Well, here we are. It’s the end of January, and the Chicago Blackhawks have already played 51 of their 82 games in the 2024-25 season. We all know by now it hasn’t been the greatest campaign. The Blackhawks went 3-7-1 in October, 5-6-1 in November and 4-11-0 in December. Their final January record of 4-6-3 is…par for the course. At least their overall standing of 16-30-5 (37 points) is currently ahead of the San Jose Sharks. I know, that’s not much consolation.
The team had their first casualty of their underwhelming season when they traded veteran Taylor Hall to the Carolina Hurricanes. The Mar. 7 trade deadline is looming, with more changes likely on the horizon. The Blackhawks have also recently called up a lot of their young stars (Frank Nazar, Colton Dach, Landon Slaggert, Ethan Del Mastro). So, the remainder of the season could involve a lot of growing pains. But at least it’s growing, right?! Who’s going to step up and make a name for themselves?
Related – Chicago Blackhawks’ 3 Stars for December
With that in mind, let’s get to the Blackhawks’ three Stars for January. These are players that have stood out more than the rest this past month.
No. 3 Star: Frank Nazar
I had to go with one of the newbies for my No. 3 Star. Nazar had a rough game against the Hurricanes on Thursday (Jan. 30), but those outings are going to happen. I didn’t choose Nazar because he had the most goals, assists or points, but because of his incremental progression since joining the team. His overall body of work is impressive. The Detroit, Michigan native came up from the Rockford IceHogs in mid-December. In his first nine games, he only registered one assist.
But January has been a different story. In his first six games in January, Nazar recorded his first goal of the season along with another assist. On Jan. 16 against the Predators, the 21-year-old was officially promoted to the top line with Connor Bedard and Tyler Bertuzzi.
Since being promoted, Nazar has been credited with two goals and three assists, which culminated in a four-game point streak. Many times he looks like one of the best and most aggressive players on the ice. He doesn’t lack for confidence, and he’s built up some solid chemistry with his new linemates. He’s cooled off a little since his streak, but I would expect him to break out again soon. Nazar seems to be a very smart player, who learns quickly from his mistakes and adjusts accordingly. I’m looking forward to how he’s going to progress throughout the rest of the season.
No. 2 Star: Arvid Soderblom
Soderblom has arguably emerged as the Blackhawks’ No. 1 goalie this past month. He’s suited up for seven games in January, including the last two consecutive contests. His 2-3-2 record doesn’t seem so great on the surface. But he arguably deserved wins in the 3-2 shootout loss to the Nashville Predators on Jan. 16 and the 4-3 overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Jan. 24.
Related – Landon Slaggert Can Fill Complementary Role on Blackhawks if Ryan Donato Is Traded
In January, the 25-year-old has made 229 saves on 251 shots for an impressive .912 save percentage. For reference, Petr Mrazek has made 189 saves on 209 shots for a .904 SV% (albeit through 6 games played). The point here is that Soderblom is facing a large quantity of shots and still managing to make a large quantity of saves. As a matter of fact, the Swedish netminder faced 34 or more shots in six of his seven January starts. Here’s his favorite save from the recent contest against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Arvid Soderblom: “I feel confident, I feel calm, and that’s when you play your best — when you just go out there having fun and not really thinking too much.”
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) January 29, 2025
He said this was his favorite of his 34 saves:
pic.twitter.com/tbzZ7bjKYq
Soderblom’s overall .909 SV% currently ranks him a respectable 24th in the league. As he says, he feels calm and confident and he’s just trying to react and not think too much. If Soderblom can continue to be this consistent, he should have a bright NHL future ahead of him.
No. 1 Star: Connor Bedard
Yes, it might seem predictable, and Bedard was the No. 1 Star in December as well. But he’s deserved it. After a slower start to the season, Bedard has made up for it these past few months. In December he boasted six goals, 10 assists and 16 points through 15 games. For January, Bedard has posted five goals, seven assists and 12 points through 13 games. As a matter of fact, there’s only two games in January where Bedard didn’t register a point, and he now boasts at least a point in 16 of his last 18 games. Check out his 14th goal of the season, which was the kind of top-shelf snipe not many players can make.
Connor Bedard with an absolute snipe for his 14th goal of the season. Goodness. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/1Vn5j6vhcK
— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) January 29, 2025
During a TV timeout, CHSN commentator Rick Ball was in awe and asked the 19-year-old just what he saw when making that shot. “Ah, I saw enough room for a puck to go in there,” he responded. Well, geez kid. Thanks for sharing your secrets! But seriously folks, Bedard gives us a reason to keep watching this campaign. Spectacular plays like this somehow just come naturally to him. As Blackhawks’ fans, we should appreciate this and not take it for granted that we are watching a special player.
Bedard currently leads the team in assists (30) and points (45). His 15 goals is tied with Ryan Donato for second on the team (Tyler Bertuzzi is first with 17 goals).
Honorary Mention: Louis Crevier
As a closing thought, I’d like to give a shoutout to 23-year-old defenseman Crevier. This young blueliner has benefitted greatly from the trust interim head coach Anders Sorensen had in him when they were both down in Rockford. Because of numerous injuries to veteran defensemen, Crevier was called up to the Blackhawks in late November. He scored his first NHL goal on Nov. 27th versus the Dallas Stars.
In January, Crevier added two more goals and an assist. This is from a defenseman who was drafted in the seventh round (188th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft. Many players drafted that late never even see NHL time.
But the 6-foot-8 defenseman has shown he’s an asset for the Blackhawks, playing mostly on the second defensive pairing alongside Alex Vlasic. As a matter of fact, Crevier’s average ice time in January was 19:37 minutes, which is good for third place on the team (Seth Jones averaged 23:58 minutes, Vlasic 23:47 minutes, and Alec Martinez 19:36 minutes). Crevier is also currently a -minus 2 in plus/minus differential, meaning he’s contributing to keeping the opposing team from scoring when he’s on the ice. Crevier is truly a top-four defenseman right now for the Blackhawks.
Related – Blackhawks’ Bertuzzi Beginning to Find Stride in Chicago
It’s disappointing to watch yet another seemingly lost season for the Blackhawks. But all the January Stars are youngsters who could be part of a much better future. Kudos to them for their contributions! Watching the younger players find some success is a reason to watch this team right now.
Who will earn some bragging rights in February?
