After far too many months off, the Blackhawks finally made their official return to the ice in Chicago with their first training camp practice Thursday morning. Morale was at an all-time high at Fifth Third Arena, as it’s not too often that a practice rink gets sold out on a Thursday morning:
With it being day one of training camp, there were expectedly some kinks to be worked out. Seth Jones mentioned he was never talked to about Tuesday’s decision to not name a captain. That’s not necessarily a big deal, but a bit of a mood-killer after what was otherwise a thrilling day.
Thursday morning’s practice delivered loads of highlights, even if many of them are just from reporters obsessing over Connor Bedard. Here are the most notable videos surfacing on Twitter/X after the practice:
First, we’re already seeing some major leadership from Nick Foligno, who was brought aboard for that reason. Luke Richardson mentioned he was talking to a young player about the offensive system he had just learned a few days ago, and Bedard also raved about his leadership. No one could guess he’s a brand-new acquisition.
Speaking of Richardson and leadership, this guy’s a stud.
Here’s a sweet play from Lukas Reichel. He has a chance to become a staple of the Blackhawks’ offense this season and looks to be playing on the second line with Philipp Kurashev and Andreas Athanasiou.
Bedard fever is certainly a thing. Here’s what all the shops looked like at the arena during practice. If you wanted a Taylor Hall jersey, you’re out of luck.
And here’s some extra high-quality Bedard content. He’s looking just as great off the ice as he does on it:
Finally, the Blackhawks published their official training camp roster Thursday morning. Not seeing too many big surprises. Expect that list to be cut down as early as next week in order to eventually get to the 23-man active roster by the beginning of the season.
