Psychic Income (blackhawks)

blackhawks

Psychic Income

By Theo Fox

Jun 10, 2022 • 3:21 am

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Head Coaching Candidates

Current Penguins assistant coach and former Capitals head coach Todd Reirden is another name that has come up. Someone to potentially watch for is Lightning assistant coach Jeff Halpern. Being part of a winning culture in Tampa Bay may bear some weight.

Whether any of Cassidy, Reirden, Halpern, or any other candidate is worthy of consideration depends on the coaching profile that general manager Kyle Davidson and his staff are putting together to help identify who to have on the short list for interviews.

Derek King as the interim head coach has all but solidified a spot on the interview schedule so one has to think some -- or many -- of the traits he possesses as a pro hockey coach align with whatever the Blackhawks hiring profile is evolving to be.

Dark Horse Prospects

However, just because there was no hype doesn't mean he had no future in the NHL. Looking at the opposite, being heavily promoted can bring on undue pressure and lofty expectations. Look no further than Henri Jokiharju, Adam Boqvist, Nicolas Beaudin, and Kirby Dach.

Assuming he continues his ascension to the NHL, who could be the next Galvas in the upcoming season or so to emerge out of nowhere as a surprise talent and revelation for the franchise that could use such an injection during this early phase of the rebuild?

Prospects who were taken in the mid-to-late rounds of recent drafts such as Jalen Luypen, Louis Crevier, and Ethan Del Mastro have intrigue but they have received some press this year and have also participated in one Blackhawks training camp already.

While it's too early to say right at this moment, a few prospects to keep an eye on who have flown under the radar and/or seem like mere footnotes than noteworthy personnel are forwards Antti Saarela and Victor Stjernborg as well as undrafted NCAA goalie Jaxson Stauber.

Saarela plays with a competitive spirit as a versatile bottom 6 checker with some offensive punch. Stjernborg has been described as a coach's dream as a natural leader with a non-stop motor who excels at shutdown defense. Both have shades of Marcus Kruger in them.

As for Stauber, he could be nothing more than a lottery ticket at the goaltending position. Along with Arvid Soderblom, Stauber is the only other tender under NHL contract. Soderblom is the incumbent starter for the IceHogs while Stauber is slated to be his backup.

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NHL Draft Combine

That staff includes team psychologists, mental skills coaches, and the like. Back when Dale Tallon was the Blackhawks general manager, he frequently emphasized how the team prioritized character as a prime attribute for who to consider as favorable draft choices.

Not to say Tallon cornered the market on that ideology to prioritize character as a key quality to search for in draftees yet he was on to something that can't be understated. The easy part, of course, is to outwardly claim this as a preference when drafting.

It's much harder, though, to not only clearly define what character is but also draft players who fit that definition. This is where team staff who specialize in psychology and mental faculties can aid the process to identify draftees with desired character.

For the record, the Blackhawks do have a front office unit dedicated solely to mental performance including a director of performance psychology (Dr. A.J. Sturges), mental performance coach (Dr. Peter Kadushin), and mindset performance manager (Vincent Malts).

It's understood that the mental performance staff work with current players and at least prospects in Rockford since that's a local commute from the Chicago offices. But it would be interesting to know if this staff plays any part in scouting and drafting.

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See you on the boards!

Sources: Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Tribune, Daily Herald, NBC Sports Chicago, The Athletic Chicago

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