After Thursday night’s exciting win over the St. Louis Blues, the Blackhawks were back in action this morning practicing at Fifth Third Arena. Like in advance of Thursday’s game, the squad was divided into two groups, with the first group expected to see the ice Saturday night when they travel to Minnesota to take on the Wild.
Tyler Johnson – Cole Guttman – Taylor Raddysh
Samuel Savoie – Paul Ludwinski – Colton Dach
Boris Katchouk – Mackenzie Entwistle – Joey Anderson
Anders Bjork – Brett Seney – Reese Johnson
Kevin Korchinski – Nikita Zaitsev
Isaak Phillips – Nolan Allan
Ethan Del Mastro – Louis Crevier
Arvid Soderblom
Jaxson Stauber
As the team is on the road this time around, the group isn’t necessarily as enthralling as last night’s “starters”. However, several players are poised to make an impact and try to break into yesterday’s top lines.
Isaak Phillips
Phillips came into this year’s training camp as a player expected to stand out but hasn’t exactly done that yet. But after celebrating his 22nd birthday yesterday, he’ll get that chance once more on the second defensive line. As a big defenseman who carries the puck well, he has all the physical capabilities he needs to be successful at the NHL level, but can he position well and shut down opposing attackers, many of whom will likely be NHL-caliber starters? He’ll be worth watching Saturday to find out if he can do so.
Arvid Soderblom
After a 13-start stint with the Blackhawks last year in which he went 2-12-2 with a 3.69 GAA, Soderblom is hoping to turn his NHL career around – only this time as a full-time player alongside Petr Mrazek. With increased ice time comes increased expectations, and “Sodie” will look to get things rolling early this preseason, building momentum for a bundle of regular-season starts. If last night’s strategy is any indication, he’ll likely play around half the game before handing the reins to Jaxson Stauber. During that time, he’ll be intriguing to watch – will he be able to confidently shut down attackers this time around?
Taylor Raddysh
Raddysh was certainly controversial this summer as many (myself included) felt he’d be most useful on the top line next to Taylor Hall and Connor Bedard. It seems at this point that the group is set on Ryan Donato to fill out the line, leaving Raddysh as a straggler. There’s no question he deserves to start on one of the top three lines, especially with last year’s stellar performance. His performance Saturday is worth keeping an eye on as the Blackhawks continue to shuffle their depth chart.
Saturday’s lineup may not offer the appeal of players like Bedard and Hall, but the squad is certainly worth monitoring. As players toward the bottom of the roster compete for those last few spots, who will force head coach Luke Richardson’s hand?
