{"id":546269,"date":"2026-04-07T21:51:45","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T21:51:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/546269\/"},"modified":"2026-04-07T21:51:45","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T21:51:45","slug":"blackhawks-kevin-korchinski-hopes-chicago-summer-prepares-him-for-full-time-nhl-play","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/546269\/","title":{"rendered":"Blackhawks’ Kevin Korchinski hopes Chicago summer prepares him for full-time NHL play"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every summer of offseason training has been important for young Blackhawks<\/a> defenseman Kevin Korchinski, but the upcoming one will be the most important yet.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s because the AHL fallback option no longer exists for Korchinski and the Hawks. He will lose his waiver exemption next season, and since there\u2019s no way the 2022 No. 7 overall pick would go unclaimed on waivers, the Hawks won\u2019t consider it.<\/p>\n

So that means it\u2019s NHL-or-bust now. He simply must figure out how to be a competent defenseman at this level, even if he\u2019s still a couple years away from reaching his peak.<\/p>\n

He has a new plan for this summer, though, that might help him take a bigger developmental step forward during it than he has in previous summers<\/a>, which he has spent at home in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.<\/p>\n

The new plan? Stay in Chicago.<\/p>\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t really experienced the full city of Chicago in the summer, and it\u2019s quite nice,\u201d Korchinski said Monday. \u201cBut I think it would be good just to work on more game-type stuff in Chicago and work with coaches closely. They\u2019ve seen me play the past three years. They know what I need to work on and keep improving, and what my strengths are and how to keep pumping those strengths up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Korchinski and other Hawks players aren\u2019t allowed to work with Jeff Blashill and the Hawks\u2019 official coaching staff during the offseason, but they can work with skills coach Brian Keane and strength coach Juan Gonzalez at Blackhawks Ice Center with approval from the league.<\/p>\n

Alex Vlasic has done that for years, and Wyatt Kaiser did that for the last five or six weeks of last summer. Korchinski has seen their NHL success and hopes to follow the same path.<\/p>\n

Kaiser thinks Korchinski might find the experience even more beneficial emotionally than physically.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s definitely a positive [to work with coaches], but it\u2019s more about making [Chicago] feel like home,\u201d Kaiser said. \u201cOn the road and during the season, you\u2019re all over the place, and it\u2019s stressful. You don\u2019t really get time.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing able to have a good month where you\u2019re training but you\u2019re [also] going around, getting food with the fianc\u00e9e, I found I enjoyed it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Blashill also thinks it\u2019s a good idea, although he isn\u2019t allowed to push that on anyone.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor any of our players that want really focused attention, we have unreal resources in Chicago,\u201d Blashill said. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of good skating and skills and strength coaches [out there], but we have a narrowed focus on what we want each guy to be better at.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gaining strength without getting slower needs to be priority No. 1 for Korchinski. But it\u2019s encouraging he seems to be learning how to defend better with his body type.<\/p>\n

He is a beautiful skater, and he\u2019s using that speed and acceleration to get to pucks first in the defensive zone and move them out of danger before taking contact. His passing created numerous rush chances for the Hawks against the Kraken<\/a> and Sharks, too.<\/p>\n

“[I\u2019m] trying to use my feet in a smart way and be confident with my breakout passes, my gaps and killing plays in the \u2018D’-zone,\u201d Korchinski said. \u201cDoing the simple things helps you play more in the \u2018O’-zone…[so you] don\u2019t have to spend as much time in the D-zone.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the past, I\u2019ve definitely been too active where I\u2019m skating myself away from plays, away from good ice. Being in good ice, that defensively prevents [opponents from] getting in those spots.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over the last five NHL games since his latest call-up, Korchinski leads Hawks defensemen with a 49.0% scoring-chance ratio and has only been on the ice for one goal against, albeit in relatively sheltered minutes. <\/p>\n

If he can consistently play like this next season, there will be no problem whatsoever.<\/p>\n

Kevin Korchinski using his speed to make a good defensive play, then settling things down with a clean pass: pic.twitter.com\/OZPksnnjEH<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Ben Pope\u2019s Video Clips (@BenPopeCSTclips) April 7, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n