game, including one on the game-winner that was gorgeous. He was dancing all night and stood out from the opening faceoff.
But he wasn’t the only young skater trying to make a good impression. So let’s take a moment to take stock of come of the other young players who were making their NHL debuts last night.
Drew Commesso, G
In his first action against an NHL team, Commesso was very good. He did allow one goal, but head coach Luke Richardson noted there were a couple mistakes on that play that gave Robert Thomas — an established scorer in the league — a very good look. He stopped 14 of 15 shots in 33:47 after replacing Petr Mrazek in net. I thought he showed a lot of composure as St. Louis started to put more pressure on the Blackhawks’ defense. Here’s what Luke Richardson had to say about his performance:
“He went right in the second period and I think we had that one long shift in D zone and I thought he looked really calm. He made one big save from the middle, which is the hardest. You just got in there without a warmup and got a point-blank shot from the hashmarks to the middle and just gobbled it up. I really liked his composure with the puck, playing the puck.”
Marcel Marcel, F
Skating in a fourth-line role, Marcel was noticeable on most of his shifts. I tweeted Thursday night that, from the 300-level, he looked like Ben Eager. In 9:45 he was credited with three hits and one shot on net. But he showed some defensive responsibility and physical play that got Richardson’s attention. Among Blackhawks forwards, only Reese Johnson (3:19) skated more short-handed ice time than Marcel (2:02). He’s headed to Rockford — remember: he’s on an AHL deal with the IceHogs this season — but his size was undeniable on the ice last night. Here’s Richardson on Marcel’s play:
I thought big Marcel played a really good third period. He had a great D-zone [play where he] knocked down with his stick. And that’s exactly how we do our system when we build a wall there. And he went down the other end and made a play on the line rush and got a big hit behind the net. Got a cheer from the crowd, I think they se🌊em to like the big guy moving around. He had a big block in the third period on the penalty kill in the D-zone.”
Nolan Allan, LHD
Also making the move to Rockford, Allan showed the composure and mature game that’s made him a standout during camp. He skated 17:50 of which 61 seconds came short-handed. Allan was credited with two hits in the game but didn’t back away from any contact. He was in the right place most of the time last night and has made an impression on the coaches. And he’s done that while playing his off-side, which has been impressive.
Nick Lardis, F
Lardis, a third-round pick this summer and still only 18, looked like a young teenage on the ice. But he played well. He ranked third among Blackhawks’ forwards in short-handed ice time (1:50) while the Hawks were perfect on the PK. He was credited with one shot on net. He needs to fill out, but he was drafted because his offense is impressive; he scored 37 goals in 69 games last season in junior. He was assigned back to junior after the game but the future is bright for him.
Martin Misiak, C
Misiak really stood out to me early in the game. He started centering Nick Foligno and Corey Perry and looked good at the dot, not losing a faceoff in the first period. He finished the night winning four of six at the dot. He took a high hit that turned into a bit of a fight with Foligno and Perry coming to his defense (love to see that) and spent a lot of the second period in the room but did return. If he can be a good faceoff option for the Blackhawks, that’s another great option down the middle. Like Lardis, he was assigned back to his junior club after the game.
