The Chicago Blackhawks finished their 2025 preseason road trip, traveling to the Detroit Red Wings, St. Louis Blues and Minnesota Wild. The Hawks will host these three teams at the United Center before the regular season begins in Florida on Oct. 7.
As the Hawks’ roster solidifies, the skaters are looking to prove they are NHL-ready. Here are four players who made noise on the road.
1. Oliver Moore
The speedy forward displayed his prolific skating as he played in all of the road preseason games. He was a winger to Frank Nazar with Aidan Thompson in Detroit and put up some shots on a night where the Hawks struggled to score in a 3-2 loss.
It was a different story against the Blues. The Hawks went into a flurry in the third period against St. Louis, scoring four unanswered goals to win 4-2. The go-ahead goal was one of the more bizarre plays. On a breakaway into the Blues zone, Colton Dach delivered a huge hit in center ice. A scrum ensued that included every player from both sides.
Every player except Moore, who sped past a defender in a solo breakaway for an off-camera goal. He turned around to celebrate with his team, only to see them in their fight.
“I didn’t even know what was going on behind me,” Moore said after the Blues game. “I shot the puck, I scored (and) I looked back waiting for my teammates to come celebrate with me and they were all in a brawl.”
Moore seems to be a perfect fit for coach Jeff Blashill’s faster vision. He can lead any breakaway and just needs to tune up his finishing to be a consistent threat.
He’s a great skater to compare other Hawks to when it comes to speed. There were moments in camp where Connor Bedard — who has worked on his skating this summer — matched Moore in drills.
Appearing in every preseason game looks good for Moore’s main roster hopes. His speed should catch teams off guard in the regular season.
2. Dominic Toninato
The scoring against the Blues began with a minute of the forward. The line with Toninato, Martin Misiak and Gavin Hayes produced the best offense for the Hawks on Saturday.
Early in the third period, defenseman Connor Murphy found Toninato in right ice, and he flicked the puck in for the Hawks’ first goal of the night. Seconds later, the forward found Hayes sitting in front of the net to tie the game 2-2.
Hayes and Misiak were assigned to the IceHogs on Saturday, while Toninato was placed on waivers Sunday, opening his path to sign with Rockford. The forward will be a great veteran piece who will bring experience in a pinch to the Hawks as well as IceHogs teammates and prospects.
3. Sam Rinzel
It’s early, but fans are excited about what they’ve seen from the defenseman out of the University of Minnesota. He impressed again in his two preseason appearances in Detroit and Minnesota.
Rinzel earned the first assist of the preseason for the Hawks against the Red Wings. A second-period power play saw Rinzel trade the puck with Bedard. The defenseman sent it to the left one more time and Bedard launched a snipe for his first goal of 2025-26. Blashill had his team work on special teams in the practices leading up to the preseason games and it showed.
Rinzel and Wyatt Kaiser showed their defensive poise against the Wild. In a goal that should’ve gone past Drew Commesso, Rinzel saved it with the top of his skate to prevent the Wild from scoring their second goal of the night in the Hawks’ 4-1 win.
The Hawks performed well in the power play and penalty kill last season, so the team hopes Rinzel’s presence will lift the team into the upper ranks of the NHL. The defenseman’s great ice vision and ability to create in the power play and on even strength make him a threat with each second of ice time.
He skated with Alex Vlasic in the days before Detroit, signaling they are trusting the 21-year-old with top-pair duties. Rinzel and Bedard on the ice together could result in a lot of goals.
4. Frank Nazar
The Hawks signed Nazar to his seven-year, $46 million contract in hopes that he takes the next step in his play. If his performance on Sunday says anything, it’s that he’s more than ready.
His game at the Wild began with a first-period goal. Tyler Bertuzzi kept the puck in play, then took a shot that bounced off the goalie toward Teuvo Teräväinen. Nazar collected a pass from Teräväinen in front of the net to give the Hawks a 1-0 lead.
In the second, the forward flashed his skating skills by zooming by the Wild defense on a breakaway. Bertuzzi got his second assist by passing to the flying Nazar, who flicked the puck in for goal No. 2. Nazar launched one from the logo into an empty net for a preseason hat trick at the end of the third.
He will be a skater that opposing teams will have to watch for whenever he’s off the bench. Whether centering the second line or joining the power play with Bedard, Nazar has a chance to score every time the puck flies his way.
Roster notes
The following players have been assigned to the Rockford IceHogs:
- F Brett Seney
- F Paul Ludwinski
- F Jackson Cates
- F Gavin Hayes
- F Martin Misiak
- D Andrew Perrott
- D Cavan Fitzgerald
- D Taige Harding
- D Dmitry Kuzmin
- D Ryan Mast
- G Stanislav Berezhnoy
- Forward Dominic Toninato was placed on waivers by the Hawks, opening his path to sign with the IceHogs.
There are 38 players remaining on the training camp roster.