{"id":556227,"date":"2026-04-19T19:19:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-19T19:19:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/556227\/"},"modified":"2026-04-19T19:19:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-19T19:19:10","slug":"takeaways-from-blackhawks-exit-interviews-summer-training-schedules-could-overlap-in-chicago","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/556227\/","title":{"rendered":"Takeaways from Blackhawks exit interviews: Summer training schedules could overlap in Chicago"},"content":{"rendered":"

Exit interviews Thursday marked the Blackhawks<\/a>\u2019 last official event of the season, so every player is free to go wherever they want starting Friday. For most, that means going home.<\/p>\n

But the team expects to still see a lot of each other this summer \u2014 more than in years past. For one thing, a bunch of Hawks are planning to spend at least part of the summer training in Chicago.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been me and [Connor] Murphy the last couple summers [in Chicago], just us two,\u201d Alex Vlasic said. \u201cI\u2019m really pumped to get some more guys in here. It builds good team camaraderie. We\u2019re all going to have a good time training together. It pushes each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also a golf trip \u2014 starting right away \u2014 that a handful of guys, including Ryan Greene, are going on. And Oliver Moore<\/a> and Connor Bedard<\/a> are taking a trip to Florida. The calendar is already crowded.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll be like, \u2018You\u2019ve got to come to [Vancouver],\u2019\u201d Bedard said. \u201cAnd then someone from Toronto will be like, \u2018You\u2019ve got to come to Toronto.\u2019 It\u2019s like we\u2019ve got 10 trips lined up to see everyone. I don\u2019t know if we\u2019ll make all of them.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a special group. I don\u2019t think there was a day this year where just left the rink and chilled alone. Guys would always be getting together. Me and Moore live in the same building, so I think he\u2019s got an imprint on my couch for the all the time he\u2019s spent there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bound for Worlds<\/p>\n

Moore is the only Hawk confirmed so far for the upcoming world championships. He will play for Team USA in the tournament May 15-31 in Switzerland.<\/p>\n

When Frank Nazar did that last year \u2014 in a similar position as Moore, coming off his first NHL season \u2014 he led the team in scoring and led them to a gold medal. It substantially elevated his status. The best-case scenario for Moore would be following in Nazar\u2019s footsteps.<\/p>\n

Swedish media reported Anton Frondell will be selected for their team, too, but Frondell said he didn\u2019t know yet.<\/p>\n

Levshunov\u2019s outlook<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no mystery about what coach Jeff Blashill and enigmatic defenseman Artyom Levshunov discussed in their exit meeting.<\/p>\n

Said Blashill: \u201cHe\u2019s almost a freak athlete, body-wise. He\u2019s really strong, really powerful. I think there\u2019s another level of learning to push [yourself] and not pace himself. Things like that that can be done through summer training and learning how to just push yourself to the max at all times.\u201d<\/p>\n

Said Levshunov: \u201cThe coach said, \u2018Push myself to maximum every shift. I shouldn\u2019t be afraid to [get] tired. Push myself to maximum full game, every shift, every period.\u2019 That\u2019s important aspect for my improvement.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Belarusian will travel back and forth between Chicago and Florida, where he works his longtime trainer Kirill Metlyuk<\/a>, throughout this summer. <\/p>\n

In about two weeks, he should be recovered from the fracture in his left hand, which ended his season March 28 and which he still wore a brace on Thursday.<\/p>\n

Blashill mentioned wanting Levshunov to also work on improving his shooting technique (something the Hawks have been working on<\/a> since January) and his hip flexibility (which affects his skating motion).<\/p>\n

“[Arty has] a choice to make: He can make it a great summer, a good summer or an OK summer,\u201d Blashill said. \u201cIf he makes it either of the last two, it\u2019s not good enough. We need a great summer out of him, just like everybody else.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mikheyev\u2019s limbo<\/p>\n

General manager Kyle Davidson said he still hopes to re-sign Ilya Mikheyev, a pending unrestricted free agent, but there haven\u2019t been substantial talks since the trade deadline.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis motor and his compete and drive, it\u2019s all something I want to be and a player I want to be like, for sure,\u201d Oliver Moore said. \u201cAnytime you can have Ilya Mikheyev on your team, your team\u2019s going to be better. He was our best penalty killer all season. I don\u2019t know how many stick-on-pucks he had, but it was ridiculous.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mikheyev\u2019s presence would have the added bonus of giving Levshunov and incoming Russian prospect Roman Kantserov a friend who can speak their native language.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like him as a player, like him as a human,\u201d Levshunov said. \u201cI can\u2019t say that I wouldn\u2019t like to see him. But it\u2019s not my decision. It\u2019s his decision, and the organization\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n

Knight\u2019s musings<\/p>\n

Spencer Knight made 55 starts this season, tied for seventh-most among NHL goalies, after making 36 last season. Aside from few illnesses during the second half, he felt like his body handled the increased workload well.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like I could\u2019ve played more,\u201d Knight said. \u201cAnd I\u2019m going to have to play more at some point, right? If you play 50-60 [games] in the regular season, you\u2019re going to have to play 70-80 if you play playoffs, which is what we\u2019re going to try to do at some point.\u201d<\/p>\n

When he\u2019s in a philosophical mood<\/a>, his musings can be fascinating, which was the case during a 13-minute interview Thursday.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t get easier, you know?\u201d he said. \u201cOnce you make the NHL, OK. You\u2019re backup, all right. Then you establish yourself as an NHL-er, and become a starter, and become a good starter and a great starter. Then you\u2019ve got to be someone who can succeed. Even if you\u2019re good, if the team doesn\u2019t have success, it might wear on you. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s always going to get harder, so I\u2019m always preparing for more. But I do feel like doing it is nice, knowing I have a little more experience in that department. It\u2019ll help me going forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

Notes<\/p>\n

Davidson mentioned Vaclav Nestrasil, the 25th overall pick in last year\u2019s draft, as a prospect who especially impressed him this season. Nestrasil racked up 31 points in 34 games as a freshman at UMass.<\/p>\n

The Panthers finished eighth-to-last in the NHL standings due to the Blues and Sharks\u2019 wins Thursday. That means the Panthers\u2019 first-round draft pick is guaranteed to fall in the top 10 and won\u2019t be transferred to the Hawks, who will instead receive the Panthers\u2019 unprotected 2027 first-round pick.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Alex<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

The Hawks would likely need to improve by 20-plus points next season to squeak into the postseason, although optimism is valuable in itself.<\/p>\n

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read<\/p>\n

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\"Connor<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

It would be surprising if Bedard, new contract in hand, took the ice next season without a \u201cC\u201d adorning his chest.<\/p>\n

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\"Blackhawks<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

The Hawks ranked fifth in the NHL in average attendance this season (18,949) despite finishing 31st in the standings.<\/p>\n

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