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This will not be the first NHL training camp for Blackhawks prospect Ethan del Mastro.
But this time around is a little different for the 6-foot-4, 206-pound defenseman, because there is no flight back to Canada waiting for him at the end of it.
“It’s just exciting coming here, knowing that you’re going to be in Illinois, regardless of where it is,” del Mastro said during prospect camp last week. “Most of the time when you come here and you’re still eligible for juniors, you know you’re probably going to end up back there and that’s where you’re going to be. But I think it’s exciting to know this is where you’re going to be and that you have a chance.”
That chance at an NHL roster spot starts on Thursday for del Mastro and rest of the Blackhawks organization with the open of the 2023 training camp.
There’s a glutton of prospects on the training camp roster released by Chicago on Thursday morning, with del Mastro among the 16 defensemen listed. That numbers game and the present stage of del Mastro’s overall hockey career progress suggests he’s destined to spend most — and probably all — with the Rockford IceHogs, but the AHL will still be a step up from the OHL, where del Mastro spent last season split between the Sarnia Sting and Mississauga Steelheads.
And he spent the summer preparing for that leap.
“It’s just making quick plays,” del Mastro said. “Whether it be quick shots from the blue line, getting pucks through, making a quick first pass coming out of your zone … I think that’s the biggest thing, coming from juniors to pro hockey: it’s just how quick you make plays.”
Those offseason preparations from del Mastro are in line with what Rockford coach Anders Sorensen — who ran practices during last week’s prospect camp — referenced when asked about the teaching points being communicated to the prospects who were preparing for the jump to professional hockey.
“It’s just the ability to play inside of contact and getting used to the pro level, and playing against men,” Sorensen said. “When they’re younger, they’ve been able to dominate because of their skill level. Now, you have to leverage that, and understand that they’re playing against bigger guys who’ve been around and they’re smarter in certain situations. Just understanding how to play through some of those situations, and some of their habits have to change a little bit.”
None of this is new to del Mastro, though, who said he’s already had several instances in his hockey career where he went from being one of the top players in a team or league to down near the bottom of a depth chart.
“It’s just how it works,” he said. “When you came into juniors, you were in the same position. You were a younger guy and there are guys who’ve been there who are playing different roles. Even any Hockey Canada event you go to, sometimes you’re not the highest-ranked guy there. It’s all a learning experience, and knowing from the past what happens and being able to work with it and realize there’s a lot of work to do, so it’s about putting your head down and working.”
There have been a lot of voices in del Mastro’s ears over the last year, as he spent training camp with the Blackhawks in the summer. Then he played for with Mississauga. Then he played for Canada in the World Juniors. Then he went back to Mississauga. Then he was traded to Sarnia. Now, it seems like he’s headed to Rockford in the next few weeks. But del Mastro said he’s been able to take all of the instructions from all of those places and combine it into an offseason approach that he believes will have him ready for this next stage of his hockey career.
“It’s all between talking with Chicago and the other coaches and understanding what’s best for me and what I really need to work on,” del Mastro said. “Chicago’s where I want to be, so what they have to say is very important, obviously. So just learning from them and incorporating what they say and taking a little bit from everyone and see what’s beneficial for my game and implement that.”