Yet another Chicago Blackhawks prospects has been added to the organization as Gavin Hayes, a 2022 third-round pick (66th overall), signed his entry-level deal on Monday afternoon:
Another one ‼️ pic.twitter.com/Vqn0Ea8rbv
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) April 3, 2023
Hayes, who turns 19 in May, has been lighting up the OHL with the Flint Firebirds this season with 81 points (41 G, 40 A) in 66 games. He’s second on the team in goals and points and leads the Firebirds with 216 shots on goal. It’s a significant jump from the prior season, when Hayes had 49 points (19 G, 30 A) in 65 games for Flint. Hayes went without a point in Flint’s first two playoff games, although the Firebirds managed just two goals while falling behind 2-0 to the Saginaw Spirit in their best-of-7 series.
Elsewhere in Blackhawks news, the team practiced at the Fifth Third Arena on Monday ahead of its three-game road trip to the Pacific Northwest. One of the players present for that practice was Joey Anderson, who was placed on waivers on Sunday. That process was required to make Anderson eligible for assignment to the Rockford IceHogs for a potential appearance in the Calder Cup Playoffs, as coach Luke Richardson explained:
Luke Richardson said Joey Anderson is expected to be in Chicago for the rest of the season then he’ll go down to Rockford (if/when he clears).
This was always the plan for Anderson. He was placed on waivers because he had to go through at some point. #Blackhawks
— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) April 3, 2023
Anderson cleared waivers, too.
Speaking of the IceHogs, they’d been scuffling of late but did pick up a win at home on Sunday to remain in a playoff spot with six games left on the schedule:
RECAP: HOGS WIN IN REGULATION AT BMO CENTER FOR FIRST TIME SINCE DEC. 31https://t.co/gTSSO3KHQs
— Rockford IceHogs (@goicehogs) April 3, 2023
No playoff dreams exist in Chicago, of course, but Richardson did talk about a developmental area for one of the Blackhawks prospects currently with the parent club who could be joining Anderson on a trip to Rockford for the postseason:
Richardson on Vlasic: "We’d like him to get more assertive verbally, and that’ll get him more engaged physically."
Hawks watched a clip vs. Devils today where Vlasic and Seth struggled to defend a rush. If Vlasic had shifted quicker and yelled that, they could've sorted it out.
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) April 3, 2023
Hockey players not communicating enough on the ice? That sounds oddly familiar.
As for the rest of the lineup for the upcoming games, Jonathan Toews appears to be remaining in the lineup while Jarred Tinordi could be re-joining it at some point during the week:
Jonathan Toews is expected to go on the Blackhawks' road trip. Richardson said Toews said he was feeling good again today. They fly this afternoon to Calgary.
Tinordi (hip) is also coming on the trip and will play at some point during it.
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) April 3, 2023
There was also this interesting comment from Richardson on this question from Ben Pope of the Sun-Times:
I'm confused why the Blackhawks are dressing Nikita Zaitsev every night — even though his analytics have been terrible — while other defensemen have been scratched.
I asked Richardson about that today, specifically in regards to Zaitsev vs. Englund: pic.twitter.com/QLVsOJ1qpg
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) April 3, 2023