The Blackhawks are finally back on the ice, and it’s officially the time of year where we overanalyze what we see early in training camp and project what certain groups might look like during the season. Chicago opened camp Thursday by jumping straight into a scrimmage, which is clearly the best look at what the team might throw out on opening night. That first look was certainly an intriguing one, with the Blackhawks putting some unexpected forward lines together early. Below is a rough look at the lines we saw over the first two days of camp. Remember – it’s still early. These lines are about the furthest thing from final, but the coaching staff obviously wants to see how these players work together.
Taylor Hall — Connor Bedard — Tyler Bertuzzi
Lukas Reichel — Philipp Kurashev — Teuvo Teräväinen
Nick Foligno — Jason Dickinson — Ilya Mikheyev
Pat Maroon — Andreas Athanasiou — Craig Smith
Joey Anderson — Ryan Donato — Landon Slaggert
Colton Dach — Frank Nazar — Nick Lardis
Gavin Hayes — Paul Ludwinski — Samuel Savoie
Ryder Rolston — AJ Spellacy — Zach Sanford
The first, most important glimpse at those lines is of the top group, which surprisingly featured Taylor Hall alongside Bedard and Bertuzzi. Not many projected Bertuzzi and Hall to be on the same line together, as most of the focus on the top line was on whether Philipp Kurashev or Teuvo Teravainen would play on the right wing. To put Hall on the top line would be to trust that he’s fully returned from a season full of injuries last year and be a top producer on this team, which would be a fairly big leap of faith.
That second-line center spot is also eye-catching. Kurashev doesn’t have much experience at center, but head coach Luke Richardson did mention he liked what he saw from the 24-year-old in spot starts at the dot last season. He’s shown pretty good chemistry with Teravainen and Reichel during the start of training camp, and Richardson specifically pointed out that he was excited about Teravainen playing with and leading these younger, dangerous scorers. That could be a fun line, especially if Reichel can return to his former self.
That third line of Foligno, Dickinson and Mikheyev could be one of the better shutdown units in the league. Everyone knows Foligno and Dickinson each play an elite 200-foot game. Mikheyev mentioned this week that the coaching staff wants him to play strong defensively and use his speed, meaning he’s being molded into another great two-way player. I love the idea of Mikheyev’s strong speed next to two great players who admittedly lack in that area.
Side note – the futures line of Dach, Nazar and Lardis is a FUN one to watch and think about. The line that includes perhaps the three best scorers in Chicago’s pipeline could stay together when they eventually hit the NHL. If they can each reach their fullest potential, it could be one of the most lethal lines in the league a few years from now.
