The opening day of Blackhawks’ training camp at Fifth Third Arena was high-paced and filled with intensity. New head coach Jeff Blashill set the tone right from the first whistle, as both veterans and prospects were skating hard throughout the practice session. Blashill was also extremely vocal and didn’t hesitate to let his frustrations be known at times. Even though it’s only day one, Blashill was demanding and fiery.
When Blashill last spoke with the media in August, he mentioned that he wanted to establish a back-checking system on the opening day of training camp as a good work ethic indicator. Well, the Blackhawks certainly worked today, as most of the practice time for both groups involved hard battles, transition play, and conditioning.
It’s only the first day of camp, but I was impressed with the speed and energy displayed by Blashill and the rest of the new coaching staff, and how that was received by the players. There’s a new standard in the Blackhawks organization, which was needed.
Kyle Davidson’s Media Session
General manager Kyle Davidson spoke with the Blackhawks media on Thursday for the first time ahead of the 2025-26 season. Davidson touched on a wide range of topics, shared important injury news, and provided his thoughts on several key players.
First, a Laurent Brossoit update. According to Davidson, Brossoit underwent offseason hip surgery and will be out long-term. Not exactly sure if that means the entire year, but the team isn’t expecting him to return anytime soon. So, Spencer Knight and Arvid Soderblom are very likely the NHL goaltending duo when the regular season begins. Not much of a surprise there, but at least we finally know what’s going on with Brossoit. That now makes three surgeries for Brossoit since signing a contract with Chicago in July 2024.
Ty Henry joined Brossoit in being designated as an injured player on the training camp roster. The 2024 sixth-round pick took a nasty spill into the boards during rookie camp last Thursday, and he will sadly need knee surgery as a result. There is no official timeline for Henry’s return.
Jack Pridham and A.J. Spellacy also weren’t available for camp today because of injuries. Pridham is day-to-day while dealing with an infection, and Spellacy is out for approximately 7-10 days because of a shoulder injury. Neither is expected to make the NHL roster out of camp.
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Davidson made the surprising decision to give veteran defenseman Matt Grzelyck a PTO earlier this week. Perhaps it was done as a leverage play while awaiting Wyatt Kaiser to sign a new deal, but Davidson mentioned the team received high praise about Grzelyck. The 31-year-old defenseman was coached by new assistant Mike Velucci last season with Pittsburgh, and played with Nick Foligno and Ryan Donato previously with the Boston Bruins.
“We’re young on the back end, so it’s additional competition for the young players and it’s an opportunity for Matt to make our team or make an impression for another team in the league,”
Speaking of Kaiser, Davidson briefly commented on the two sides reaching a deal and hopes that the young defenseman can continue to elevate his play this season.
“Happy to have Wyatt under contract. I think he’s going to be a big part of our team this year, and looking forward to him continuing to establish himself in the NHL and grow his game.”
Lukas Reichel is entering his third full NHL season but is still trying to find his groove with the Blackhawks. Davidson mentioned this is a “little bit of a prove-it camp for Lukas,” and thinks the new coaching staff presents him with a fresh opportunity.
“It’s been an up and down couple years for him, but we still see Lukas as an extremely talented, high-upside player that has just as good a shot as anyone of breaking camp with this team. But he’s got to earn it just like everyone else, and he’s got to find that niche… It’s not that different from any other player, but he has some history here that has had some highs and some lows, so hopefully with the new coaching staff and new year, it’s a fresh start for him to reestablish himself.”
Former 7th overall pick Kevin Korchinski likely begins the year down in the AHL with the Rockford IceHogs. But Korchinski made noticeable strides in the second half of the 2024-25 season with Rockford and will be given an opportunity to prove he belongs with the big-league club.
“I thought [Korchinski] had a nice playoffs for Rockford as well, and I’d like to see him continue that. Again, he’s got an opportunity to make this team, but he’s still very young and if he doesn’t, then Rockford’s a great option. He’s still very young. We’ve known the name and he’s been on the scene [for a while]. He started early, but there’s still a growth for all young players to undergo to make sure they stick and are impact players in the NHL.”
Last, but certainly not least, the Connor Bedard extension. With Frank Nazar and Spencer Knight signing new deals over the summer, all the focus is now shifted towards Bedard and his next contract. Once again, Davidson said he has “zero concerns” about how the contract negotiations are trending and that the two sides are going to make a deal happen. It’s only a matter of time.
“It’s nothing we’re actively working on right now, but Connor’s mentioned it and I’ll say it — I have zero concern about where that’s headed. He wants to be here for a long time, we want him to be here for a long time, we’re going to make that happen.”
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