The Chicago Blackhawks had plenty of prospects impress on day two of development camp
Day two of the Blackhawks development camp began with Group A taking the ice first. The group was mostly the same as yesterday, except Michal Teply and Jake Wise flipped groups. Alexis Gravel, who was absent from the first day of development camp, was back in net and looked solid for the most part. He’s coming off a terrific season for the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL, where he played a significant role in the team making it to the Memorial Cup Final. Gravel is considered by many as the Blackhawks’ top goaltending prospect.
Team A’s skaters began the afternoon with faceoff and skating drills. 2019 3rd overall pick Kirby Dach battled a couple of different times with MacKenzie Entwistle. Both players got the best of each other a few times. Reese Johnson also looked impressive during the faceoff drills.
The Blackhawks began to open things up a little bit as they went into mini 3-on-3 drills. There was very little room for the players to maneuver, but Alex Nylander showed off his terrific skill and quick hands. Offensively, Nylander seems to be a leg ahead of the rest of the prospects so far. He has been one of the most impressive players in the first two days of camp.
Next up were a couple of transition drills. The Blackhawks started with 2-on-0 rushes, which almost seems unfair for the young goaltenders. 2018 fourth-round pick Philipp Kurashev looked comfortable and sure-handed during his rushes. The 19-year-old center has shown off his wicked wrist shot on multiple occasions as well. Defensemen Adam Boqvist and Jakub Galvis both had beautiful shots that left the crowd astonished.
1-on-1 rushes were up next. Nicolas Beaudin showed off his quick stick and ability to disrupt plays at the point of attack. 2019 second-round pick Alex Vlasic was extremely impressive in transition, as he used his big body and long reach to break up multiple rushes. He also seems fairly quick for someone that is 6-foot-6 and just 18 years old.
MacKenzie Entwistle was once again impressive during the offensive drills. He continues to look solid in just about all facets of the game. Entwistle has an elite skill set for a 6-foot-4 forward. He doesn’t get enough hype for all the potential that he has.
Team A ended their afternoon with mini 2-on-2 drills with the goaltenders. Kirby Dach was arguably the most dominant player during the portion of practice. He showed off his slick hands and enormous size by bodying defensemen to get to the front of the net. He had an impressive goal that had the crowd buzzing.
Ian Mitchell had a couple of smart plays and scoring attempts during the 2-on-2 drill as well. He continues to show why the Blackhawks are excited about him once he leaves Denver. Adam Boqvist made some quick passes to set up teammates, and Chad Krys had a goal that rang off the crossbar and went in. It seemed like all of the Blackhawks top prospects left the fans with strong showings.
Overall, most of the prospects on Team A had impressive afternoons. MacKenzie Entwistle was one of the more dominant forwards, and Kirby Dach and Ian Mitchell both looked solid. Adam Boqvist’s skating abilities were definitely better than most other prospects out there, and he also had a strong showing defensively. Nicolas Beaudin has a small frame, but he makes up for his with a quick and smart stick.
The Chicago Blackhawks certainly have brighter days ahead with the current depth of their prospect pool.
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