The Blackhawks didn’t play last night but a lot of the next generation of Chicago skaters were on the ice. When the NHL squad gets back on the ice in Anaheim tonight in front of their dads they’ll have an opponent that is struggling on the other end of the rink. The Ducks are in last place in the Pacific Division with nine points and have lost their last two games.
Let’s get our Saturday morning started with some prospect action. Aidan Thompson is finally back on the ice for DU and last night he lit the lamp for the first time in his college career. He also picked up an assist on the game-winner and won six of 11 faceoffs in a 3-2 Pioneers victory over their rivals from North Dakota.
I’m thrilled Thompson is healthy and appears to be picking up right where he left off this summer; he’s been dominant in his three appearances this season. He has three points (one goal, two assists) and has won 59 percent of his faceoffs in his three games.
Not to upstage Thompson’s first career college goal, but… Ryan Greene scored twice last night. And added three assists. So (counts on fingers) that’s a FIVE POINT NIGHT for Greene in Boston University’s 7-2 win over UMass-Amherst. He also won half of his ten faceoffs. Drew Commesso stopped 21 of 23 in the win.
What was supposed to be the marquee game on the Blackhawks’ prospect calendar last night was the University of Michigan at Notre Dame in a Big Ten showdown. We already knew Frank Nazar wasn’t going to be in the game a while ago because of injury. But Landon Slaggert didn’t dress last night, either, leaving Ryder Rolston the only Hawks’ prospect to skate in the game. Michigan won 5-1 and Rolston didn’t factor in the scoring.
Ben Pope wrote a nice story on forward Colin Blackwell, who has been in and out of the lineup this season and has struggled to establish himself. Blackwell signed a two-year deal with the Blackhawks this past summer. After a couple bad games, he was in the press box for three games. He was happy to be back on Thursday night but knows he has work to do.
“I definitely haven’t gotten off to a start that I personally would’ve liked,” Blackwell told Pope. “I have a lot more to give, and I take the onus for that. There’s a lot of ‘look in the mirror’ type of things that I can do better. I have to own up to some of the mistakes I made. But, at the same time, I have confidence in myself. I wouldn’t be here today if that wasn’t the case.”
We found out on Friday afternoon that the World Cup of Hockey isn’t going to happen in 2024. The league and players were committed to trying to make it happen, but the political world — especially in Europe, where both sides wanted to host some of the games — just isn’t moving in a direction that they would be able to plan far enough in advance to have a quality tournament. Too bad, because in 2025 who knows what the rosters might look like.
The Columbus Blue Jackets are squarely in the Bad 4 Bedard Circle of Trust right now, and they were dealt a huge blow on Friday. The Jackets announced defenseman Zach Werenski is done for the year because of a shoulder injury (including a torn labrum). If there’s a team that was supposed to go for it after signing a big ticket free agent (Johnny Gaudreau) this season, it was the Jackets. So not only has the start of the season been disappointing, but this takes one of their best players out of the lineup for the rest of this season.
Finally, when I was a kid my grandma used to refer to the extension of one’s middle finger as a “digital affirmation.” I’ve always loved that term. Apparently it’s a costly gesture if you do it on an NBA court and the cameras catch you doing it. Note to self.
NEWSLETTER
