Recapping the Blackhawks’ games at the Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase

Game 1 (from LBR):

• This was a fun, messy game where there wasn’t much defense played on either side. The Blackhawks kids really showed off their speed, physicality, and puck-hound tendencies, though.
• Nazar:
  • He was obviously the most skilled player on the ice, and the first period was especially strong for him. His vision was on display, showing off his ability to create offensive opportunities out of seemingly nowhere, and he made more than one Blues prospect look ridiculous trying to cover him.
  • There were some consistency issues throughout the game, though, with some moments when it didn’t seem like Nazar was going all out. Sometimes he’d do too much as well, stickhandling himself into situations where a good pass or dump would have been smarter. The top-end flashes were still there, though, and how skilled his hands are is so, so tantalizing.
  • It was a solid game from Nazar overall, and he had some really bright moments. I don’t think it was necessarily the best showing he could have had, but honestly that might have just been first game jitters or finding his legs, because Nazar was more noticeable in Game 2 (more on that below).
  • Interesting non-game note: Nazar skated this summer in Chicago with a group that included Patrick Kane.

• Dach:
  • He was a standout in many ways, fighting hard through the game — including literally. He was physical, tenacious, and constantly put himself in positions to be useful to his linemates.
  • The biggest draw back to Dach is that he doesn’t really have high end skill, but that’s not necessarily needed if he can compliment those types of players. He felt like the most physically mature player on the ice, in terms of using his body correctly. Dach’s got the potential to be a solid middle-six power forward type, if his development keeps progressing.
  • In many ways, Dach looked like the player he was during training camp last year, when he was building a case to make the NHL roster. It’s unfortunate that injuries derailed his first professional season because there was little doubt he would have been in Chicago before the end of the season if he’d stayed healthy.

• Lardis:
  • The other bright star when it came to offense, Lardis had some great moves both shooting and passing and he probably deserved more points for the effort.
  • Less impressive defensively but he honestly tried hard. For a smaller player, he’s very willing to go along the boards. If he could apply that same mentality to battling closer to the net, Lardis would open himself up to even more scoring opportunities. Right now, he’s a bit of a perimeter player, though he luckily has the shooting skills to make the most of that.
  • Despite needing a tweak here or there, Lardis does feel like he’s closer to NHL-ready than some other prospects on the ice last weekend. Obviously his shot is already NHL-caliber, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets time with the big club by the end of the season. And in the meantime, some eventual AHL time will help round out his game.

• Spellacy:
  • His speed alone made him noticeable in the first, but you can also see how very raw he is in basically every other category. He’ll have these great puck rushes when he just flat out beats opponents while hanging on to the puck well, and then others where he’s skating faster than his hands and he fumbles easily. He’s got to learn the right way to use his size, as he sometimes loses the battles for proper position, given the play.
  • Still, I’d say he was one of the better players in the game, simply because for the little mistakes, kid was engaged from start to finish and never gave up on a play. Turnover with the puck? Spellacy is skating to get the puck back. Missed on a hit? He’s dogging the player immediately after. Miscues on some offensive opportunities? The ideas were still good in general, and he never made the same mistake twice.
  • Spellacy was also honestly better defensively than I thought he’d be. Pretty good instincts on positioning, physical, great puck retrieval and exits, etc.
  • Considering how relatively inexperienced Spellacy is with hockey since he only just committed to playing the sport full-time recently, it’s kind of crazy how good his foundation already is with some very bright flashes.

• Ludwinski:
  • Speaking of speed, Ludwinski was another player who really knows how to use his skating well. Quite dogged on pucks, disruptive of opponents plays, and he maintained a high effort throughout.
  • His puck skills aren’t quite as refined as a few others on the ice, though, and he sometimes stumbled with the puck on innocuous looking plays.
  • On the PK was probably his standout situation on the ice simply because it allowed him to use his abilities to their fullest. He’s not perfect on positioning, which he’ll need to be if he wants to be played in defensive situations in the NHL, but he makes up for that with his persistence, either by out-working or out-racing opponents to loose pucks.

• Savoie:
  • Love this kid’s energy. He swarms the puck like many others, isn’t afraid to play in the dirty areas and comes out often with the puck despite not being the biggest. Quick, agile. Definitely a little rat in his game, too.

• Misiak:
  • Not a good game from Misiak. He seemed lead-footed, slow and not particularly engaged. He struggled with and without the puck through much of the game.
  • It was obviously disappointing considering he’s shown he can play much, much better than this.
• Del Mastro:
  • Not the best game from EDM, he looked like he was shaking off some rust from the summer. The defensemen in general were a little rough, though.
  • Skating got better throughout the game, along with his positioning, too. EDM has one of the better arsenals of shots among Blackhawks defensive prospects, but he seemed unable to really utilize them this game. More miscues than not, especially on the power play, which is a situation where he typically excels.
  • Another game I wouldn’t hold against a player simply because it’s the first after a long offseason.

• Allan:
  • Honestly, Allan was the best defenseman on the ice for the Blackhawks. He’s never going to be particularly strong offensively, but he was steady in all three zones. His skating is so smooth, and he was better at puck handling in motion this game than a lot last year in Rockford.
• Ty Henry:
  • He didn’t standout as much as EDM or Allan, but he had some moments, especially physically. Kid is absolutely willing to throw his body around and make his presence known through hits.

