A lot is going on in Chicago Blackhawks’ land, and the hockey world, for that matter.
Between player transactions, the World Juniors, big wins, tough losses, and Olympic updates, the Blackhawks have seen everything over since returning from the Christmas break on Dec. 27.
Here are the latest happenings.
Blackhawks Player Updates
There have been quite a few player transactions with Connor Bedard, Frank Nazar, Nick Foligno, and Ilya Mihkeyev out of the lineup. So, here is the refresher.
- Landon Slaggert was recalled from the Rockford IceHogs on Dec. 27 and joined the team for their game against the Dallas Stars. In three games, he has averaged more than 13 minutes of ice time, being a top-line and fourth-line option. He has been a plus-2, with one point in that span.
- Dominic Toninato was sent back to Rockford on Dec. 29. He was recalled earlier in the month for added depth at forward and center, and played a fourth-line role. He had one point in five games.
- Toninato’s return to Rockford came after Nick Foligno’s return from a hand injury. Mikheyev returned against the New York Islanders on Dec. 30 after missing two games- big congratulations to the Mikheyev family on the birth of their baby.
- Update: Toninato was recalled from Rockford on Dec. 31.
As far as injury updates, Bedard is still expected to be re-evaluated after the New Year, but he was skating again (per Charlie Roumeliotis), albeit not shooting pucks, per orders. Head coach Jeff Blashill said on Dec. 29 about his skating, “I mean, Connor wants to be back tomorrow, you know. So, I think it’s going to be more of a matter of us kind of holding him back to the right time. But he’ll keep pushing…” Blashill did mention that although it is a good sign, “still the timeline is going to probably be the timeline. We’ll work through it.”
When it comes to Nazar, he was officially put on injured reserve when Foligno returned in Dallas. Blashill said about Nazar on Dec. 29, “I think he moved a little bit towards chewing food… like salmon he told he had last night. So, that’s a positive. Other than that, it’s just the time, you know. You just got to kind of let it heal. But that’s probably a serious thing, like the more you can start the intake, the less weight you lose, and the more ready you are when you get back.”
On the other hand, Jason Dickinson left the game in their 3-2 shootout loss against the Islanders. Blashill said he is “day-to-day”, noting, “It’s different than what it was. It’s an aggravation. It’s a muscular issue. I think he’ll be all right. I just don’t know how long.”
Nazar and Bedard seem to be recovering well, and Dickinson, being only day-to-day, is encouraging.
Blackhawks World Junior Updates
The World Juniors is always an exciting tournament. This year, in Minnesota, the Blackhawk have three prospects in the tournament: AJ Spellacy (USA), Anton Frondell (Sweden), and Václav Nestrašil (Czechia).
All three players are thriving. Frondell leads Sweden in points with five points in three games, and is also tied for third-best in goals in the tournament (3). Nestrašil and Spellacy both have four points in three games, and all three of them have had impressive plays to show for.
- Frondell’s goal against Germany: he has a hard, accurate shot.
- Nestrašil assist against Canada showing his crafty skillset.
- Spellacy’s short-handed goal against Slovakia highlights his hustle:
The Blackhawks’ brass has to be pleased with the start their prospects are having.
Bedard Left Off Olympic Team
The big news before the New Year is that Team Canada officially released its Olympic roster, but Bedard was omitted.
Even with the early reports seemingly counting him out, it stings not to see a change. Bedard has handled all the Olympic talk with class, with his latest remarks on the team coming on Dec. 9,
“No thoughts. You know, I’m just playing hockey every day. I’m trying to help the Blackhawks. I’m not worried about that right now. You know, all I can do is play my game and try to help us win hockey games. And whatever happens there happens. So, you know, I think everyone says that there’s millions of amazing players in Canada, and we’re so lucky for that. And they could go any which way with who they take and have a stacked team. So I’m just trying to play my game and help us win. And yeah, see what happens there.”
Bedard has been having an exceptional season. He has 44 points in 31 games and was third-best in NHL scoring behind Nathan MacKinnon and Connor McDavid before his injury.
Team Canada general manager Doug Armstrong was asked about Bedard’s injury and how it affected their decision process, “Not a lot, quite honestly. His name was right there until the last second because we could have named him and then move forward, but I think the reality is, is there’s so many good players, and we just had difficult decisions to make.”
Related: Islanders Overcome Blackhawks in the Shootout, 3-2
Olympics aside, Bedard has made an even bigger name for himself with the impact he has had on the Blackhawks. It would have been great to see him on Team Canada, especially given how well he has fared playing for them. His play this season has made him more than worthy of being in Italy. So, it’s disappointing.
But Bedard is just getting started, and the Blackhawks are lucky to have him.
