It’s an understatement to say it’s been a rough December for the Chicago Blackhawks. After going 3-7-1 in October and 5-6-1 in November, December’s win/loss numbers are a dismal 4-11-0. Their overall standing of 12-24-2 is still last in the league. This team currently seems to be going backward instead of forward. In an effort to staunch the bleeding, the organization fired their head coach, Luke Richardson, on Dec. 6, and replaced him with Anders Sorensen, former head coach of the Rockford IceHogs. While there was a bit of a new coach bump (the Blackhawks won three consecutive games mid-month), the club’s record under Sorensen is still a measly 4-8-0.
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But the show must go on and we have a 3 Stars column to write! Believe it or not, despite the team’s overall record, some players have seen a significant bump in production based of Sorensen’s more offensively aggressive system. Let’s get to three Blackhawks’ players that have stood out more than the rest in December.
No. 3 Star: Taylor Hall
Hall and Tyler Bertuzzi were promoted to the top line alongside Connor Bedard shortly after Sorensen took over. The three have fared well together. I actually almost went with Bertuzzi as the No. 3 Star (seven goals and nine points in December). But Hall wins out in actual points, registering three goals and eight assists for 11 points this past month (he only had five goals and nine points in October and November). Six of Hall’s eight assists in December primary assists.
In the span between Dec. 21 and Dec. 27, the 33-year-old had a three-game streak going of five points (all assists). But then he went point-less in the contest versus the Dallas Stars before his big goal in the Winter Classic. All of these contests still resulted in losses for the Blackhawks.
CHELSEA DAGGER AT WRIGLEY FIELD 🎶 pic.twitter.com/sFo637gX91
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 31, 2024
Hall was actually deployed on the second line alongside Jason Dickinson and Nick Foligno in practice of Thursday (Jan. 2). Coach Sorensen is shaking up the lines after five consecutive losses. Nevertheless, I would expect the veteran to continue his production, now that he’s seemingly found his groove in Chicago.
No. 2 Star: Teuvo Teravainen
Like Hall, Teuvo Teravainen struggled a bit in his first few months with the Blackhawks. He started out okay, with three goals and seven points in October. But then in November he only registered four points (three goals and one assist). But the Finnish forward has been the assist machine in December. He sports 12 assists to go along with one goal for 13 points.
Teravainen specializes on the power play, with his goal and five assists coming on the man advantage. But the 30-year-old also established some unexpected chemistry with Ilya Mikheyev this past month. In the game versus the New York Islanders on Dec. 12, Sorensen made some third period adjustments that involved Bedard moving to a line with Dickinson and Foligno. This corresponded with Teravainen being deployed with Mikheyev and Philipp Kurashev.
Teravainen and Mikheyev then went on a tear that involved five goals in four games by Mikheyev; four of them with the primary assist coming from Teravainen, and one where TT provided the secondary assist.
The duo has since cooled off a bit, leading them to be split up in the lineup. Teravainen looks to be deployed on the third line with the “Rockford boys”, Frank Nazar and Colton Dach for the next matchup against the Montreal Canadiens on Jan. 3. Can Teravainen continue his production while also mentoring the youngsters? He currently ranks second on the team in assists (17) and points (24).
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P.S. Honorary mention to Mikheyev for his five goals and eight points in December! It appears from lineups in practice this week that he’ll get another shot on the top line with Bedard and Bertuzzi.
No. 1 Star: Connor Bedard
Bedard earns the No. 1 Star this month, and this is also the first time he’s been named a Star this season. The 19-year-old is yet another top-six player that had a slow start to the season, tallying just four goals throughout October and November. But he broke out of his slump in December, notching six goals. Add in a healthy 10 assists, and that’s 16 points altogether (he had just 13 assists combined through October and November).
Of Bedard’s 16 points, three goals and five helpers were accumulated on the power play. So exactly half of Bedard’s production in December has been on the power play, while the other half is during 5-on-5 play. A very balanced effort. Below is my favorite Bedard goal from December, against the Calgary Flames on Dec. 21. This tally highlights some great teamwork from Bedard and his two latest linemates, Hall and Bertuzzi.
a bedsy beauty🤩 pic.twitter.com/JYyNKMXybT
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 21, 2024
Because of his slow start, many pundits were talking about this season being a sophomore slump for Bedard. But as we approach the mid-way point of the Blackhawks’ 2024-25 campaign, his 10 goals, 23 assists and 33 points are all about halfway towards his production from last season (22 goals, 39 assists, 61 points).
Granted, he only played in 68 contests last season due to a broken jaw. But if Bedard can continue to produce as he’s done in December, he should safely surpass his 2023-24 numbers. He’s currently riding a five-game point streak (three goals and seven points), that he’s looking to extend into January.
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The Blackhawks have a chance at a fresh start in 2025, starting with 13 games in January, nine of which are at home. It all starts tonight (Jan. 3) with a contest against the Montreal Canadiens at the United Center. Hopefully the Blackhawks can collectively earn some more wins this month, and individually earn some more Stars!
