The Blackhawks returned to practice on Thursday at Fifth Third Arena, following their first off day since the start of training camp. Per usual, two practice groups were again utilized, but there was certainly more significance behind the makeup of the two rosters. After just one preseason game, it appears the Blackhawks already have a pretty clear idea of their current NHL and AHL groups.
Let’s dive in.
GROUP ONE — NHLers
Group one included 24 players on Thursday, led by Connor Bedard, Frank Nazar, Alex Vlasic, and Sam Rinzel. Teuvo Teravainen, Tyler Bertuzzi, Ryan Donato, Nick Foligno, Jason Dickinson, Ilya Mikheyev, and Connor Murphy are some other key veterans locked into NHL roster spots. No surprises there.
Oliver Moore, Ryan Greene, Colton Dach, Ethan Del Mastro, Matt Grzelcyk, and Artyom Levshunov also skated with the “NHL” group on Thursday. Those six players likely have the most to prove over the next 12 days before the regular season begins.
Here are the forward lines & defensive pairings head coach Jeff Blashill rolled with for group one:
#Blackhawks lineup at practice:
Donato-Bedard-Burakovsky
Teravainen-Nazar-Bertuzzi
Foligno-Dickinson-Mikheyev
Dach-Greene-Lafferty
Moore-Reichel
Vlasic-Rinzel
Kaiser-Levshunov
Del Mastro-Murphy
Grzelcyk-Crevier
Knight
Söderblom
Not practicing: Slaggert
— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) September 25, 2025
It’s worth mentioning that Landon Slaggert was unavailable for practice on Thursday. Blashill has stated that he wants to give Slaggert an opportunity with Dickinson and Mikheyev on the third line, so he’ll very likely be part of this group when he returns. Foligno was in Slaggert’s place on the third line on Thursday.
Greene and Dach were on the fourth line with Sam Lafferty, while Moore appeared to be an extra with Lukas “Limbo” Reichel. I’d imagine that if Moore doesn’t crack the opening-night lineup, he’ll begin the season in the AHL with Rockford, where he’ll play a substantial role. That makes more sense than being the 13th or 14th forward in the NHL.
Defensively, Vlasic was reunited with Rinzel on the top pairing, while Del Mastro was bumped down to the third pairing with Connor Murphy. Grzelcyk, currently on a PTO with the Blackhawks, skated on an extra pairing with Louis Crevier. Given Levshunov and Del Mastro’s struggles in the preseason opener, there is still a chance that Grzelcyk gets an NHL contract from Chicago. I’m expecting him to be in the Blackhawks’ lineup on Saturday in St. Louis.
The Blackhawks will take a maximum of 23 players with them to Florida for the regular-season opener, meaning a few guys currently skating with group one will be AHL-bound eventually. Slaggert, when healthy, will be the 25th skater with group one.
Even with the groups now seemingly split into NHLers and AHLers, there’s still plenty to be fighting for throughout the rest of camp and the preseason.
GROUP TWO — AHLers
Group two actually hit the ice first at Fifth Third Arena on Thursday morning, and they sure looked like a potential Rockford IceHogs roster. Kevin Korchinski, Nolan Allan, and Nick Lardis were the notables who skated with the second group. It’s also worth pointing out that IceHogs’ head coach Jared Nightingale ran group two’s practice session.
Here’s the rest of the “AHL” group:
FORWARDS: Dominic Toninato, Jackson Cates, Martin Misiak, Aidan Thompson, Paul Ludwinski, & Gavin Hayes
DEFENSEMEN: Cavan Fitzgerald, Ashton Cumby, Taige Harding, Ryan Mast, Andrew Perrott, & Dmitry Kuzmin.
GOALIES: Stanislav Berezhnoy, Drew Commesso, & Mitchell Weeks.
Korchinski and Allan being part of the AHL group isn’t surprising, but I’m sure it’s disappointing for both former first-round picks. There’s a decent chance that Korchinski and Allan open up the year as Rockford’s top defensive pairing. While both are left-handed blue liners, Allan spent time playing his off-side in the AHL last year.
Lardis, still only 20 and entering his first professional season, is expected to be a focal point of the IceHogs’ offense. He’ll likely play on the top line & top power-play unit right out of the gate.
Joey Anderson, Brett Seney, Samuel Savoie, and A.J. Spellacy were also unavailable for Thursday’s practice. While Spellacy will be sent back to juniors with Windsor when he gets healthy, Anderson, Seney, and Savoie are expected to be part of the AHL group.
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