Blackhawks News & Rumors: Maroon, Martinez, Bedard, IceHogs, Adding Prospects, More

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The conclusion of the 2024-25 campaign is right around the corner for the Chicago Blackhawks. For the eighth season in a row (if you don’t count the playoffs of the 2019-20 bubble), Chicago has not made a postseason berth. The team will finish 31st in the league for the second season in a row, just ahead of the San Jose Sharks.

It’s almost time to clean out the lockers and head to the golf courses once again. However, the good news is there’s a sense of hope for the future, and a very busy offseason of changes and improvements awaits. There’s also no shortage of news and rumors before we close the book on this season.  

IceHogs Clinch Playoff Spot

While the Blackhawks aren’t headed to the playoffs, their farm team punched their ticket to the postseason over the weekend with a 2-1 overtime win over the Tucson Roadrunners on Saturday (Apr. 12). With five games left to go in the regular season, their playoff seeding is yet to be determined.

On Friday (Apr. 11) defenseman Ethan Del Mastro was reassigned to the IceHogs to help with their playoff push, and he already contributed by providing the secondary assist on the game-winning goal Saturday night. He’s likely to be joined by Kevin Korchinski and Artyom Levshunov when the Blackhawks season ends (last game is Tues. Apr. 15). Forward Colton Dach is also eligible, but he’s currently sidelined with an elbow injury.

Blackhawks Sign Thompson, He Joins IceHogs

While we’re on the subject of the IceHogs, the organization signed 23-year-old forward prospect Aidan Thompson to a two-year, entry-level contract with a cap hit of $895,000 on Saturday (Apr. 12). Thompson played for the University of Denver, who was eliminated from the Frozen Four NCAA tournament by Western Michigan (who went on to defeat Boston University to win the championship).

Aidan Thompson University of Denver
Forward Aidan Thompson, shown here with the University of Denver. (Photo credit: Denver Hockey Twitter/X)

The Blackhawks’ 2022 third round (90th overall) draft pick posted 21 goals and 34 assists for 55 points in 44 games for DU this season, serving as an alternate captain. His 55 points ranked second in the NCAA and his 34 assists ranked third.

Related – Blackhawks Sign Oliver Moore & Sam Rinzel to Entry-Level Contracts

Thompson will now immediately join the IceHogs on a Professional Tryout (PTO) for the remainder of their 2024-25 season. The organization made a similar deal with defensive prospect Taige Harding on Apr. 1, after his Providence College was eliminated from the NCAA tournament. Harding has already suited up for four games with the IceHogs, contributing one assist.

Greene Signs Too, Will Join Blackhawks

But wait; there’s more! Blackhawks’ forward prospect Ryan Greene will now join the Blackhawks for their final two games. He signed a three-year entry-level contract with a cap hit of $950,000 on Sunday (Apr. 13).

The 21-year-old contributed 13 goals and 38 points in 40 games with Boston University this season while serving as their team captain. He was selected in the second round (57th overall) in the 2022 NHL Draft.

Sorensen Named To Worlds’ Coaching Staff for Team Sweden

Let’s move on to some coaching news. Anders Sorensen didn’t step into an easy situation when he was named the Blackhawks’ interim head coach after Luke Richardson was fired in early December. Sorensen, with no previous NHL coaching experience, inherited a 8-16-2 losing record and a team that was struggling terribly to find their identity. While the Blackhawks initially rebounded under Sorensen, his shift to a more offensive approach ran its course rather quickly. They eventually reverted back to old habits.

Now, with two games to go, the Blackhawks record under Sorensen is 15-30-9, which is still quite subpar. Many are saying the Swedish bench boss is in over his head, and it’s a forgone conclusion the Blackhawks will likely find a different head coach in the offseason.

But Sorensen has also been with the organization, first as a development coach, since 2014. He transitioned to an assistant coach with the Rockford IceHogs in 2018 and served as the head coach since 2021. That’s quite an extensive resume, and a lot of longevity.

