The Blackhawks prospects had a spirited practice at Fifth Third Arena on Thursday morning before heading to St. Louis for their games against prospects from the Wild and Blues this weekend.
We saw some special teams work from tﷺhe Blackhawks prospects this morning. Here are the power play units we saw at practice:
PP1: Frank Nazar, Nick Lardis, Gavin Hayes (bumper), Colton Dach (net front), Ethan Del Mastro
PP2: Martin Misiak, Ryder Rolston, AJ Spellacy (bumper), Landon Slaggert (net front), Nolan Allan
We got a chance to talk with Colton Dach, Landon Slaggert and Drew Commesso on Thursday before the Blackhawks left for St. Louis — literally. Commesso and Slaggert were barefoot when they spoke with the media because their shoes were being loaded onto a bus somewhere with the rest of their gear. Ah, kids…
A few takeaways from those guys:
Dach feels like he was on the cusp of being NHL ready before injuries derailed his season last year. He believes his power forward game needs to be more consistent and he can win a chance to get an NHL look. I really hope he can stay healthy for a full season because he was probably the IceHogs’ best player in December. If he can be that guy for a full season, the Blackhawks have a guy.
Slaggert worked on working in the paint this summer as well. He isn’t nearly as physically imposing as Dach, but Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson said last year he liked how Slaggert went to the dirty areas and got the puck. I also really like how comfortable Slaggert is with himself. He played four years of college hockey and played for Anders Sorensen when he was playing for the Chicago Mission, so there’s already a strong relationship there.
Commesso worked out with a group in Boston this summer that included Bruins’ netminder Jeremy Swayman. He said he learned a lot from lining up across the rink from one of the best in the NHL. He also understands that goalies take longer to get to the NHL, but said the goal remains to get there. He’s got a big season ahead and should have a much, much better roster in front of him this year.
