At 9:30 a.m. Thursday, the Chicago Blackhawks filed out of their locker room and skated onto the ice. One by one, players made their rounds on the Fifth Third Arena rink to warm up.
Drills started not even a couple of minutes later. Coach Jeff Blashill’s voice could be heard a mile away, and it didn’t take long for the first f-bomb of camp to be hurled after a sloppy start.
The locker room afterward was full of deep breaths, sweat and water bottles. The second team, which featured Frank Nazar and Artyom Levshunov, then took the rink and did the same, with a similar scene afterward.
The practice was fast-paced, as Blashill is hammering down on his view of the Hawks being a speedy team. It was no surprise to the players — it was actually welcome.
“He warned us a little bit (that) we were going to be skating,” center Connor Bedard said. “You need to do that. It’s going to build a culture and the way we’re going to play.”
Day 1 of training camp was a tough set of drills that quickly set the tone of Blashill’s intentions.
“I’m pumped (to) get to this point of the year and (I’m) ready to roll,” Blashill said. “I’ve really enjoyed our group as people and getting to know our guys and where their commitment level is. We’ve got lots of work to do, but you can see out there (that) the guys put the work in.”
General manager Kyle Davidson has been impressed by his new coach. While Davidson didn’t have any early takeaways from what he saw from the first team — which featured Bedard, Sam Rinzel, Ryan Donato and Oliver Moore, among others — he did notice the Blashill effect.
“Just the tone that Blash was setting and the expectations, you can see the standard’s there,” Davidson said. “If something’s not right, stop, correct, little skate (and) get back at it. It was nice to see.
“Every coach has their own style and expectations. Jeff’s camp is going to be difficult, which sets the tone for the rest of the season.”
Bedard said during the 2024-25 season that he wanted to be a faster skater. It was only one day, but No. 98’s get-off looked to have improved.
He had some Bedard-like stick moves and goals, including one that got past goaltender Drew Commesso, but he also was able to lead more rushes down the ice. He wants to make sure he can keep up with his teammates because speed will be the Hawks’ game.
“We’re a fast team, we’ve got to use that,” Bedard said. “You watch a team like Florida (that is) always hounding guys skating and you don’t really see much time and space out there. We want to eliminate the other team’s space, and that’ll make us hard to play.
“We’ve got some of the fastest guys in the league. That’s how we need to play. You’ve got to play to your strengths and our biggest strength is our skating.”
The Hawks franchise player wasn’t the only one who felt the difference. Captain and left wing Nick Foligno noted that he’s happy with the standard being set early. Blashill said he wouldn’t be surprised if he lost his voice after the loud first day.
“He’s understanding that he has to communicate for us to know exactly what he wants,” Foligno said. “(It’s) a part of my job … to make sure that I’m a reflection of that and then make sure my habits are where they need to be.
“We’re flying. It’s cool to see, and I’m right up there with them,” the 37-year-old added with a smirk.
As the Hawks decide on their roster, what stands out to Blashill, especially with the younger players, is having the fundamentals.
“We want to start to build a culture here,” he said. “The second goal is to be sure our systems are in place (and) the third goal is to figure out who (will be) in what spots.”
Foligno called this “an exciting time for the franchise.”
“There’s guys in here that are going to push us and help us get better,” he said. “It’s the start of something great and I hope people take it serious.”
Injury notes
- Goaltender Laurent Brossoit had hip surgery, and Davidson said it could be “months” before he’s back on the ice.
- AJ Spellacy has a shoulder injury with a seven- to 10-day timetable for a return, while fellow winger Jack Pridham is day to day with an infection.
- Defenseman Ty Henry will undergo knee surgery with a unknown timetable.
Other news from Kyle Davidson
- The Hawks GM said he has “zero concern” that the team will reach an extension with Bedard.
- After a couple of “up-and-down” seasons, Davidson said this will be a “prove it” camp for left wing Lukas Reichel.
- Davidson said he’s happy to have Wyatt Kaiser back in the fold after the defenseman and the Hawks agreed to a two-year contract Wednesday night with a $1.7 million average annual value.