• Commesso:
  • Despite letting in a soft one in overtime, Commesso looked decent for most of the game. The defense in front was pretty dysfunctional but his workload wasn’t too hard either.
  • He allowed four goals on 34 shots, but he didn’t really have a chance on two of those goals (both screened) and a third was a 50-50 shot that he just needs more experience against.

Game 2 (from Zack):

• Nazar:
  • In the first period, he had solid effort and was hanging around the net just a bit ineffectively in terms of pushing the needle. For every good pass, there was a questionable one, and he got bullied on the boards. He did occasionally pull defenders well, but overconfidence with the puck up the middle is consistently resulting in him being stripped of the puck.
  • Nazar looked much better in the second period of the game: coasting a bit but much more active on all ends of the ice, decent backcheck, drawing penalties, and more. The pass to Spellacy was amazing.
  • The third period was Nazar’s best, although taking so many hits isn’t ideal and something he’ll have to learn to avoid at higher levels. But he also started delivering multiple hits and stealing the pucks off the board, and it turned into a hell of a game for him. The third was really night and day from the first period. Stellar play to get the puck to Rolston, took a hit to make the play.

• Dach:
  • First period was full of high energy up front and playing all around the ice. Missed an easy tap-in goal but was still present across the ice. Good backcheck consistently. Dach’s vision is impressive, and while skills don’t keep up, he’s seeing a lot of plays ahead of where expected.
  • He cooled somewhat in the second period, whiffed on a big shot attempt. It was just generally more quiet for him.
  • Third period was strong again for Dach. He consistently drove to the net and focused on appropriately deploying himself, breaking up multiple passes with his vision and active stick, and more.
• Lardis did not play in Game 2 due to illness:

• Spellacy:
  • After a noticable Game 1, he didn’t really make any impactful plays until the second. He pushes himself too far past his teammates to try to do it all himself too much, though, and needs to consider options vs. tunnel vision. Had a good attempt on net from a Nazar pass but didn’t capitalize. Good underlying ideas, though.
  • Second period saw a bit more solid passing and improving the reads. He also delivered a good hit on the boards, but he needs to rely more on positioning and not just size.
  • Despite the breakout of the puck, not a fan of Spellacy on the PK. Size utilization helps but he isn’t actively engaged in the defensive zone and sits around pretty still.
  • Spellacy had good physical effort and moved to get around the defender for the pass to Misiak goal. Nothing special but we love consistency and flashes from young guys.
• Ludwinski:
  • He gave up the puck a lot in the first, but he pushed and was hard to work against. Hell of a motor. Ludwinski was boarded in the first and missed some of the period after that, but he was back on the ice for the second.
  • In the second, I really liked Ludwinski’s defensive effort: he’s not doing much to really stop shots, but he’s speeding all over the defensive zone and making Minnesota players question passes or lanes. Skills have to improve but love the effort.

• Rolston:
  • Great speed and control up the boards from Rolston. Like seeing the rapid acceleration off the outside edges.
  • Really engaged up the offensive zone. Interesting how it’s developing but happy to see the development nonetheless.

• Slaggert:
  • He’s slower but used his body and size to eat up the middle of the ice. Not as noticeable, good or bad, as some other players.
  • He did get bullied behind the net later in the game. He’ll need to be more assertive on the forecheck at higher levels.

• Hayes:
  • He had questionable utilization in the first, but some good shot attempts and was decent at pushing guys off the boards. Hayes was one of the players who got better as the game went on.
  • He was awesome in the third. Really active at the end of a few plays to put shots on net or act as a net front physical presence. Could serve to get stronger but encouraging developments.
• Savoie:
  • He has wheels and was pushing to be active everywhere, but he really wasn’t doing much to push the play or play defense. Involved but almost takes himself out of the play. In the second half of the period, he started making some smarter defensive plays and clears.
• Misiak:
  • Another bad start for Misiak: he came across as uninvolved on ice, had big whiffs on shots and passes, had poor positioning and drive. Consistently looks lost throughout the neutral zone.
  • He did get better as the game progressed. The pass to Nazar was very good, elevated well.
  • Misiak was notably more engaged in the third. Shooting more and making some smart offensive looks. Decent approach up the ice and utilized a quick 1-2 step rapid acceleration on inside edges to push a shot on net at one point. The effort and pace on his goal was good as well.

• Del Mastro:
  • Decent power-play control but often dumps the puck back for someone else to initiate.
  • Weirdly, he continued to break the puck out behind him — not sure if its a personal choice or coaching choice, but that was super unlike how he played last year in Rockford.
  • He is really fast, though. Won a lot of puck battles and, while not great on the breakout, I’ve been a big fan of the defensive effort, especially on raw positioning.
• Allan:
  • A bit slow in the first, looked like he was just cruising. No real mistakes, quick passes and decent distribution. Good cut inside to prevent Minnesota pass was a highlight.
  • Second and third periods were full of subtle but strong defensive moves, such as deflections or a small stick lift in front of the net. A really good defensive defenseman in front of Gaudreau.

• Ty Henry:
  • Not the most well-known prospect as a recent, late-round pick but he’s thrown a lot of big hits and that’s always fun! Shut down a few plays pretty well on the boards by initially closing off the lane then hitting the body.
  • His offense is questionable, panics with the puck very quickly.