Blackhawks veteran defensemen Brent Seabrook and Calvin de Haan were included on the roster, while forwards Andrew Shaw and Zack Smith were left off due to injury.
The Chicago Blackhawks announced their 35-man roster for the potential 24-team postseason on Monday morning, as training camps are set to open as part of Phase 3 of the NHL’s Return-To-Play Plan. The Blackhawks playoff roster is made up of 18 forwards, 12 defensemen, and five goaltenders, but they will have to trim down their roster to 28 skaters and only three goalies before traveling to their hub city on July 26.
Most notably, Blackhawks defensemen Brent Seabrook (shoulder/hips) and Calvin de Haan (shoulder) both made the roster after undergoing surgery back in December, but forward Andrew Shaw (concussion) and Zack Smith (back) were not included due to their injuries. Shaw has been sidelined since last November with a concussion, while Smith underwent back surgery on Mar. 6 and was given a three-to-four month timetable to return.
Blackhawks top prospect Ian Mitchell, who was recently deemed ineligible to play in the potential postseason, was also not included on the roster. The Hawks had the option to burn one of Mitchell’s three entry-level years just so he could practice with the team, but they made the wise decision not to.
Outside of the Blackhawks normal NHL roster, they also invited a handful of AHL players in case of injuries or COVID-19 cases. Those players include forwards MacKenzie Entwistle, Brandon Hagel, Reese Johnson, Philipp Kurashev, John Quenneville, and Dylan Sikura; defensemen Nicolas Beaudin, Chad Krys, and Alec Regula; and goaltenders Collin Delia, Kevin Lankinen, and Matt Tomkins.
The Blackhawks are set to take on the Edmonton Oilers in the best-of-five play-in series starting on Aug. 1. The winner will move on to the first-round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, while the loser will have a 12.5 percent chance of landing the first-overall selection in the 2020 NHL Draft. Phase 2 of the NHL’s Draft Lottery is currently scheduled for Aug. 10, with the actual Draft itself locked in for Oct. 9 and 10.
Here’s a look at the Blackhawks full 35-man postseason roster:
Forwards: Drake Caggiula, Ryan Carpenter, Kirby Dach, Alex DeBrincat, MacKenzie Entwistle, Brandon Hagel, Matthew Highmore, Reese Johnson, David Kampf, Patrick Kane, Dominik Kubalik, Philipp Kurashev, Alex Nylander, John Quenneville, Brandon Saad, Dylan Sikura, Dylan Strome, and Jonathan Toews.
Defensemen: Nicolas Beaudin, Adam Boqvist, Lucas Carlsson, Calvin de Haan, Chad Krys, Duncan Keith, Slater Koekkoek, Olli Maatta, Connor Murphy, Alec Regula, Brent Seabrook, and Nick Seeler.
Goaltenders: Corey Crawford, Collin Delia, Kevin Lankinen, Malcolm Subban, and Matt Tomkins.
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