When the Blackhawks practice today, we expect to be able to take a little more out of the first group on the ice than we might have from previous practices. Head coach Luke Richardson confirmed on Monday that the first group out will be the group that plays Detroit at the United Center on Wednesday night. I expect there to be some veterans in the mix and some young guys. And I’m fascinated to see what the defensive group looks like.
- Keep in mind when we see the lineups for the first few preseason games that the Blackhawks have said they intend on giving the guys competing for roster spots plenty of runway to earn a job. So expect to see some guys who are headed back to junior early in preseason and then they’ll head back to their respective junior teams.
- Yesterday I wrote about Isaak Phillips‘ strong camp. If anyone has shown he’s ready for the NHL from the Blackhawks’ group of defense prospects, Phillips is at the top of my list. He’s been physical the entire camp. And I appreciated his perspective on the road to the league not being straight — or fast — for everyone.
- I shared some thoughts from Jeremy Roenick‘s media availability yesterday. It was pretty special to see him personally donate some personal artifacts to the Hockey Hall of Fame before he’s inducted in November. It was also incredibly special to see how emotional he still is to be going in. And he’s still a Blackhawk in his heart. Ben Pope wrote about the great JR as well.
- Hey, we got our first college poll from USCHO and how about the representation from Blackhawks prospects! Chicago has a prospect at No. 1 Denver (Aidan Thompson), 3 Boston University (co-captain Ryan Greene), 5 North Dakota (Sacha Boisvert), 6 Minnesota (Oliver Moore and Sam Rinzel), 13 Providence (John Mustard, Taige Harding and Connor Kelley) and 18 Minnesota-Duluth (captain Dominic James).
- This looks awesome!
- You know what we need in the area? More ice! So this is great news that a new barn is being built in Rosemont.
- The Winnipeg Jets finally got a deal done with Cole Perfetti. Two years with a $3.25M cap hit. Interesting that he’s taking a modest bridge deal with so many other guys (cough, Dylan Guenther, cough) getting the bag at such a young age.
- Colorado locked up Logan O’Connor for six more years. Meanwhile, Jeremy Swayman is still waiting for a contract from the Bruins…
- So, here’s a rough timetable from the Oilers for Evander Kane’s recovery. Most or all of the regular season is a tough blow to the Oilers’ rost… oh now they have any wiggle room under the cap?
Finally,