The Blackhawks officially began on-ice practice this morning, running through October 6th
By Anthony Pellegrino @Apelle50 IceInsider.com Founder/Owner
BOSTON--Yesterday morning, at Fifth Third Arena in Chicago, IL, all 53 players, including 32 forwards, 15 defensemen, and six goaltenders stepped on the ice in two separate groups, marking the start of training camp. Over the next three weeks, the roster will be narrowed to roughly 20 skaters and two goaltenders.
Colton Dach, brother of former Blackhawk Kirby, anticipated to make the final roster last season. He hopes the adversity faced will be a testament to making this season's final roster with the Blackhawks:
"Last year I came in, I thought I had a really good camp," Dach said. "I proved to them I can play in the NHL. I came to camp with the mindset of making the team last year and it did sting a little bit getting that phone call. ... I wanted to do that first and foremost and obviously the injuries, they sucked, but they build adversity and come back this year ready to play."
Arvid Soderblom had a season that he'll assumingly, want to leave in the past. He posted just five wins in 32 games played last season. The plan was to give him the season in Rockford, hoping for a turnaround.
Yet when Chicago inked goaltender Laurent Brosoit to a two-year, $6.6 million contract when free agency opened, it wasn't in the picture he would miss up to seven weeks with a torn meniscus, requiring surgery.
Which for Soderblom, means another chance with Chicago, all, by chance.
END OF THE BEGINNING
The end of the beginning, a chapter officially closed on an iconic run in Chicago, opens with a new chapter. Must we not forget the era led by one: Captain Serious. For 1,003 regular-season and 137 playoff games, Jonathan Toews sported the "C" on his jersey.
Since that day, on April 14th, 2023, when Jonathan Toews played in his apparent final NHL game, there has been a void of captaincy. Reasonably so, with shoes that seemingly will never be filled by Toews, deemed "Chicago's Captain".
Like all iconic eras in sports, there comes a day when the dynasty comes to a close. Last season, Owner Danny Wirtz recognized that there would be no captain of the team for the 2023-2024 span.
Yet as the season went on, veteran Nick Foligno was deemed the "Captain without a "C". Until Wednesday, when it became official.
The 35th captain in Blackhawks history, Nick Foligno, met with the media yesterday as part of his first official day as captain of the team.
"There are no shoes to fill,” Foligno said “That’s been done. That’ll never be touched. [Toews’] legacy will live on for a very long time. But what I’m excited about is a new era, so to speak."
He continued on, touching on his chemistry with alterante captain Seth Jones back in Columbus.
"I got to work with Seth a long time. He tried to get away from me and I got back to him. I'm excited to do that again cause I think he knows what we're trying to do there and felt that."
(Stay tuned on Sunday, September 22nd for Ice Insider's exclusive with Jones)
Line Combinations through Day 1:
Hall-Bedard-Bertuzzi
Reichel-Kurashev-Teravainen
Foligno-Dickinson-Mikheyev
*Fourth Line subject to change*
Martinez-Jones
Korchinski-Crevier
Allan-Phillips
Mrazek
Soderblom
During the Tom Kurvers Showcase that ran last weekend, it was evident that forwards Frank Nazar and Nick Lardis developed a clear chemistry playing with each other. Nazar's speed and edgework accompanied Lardis's snapshot, which led the Blackhawks to wins over Minnesota and St. Louis.
Connor Bedard played numerous times with the 32-year-old Taylor Hall during the beginning of last season, until Hall suffered a season-ending knee injury. They appeared to be on the top line during Chicago's opening-day scrimmage, accompanied by newcomer Tyler Bertuzzi.
Philip Kurashev had a breakout season with the Blackhawks last season, posting 54 points in 75 games played. Putting the 24-year-old forward alongside veteran and second-time-around Blackhawk Teuvo Teravainen could stabilize his production throughout the season, Furthermore, Teravainen knows what it's like to be a rookie starting a career in Chicago, as he did so during the 2013-2016 span.
Head Coach Luke Richardson spoke to the media after day one, indicating the team will focus on scrimmages leading into next week focusing on technical drills into the preseason.
Day two of camp begins at 10 AM CDT, with small group skates expected to run before, and after main practice.
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