Which is why it comes as no real surprise the 49-year-old was named as a member of the coaching staff for the upcoming IIHF World Championships for his native country of Sweden.

Blackhawks’ fans might not have the highest opinion of Sorensen, but he’s respected in the hockey world for his development of young players. The Worlds is always a super fun tournament, and Sweden is usually a tough competitor. It will be fun to follow Sorensen and Team Sweden to see how they compete this year.  

Bedard Breaks Another Record

Now on to some news from the Blackhawks 5-4 shootout loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday (Apr. 12). In this game, Connor Bedard provided a power play goal for his 21st tally of the season, and also the primary assist on a Ryan Donato goal later in the contest. This was his 42nd assist on the season, but also his 81st overall, pushing him ahead of Eddie Olczyk for most assists by a teenager in franchise history.

Bedard might be having a down year by last year’s standards and everyone’s high expectations of this generational talent. But he’s consistently been adding to the scoresheet all season long, especially in the helper department.

Related – Connor Bedard’s Point Total as a Teenager Reminds Us to Be Patient

He’s been picking up steam lately with a goal and three assists in the last four games, and there’s still two more contests for him to add to these totals. Quite frankly, I’d be surprised if he didn’t.   

Maroon & Martinez Play Last NHL Games

While we’ve already discussed some prospects just joining the organization, we had two veteran players that called it a career Saturday night. Winger Pat Maroon and defenseman Alec Martinez suited up in their last NHL game together. It was bittersweet, for sure. Both players were drafted in the 2007 draft, and they each have won three Stanley Cup championships!

Maroon amassed 125 goals and 323 points in 848 regular season games, plus 23 goals and 53 points in 163 playoff games. In his 14-year career, he played for eight teams (Anaheim Ducks, Edmonton Oilers, New Jersey Devils, St. Louis Blues, Tampa Bay Lighting, Minnesota Wild, Boston Bruins and the Blackhawks). He was most known for his physical play and defending his teammates, and was affectionately called the “Big Rig”. The 36-year-old was also nominated for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy this year.

Martinez notched 88 goals and 289 points in 862 regular season games, plus 14 goals and 37 points in 131 playoff games. In his 16-year career, he played for the Los Angeles Kings, Vegas Golden Knights and the Blackhawks. For Hawks fans, Martinez is well known for his game-winning goal against the Blackhawks in Game 7 of the 2014 Western Conference Finals when he played for the Kings (notice that was NOT in the video tribute above). Yeah, that was a heartbreaker, but Chicago embraced Martinez this year nonetheless.

Related – Jets 5-4 Shootout Win Sours Blackhawks Home Finale

It was an honor and a privilege for the young players to have these two veterans with the Blackhawks for their final season in the league. They are both true professionals and role models with a winning pedigree, and I’m sure they taught the youngsters some innumerable lessons.

Best of luck to Maroon and Martinez in their retirement!

Blackhawks 2025 Draft Order 

The Blackhawks earned a point in their shootout loss to the Jets on Saturday, giving them 57 points overall. If the Sharks win all three of their remaining games and the Hawks lose their last two, the Sharks could tie the Blackhawks in points. But Chicago has more regulation wins (20) than the Sharks (14), so the Hawks would win the tiebreaker.

This locks the Blackhawks into 31st place for the second year in a row. They will have a 13.5% chance at winning the lottery, and can’t fall any farther than picking fourth. Not a bad consolation prize for a season that went worse than expected.

Related – Young Blackhawks Are Ready to Take Control of the Team

There’s only two more games to go for the Blackhawks, with really nothing on the line. But the youngsters will be looking to end the season on a high note, as well as prove their worth and welcome newcomer Greene. Meanwhile, the IceHogs are gearing up for the playoffs, with reinforcements on the way. And two legends of the game said their goodbyes and will now head off into the sunset.

Be sure to keep it right here at The Hockey Writers for plenty of offseason material. We’ll have player grades and prospect profiles, as well as draft and free agency coverage. Never a dull moment with the Blackhawks!

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