Blackhawks Camp Preview

Tommie Lee
Sep 11, 2014
3 min read

Today is the eleventh. This means Training Camp will open at Notre Dame just over a week from today. Our Hockey will soon return to us, like a well-delivered hit to another team’s goon. One that fans realize will be paid back later the moment it’s delivered.

The players competing for the plug-in spots have a lot of hard skating ahead of them when they get to the Compton Family Ice Arena. To snag one of the depth positions on an incredibly deep team requires something amazing. You have to catch the attention of The Mighty Q and the rest of his staff. You have to impress the big boys. You have to fit well with them on the ice, and compliment their game while you trot out your own with pride.

Here is a preview of things to come:

FORWARDS

All eyes will be on Peter Regin and Jeremy Morin. Both of them began paying their dues already and are eager to prove that they are the heirs apparent for the slot remaining after the departures of Brandon Bollig and Michal Handzus (age 87)…and the signing of Brad Richards.

Morin is especially eager to finally break into the ranks of the upperclassmen, having already skated with the team on and off for four seasons. Regin is a great two-way threat and has to be taken seriously. There’s always the possibility that he spends the bulk of Camp at Center, rather than Forward. And then there’s the little matter of fan-darling Teuvo Teravainen, the wunderkind who is talked about so often on social media you’d think he was cloned from the hairs of Patrick Kane’s wispy playoff beard.

Who could sneak in and catch Q’s eye? There are two guys. The first is Joakim Nordstrom, who looked great at camp last year and skated well in Chicago and Rockford during the season. Coach Quenneville is high on Nordstrom. The other is Brandon Mashinter, the not-so-gentle giant who was brought on at the mid-point of the season last year. He’s 6’4” and plays like a force of nature. Seriously. He’s tall and tough. If he ever says “I am Groot” in a press conference, he will become my favorite player.

Teuvo, of course, bears watching along with guys like Phil Danault and Matt Carey. Their time is not here yet, though. They are the future.

DEFENSE

The Blue Line Corps is firm and even more difficult to break into. We have six of the seven or eight spots spoken for with some great names. David Rundblad is likely a skate ahead of the rest of the challengers. Still, it will be interesting to see how the veteran Kyle Cumiskey does. He skated for Q before in Colorado, and knows what The Mustachioed One is looking for. And the top two names from Rockford, Klas Dahlbeck and Adam Clendenning, will likely turn a few heads with their carefully-honed guard duty. They both had excellent seasons last year.

I hope you bought tickets. Training Camp at Notre Dame on the 20th & 21st, as well as the Training Camp Festival at the United Center on the 22nd, are all sold out.

ALSO THIS WEEK

Wednesday, the league announced that this season’s Winter Classic between the Blackhawks and the Washington Capitals will be played at Nationals Park in D.C., as expected. A special sweater design for that game that will cost fans a buttload of money to own will be revealed soon.

Go Hawks.