A lot of eyes are going to be on Chicago Blackhawks’ defenseman Alex Vlasic this season.
With other defense prospects like Sam Rinzel and Artyom Levshunov, who look to take significant strides this season, Vlasic will have more of a mentor role as he enters his third full NHL season.
I met with Vlasic at training camp on Sept. 26 to hear more about this season.
Vlasic’s Enthusiasm for 2025-26
“I’m ready to get going” was the conclusion of Vlasic’s answer after I asked him about his summer. It was a good one for him, which included winning a gold medal at the World Championships for Team USA in May. But like any hockey player, the summer is always going to be too long when you miss the playoffs, and he’s champing at the bit to get the season started.
If you look back at Vlasic’s career, each season has brought a new and exciting challenge for him. His first full NHL season was his breakout season in 2023-24, which earned him a six-year contract extension afterward. Then last season, his challenge was more about upping his role, especially after Seth Jones’ departure in March. He played as expected last season, being a team leader in time on ice (23:16 minutes). He also led the defense in points (30), a number that doubled from 2023-24. Even though he had mentioned struggling with some fatigue at one point during the season, he still delivered as the team’s number one defenseman.
His last two seasons came under former head coaches Luke Richardson and Anders Sorensen. So, another new and exciting challenge for him comes with head coach Jeff Blashill’s system. I asked him about his excitement level for this season, “I’m very excited to see what we have in store this year. I think we have a lot of inexperience, relatively to the NHL average [among our] players. But I think at the end of the day, it’s going to bring a lot of excitement within the team. Guys are hungry to learn. Guys are hungry for spots. So, yeah, I couldn’t be more excited. I feel like this year feels fresh. It feels new, obviously, with the coaching staff, so for sure, the other guys feel the same way.”
Vlasic continued, “But for myself, I’m only 24, but I want to be like a leader and somebody to look up to, and to have gotten a little bit of experience now playing here, for the young defensemen, I want to show them what I’ve learned so far.”
Vlasic’s Leadership Growing with Blackhawks
Leadership is the keyword with Vlasic. While Connor Murphy remains the significant veteran leader on the defense, currently, the defense is Vlasic’s, and it seems to be a role he doesn’t take lightly.
We also discussed books because the Blackhawks posted last season that he always keeps a book in his travel bag. He told me he likes to read more “informational” books; those that you can obtain something from. Right now, he is reading a book by former Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski. He couldn’t recall the title, but he mentioned it was about the art of leadership. He noted, “I like to read. I think it’s a good way for me to learn something and just to kind of challenge my brain, and make sure that I’m still in school, somewhat.”
As far as what to expect from Vlasic next season, besides taking charge on ice, the one thing he excels at is takeaways. In the last two seasons, he has been top-five in takeaways among NHL defensemen. I inquired about what the art of the takeaway was for him.
Vlasic replied, “I think my size and my reach helps quite a bit. I think I’ve never been a defenseman who’s played too physically. So, for me… in my head, I try to separate the puck from the guy first, and like I said, I think with my long reach and my skating ability, I’m able to kind of surprise guys with how close I am to them and how I’m able to get the puck off them. I definitely pride myself in that. I feel like I want to be a defenseman that’s hard to play against and can transition the puck quickly, strip guys with the puck, and get it moving north.”
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Training camp took a concerning turn for Vlasic when he suffered an injury in a preseason game against the Minnesota Wild on Sept. 28. He was cut by a skate, but fortunately for him and the Blackhawks, he is considered day-to-day.
However, despite the injury, it doesn’t detract from how he has continued to impress, including coach Blashill. Blashill said on Sept. 27,
“He’s had an excellent training camp, to be honest with you. He’s what I think really good defensemen are in that he’s efficient with the puck. I think he can create offense by how he passes the puck, how he breaks the puck out.
Sometimes breaking the puck out doesn’t result in points, but sure results in offense, and he’s done an excellent job of that. I think from the offensive blue line, he can still continue to improve so that that offense comes that way. But he’s an excellent defender; really long. I think he’s had an excellent camp.”
As the regular season inches closer on Oct. 7, Vlasic’s performance in 2025-26 is one for Blackhawks fans to watch. He told Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times about his plan to maintain his energy levels throughout the season. With that, combined with an emerging leadership mindset, intellect, and defensive capabilities, it should be another big season for him.
The Blackhawks will need him, and he is more than prepared.