There was Blackhawks (prospect) hockey this weekend up in Minnesota.
Here’s a quick rundown of all the action:
Game 1: Blackhawks 5, Blue 0
Goal 1: After no scoring in the first period, the Blackhawks finally got on the board just under 14 minutes into the second period off a Louis Crevier point shot that made it through traffic in front.
Goal 3: Colton Dach’s centering pass to Bedard hit a Blues’ player in front and went in and extended the Blackhawks lead to 3-0 less than a minute into the third period.
Goals 2, 4, and 5: Bedard just showed how he can score in a multitude of ways.
- His first goal of the night was on the power play 14:23 into the second period, a pure laser from the right faceoff dot that extended the lead to 2-0.
- The second goal was even more impressive: Bedard danced around a St. Louis defender and then fired the puck off the back bar to make it 4-0 Blackhawks.
- Bedard completed the hat trick 12:20 in the third period, another slick move around a defender and an incredible shot from the mid-slot. Credit Nick Lardis with a nice pass while on the rush with Bedard to pick up the assist.
Game 2: Wild 7, Blackhawks 4
Goals 1 and 2:
- Nick Lardis opened the scoring Sunday just 81 seconds into the game with a nice wrister that beat the Minnesota goalie clean. Credit to Dach with the steal and a good pass up to Lardis on the rush to make the goal happen.
- After some good cycling, Kevin Korchinski passed back to Rolston, who utilized the screen of Antti Saarela front to put the up Blackhawks 2-1 at the 8:35 mark of the first period.
Goals 3 and 4:
- Dach crashed hard to the net, shoveling in the puck after a slick pass from Nolan Allan for a tap-in goal to make it 3-1.
- Martin Misiak picked up his only goal of the showcase after tipping a Korchinski shot to make it 4-4.
Notes:
- Obviously this was just a prospect showcase, but seeing Bedard play in a Hawks jersey was just such a joy — and we get to do it all season! It honestly felt like he might score every time he shot the puck, and he had more a few passes that would have been beautiful assists if his linemates had better luck. Bedard finished Saturday night with four points. He did not play Sunday, a smart move considering the Blackhawks have sustained injuries against the Wild prospects in previous prospect showcase games.
- Besides Bedard, Kaiser was one of the the obvious standouts. We noted in our T25U25 series that Kaiser is arguably the most balanced, two-way defensive prospect that is on the cusp of being NHL ready, and he really proved that against the Blues. He was especially impressive on the PK, which is par for the course of his career.
- Kaiser also wore the “C” for this game, which makes sense: he’s the one of the few Hawks prospects in the game with any professional experience — even if it is only nine games — and he’s reportedly been having an excellent prospect camp in general. Kaiser did not play against the Wild, because the Blackhawks coaching staff felt they’d seen enough of him, as IceHogs coach Andres Sorensen stated after the two games. Crevier was captain in Game 2 with Kaiser out.
- Although they’re both left-handed, Allan and Kasier spent time playing on the right during the showcase thanks to a lack of depth at RD. Allan has more experience playing his off-hand, often playing on the right with the Seattle Thunderbirds last season, but both he and Kaiser look comfortable. Being able to play on the right is definitely an advantage — it might even be enough to push Kaiser to make the Blackhawks out of camp, something that is seeming more and more likely at this point.
- Speaking of Allan, he was paired with Korchinski a lot this weekend, and they looked pretty nice together. Their skill sets balance each other out: Korchinski is able to be aggressive offensively with a steady, defense-first player like Allan backing him up. Allan did have some mistakes in both games, especially when trying to be overly physical, but those are adjustments he’ll have the opportunity to make in Rockford. Allan’s setup to Dach on the third goal was a thing of beauty, though, and he also dropped the gloves:
- Korchinski had two good games, especially in any instance when he showcased his elite skating ability. He had some strong chemistry with Bedard, which should not come as a surprise that two of the most gifted offensive players in the Blackhawks prospect pool can play off each other well:
- Dach scoring twice this weekend was the least of his contributions. He was great on the forecheck, showed off his improved skating often, and proved how much he loves playing in front of the net. Not only did he act as the screen on two of Bedard’s goals, his goal in the second game was him finally capitalizing how crashing the net, something he does regularly. He definitely looks stronger.
- Probably the one of the most surprising performances this weekend was from Ryder Rolston. He had some solid offensive moments in Game 1, but Rolston was most noticeable for his fast, aggressive approach on the PK — a situation he didn’t play much in college. In Game 2, Rolston created quite a few rush opportunities for himself and his linemates throughout the game, and was also strong on the cycle. He didn’t have the most prolific NCAA career, so it’ll be interesting to see how he works in Rockford this season.
- Another pleasant surprise was the recently drafted Martin Misiak. He looked good as a wing in the first game, but was especially noticeable when switched to play top-line center in the second game, when he was able to use his good size and skating combo to drive plays offensively. Misiak was also the best in the faceoff dot, something Sorensen noted after the second game.
- Lardis was noticable in positive ways, especially his skating and shot. He probably deserved another goal or two. It’ll be fun to watch how he grows over the next few years.
- The Savoie, Ludwinski, Hayes line was quite the menace in both games as well. Savoie, in particular, was such a pest, and his antics resulted in two power plays for the Hawks, including the one where Bedard scored his second goal. Savoie and Ludwinski also nearly scored a shorthanded goal in both games.
- As for the goalies, Commesso didn’t see as much action as the Blues’ goalies but he was strong when needed — really calm, no matter the situation. Mitchell Weeks saw a bit more action from the Wild and looked rough at times, but the expectations weren’t high for the primary Indy Fuel goalie.