On September 24th Richardson announced Kaiser would have a maintenance day, and hasn't been seen since.
By Anthony Pellegrino @Apelle50 IceInsider.com Founder/Owner
BOSTON--Wyatt Kaiser takes the phrase "fight for a spot" literally. When Chicago sent him to Rockford to help compete for a Calder Cup, the AHL's prized trophy, the defenseman ended his final ten games with 18 penalty minutes.
Those minutes, a testament to the newly-found battle mentality developed throughout last season, with both Chicago and Rockford.
Kaiser began the 2023-24 season with Chicago, posting a +1 and four assists in 21 games before December 2nd. But due to a rough two-week stretch in late November, Kaiser found himself back in Rockford.
After a small adjustment period in which Kaiser registered only one point in his first month and a half of AHL games through January 13th, he found success.
Putting up 13 of his 18 points in the second half, rising to the role of the Icehog's top defenseman, running their power play, and pacing the Hogs in time on ice. Icehogs fans saw first-hand how dominant Kaiser became. He was a huge part of Rockford’s seven-game winning streak from Feb. 21 to March 12th, which propelled them from fifth-place to third-place and into the playoffs.
His physical play started to gain confidence as well, which also came with penalty minutes for Kaiser. Out of his 46 Penalty Minutes, 30 came in the back half of the season.
Furthermore, he ended the season with 22 penalty minutes in 32 games with Chicago, and 46 blocked shots in 32 games played.
Following the win streak, he assisted on two IceHogs goals in four playoff appearances.
His growing confidence allowed him to play the style of hockey that excites Blackhawks Head Coach Luke Richardson:
“He’s skating, he’s up in the play. He’s killing plays before the blue line, he’s skating himself out of trouble and I haven’t seen a lot of skating into trouble.” With his excellent skating ability, developing defensive zone awareness, and solid puck-moving abilities, a confidence-boosting stretch could’ve been exactly what Wyatt Kaiser needed. “He went down and worked on being the guy that plays a lot of minutes in important situations and he just came back here with, it’s not a chip on his shoulder, I think it’s just confidence”
Richardson expressed this after Kaiser was returned to Rockford before the AHL playoffs.
Now a year older, finding his identity, Kaiser has shown through the first week of Blackhawks Training Camp, that he rightfully deserves to begin the season with Chicago.
During camp, the defenseman looks much more in his place than during any game with Chicago last season, the fact he's putting himself into corner battles shows selflessness by the 22-year-old, open to battle in positions that others aren't.
All Stanley Cup-caliber teams have a consistent defense; Take the Blackhawks, it was Keith, Seabrook, and Hjalmarsson. For the next era, it very well could be Korchinski, Vlassic, and Kaiser if he continues the development he's at right now.
Yet now, Kaiser hasn't been on the ice in over a week. There has been no news from head coach Luke Richardson where the defenseman is. On September 24th Richardson announced Kaiser would have a maintenance day, and hasn't been seen since.
Depending on if it's an injury-related cause or personal reasons, it poses a chance for a competing defenseman in guys like Ethan Del Mastro to step up while he is absent from camp.
The Blackhawks begin the regular season against the inaugural Utah HC on October 8th. Secure tickets today at ticketmaster.com/event/Z7r9jZ1A7udxp?landing=c
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