Training Camp: Day 15 (riley stillman)

riley stillman

Training Camp: Day 15

By Theo Fox

Oct 10, 2021 • 11:19 am

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

The most noteworthy news from Day 15 of Blackhawks training camp was Jonathan Toews exclaiming he is ready to play on opening night this Wednesday versus the Avalanche but acknowledged that the decision is out of his hands. Not necessarily surprising but still good to hear.

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Roster Cuts

* Nicolas Beaudin * Jakub Galvas * Mike Hardman * Reese Johnson

With Beaudin and Galvas cut, this all but assures Ian Mitchell snagging a spot with Caleb Jones and Wyatt Kalynuk injured for 6 weeks and up to 4 weeks, respectively. Alec Regula remains on the camp roster but he is also out with an injury.

The Blackhawks blueline to start the 2021-22 campaign may look something like this:

McCabe - S Jones Stillman - Murphy de Haan - Mitchell

However, Mitchell and Beaudin should benefit from playing big minutes in all situations in Rockford either as the top pair or as the anchors to the 1st and 2nd pairs. So no surprise that Beaudin got released but it is a surprise that Mitchell got the nod over Galvas.

Not so fast, though.

According to Scott Powers of the Athletic, Galvas being cut could be a paper transaction to get the Hawks cap compliant by Day 1 (Tuesday) of the regular season. They don't play until Wednesday so they could make additional roster moves by the season opener.

This isn't to say that Galvas is going to be a rookie phenom. He won't be. Instead, he realistically will be a first year player who can play a steady style due to his 5 years of pro experience in Europe but still have natural growing pains as he adjusts to the North American game.

The Hawks have 5 more cuts to make as NHL rosters are required to be 23 players maximum. Regula is presumably one of the cuts. Collin Delia and Malcolm Subban need to clear waivers. So does Alex Nylander. Then what to do with (LT)IR situations with Jones, Kalynuk, and Andrew Shaw?

Along with Galvas, other possible paper transactions or short-term reassignments who could either be back with the Hawks within 24-36 hours or be amongst the first recall candidates are Philipp Kurashev and MacKenzie Entwistle. Dylan Strome's status is a significant factor.

As for Hardman and Johnson, both will continue to develop in the AHL but may not be out of place if recalled later during the season. If they are given the green light to play their heavy style, then they should be immediate contributors once they reach the NHL again.

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Game Summary

Starting Lineup

DeBrincat - T Johnson - Kane Kubalik - Toews - Kurashev Borgstrom - Dach - Strome Khaira - Entwistle - Carpenter

McCabe - Murphy de Haan - S Jones Stillman - Mitchell

Fleury Lankinen

Scoring Recap

1st Goal: Hartman (Spurgeon) 0-1

The Wild caught the Hawks in a line change as Jared Spurgeon made a perfect bank pass off the boards to send Ryan Hartman darting down the right lane as Ryan Carpenter, Jake McCabe, and Mitchell couldn't catch up in time to neutralize him as the benches were on the opposite side of the ice.

2nd Goal: Borgstrom (Strome, S Jones) 1-1

Kirby Dach and Seth Jones moved the puck from low to high to low again as Strome cradled it behind the net where he seems to be the most dangerous. Strome set up in Wayne Gretzky's office drawing two defenders to him which allowed Henrik Borgstrom to get open at the doorstep.

3rd Goal: DeBrincat (Kane, S Jones) 2-1

Jones made a stretch pass along the right wall down to Patrick Kane who attracted two defenders which created an open lane for Alex DeBrincat to traverse on the left side. Kane found DeBrincat for a one timer that Kaapo Kahkonen made an initial save on but couldn't contain DeBrincat's follow-up shot.

4th Goal: Carpenter (Kurashev, Stillman) 3-1 SH

With a 4-on-4 situation ending and a Wild power play starting, the Hawks capitalized on a quick transition as Riley Stillman and Kurashev executed a give-and-go that got the Wild committed to the right. Kurashev then connected with Carpenter who was alone in the left circle.

5th Goal: Toews (DeBrincat, Kane) 4-1 PP

Swift puck movement on the power play led to the patented backdoor play to the left of the slot as DeBrincat rang a shot off the crossbar then deflected the airborne puck to Toews' vicinity. Jordie Benn may have helped the Hawks as he crosschecked Toews as the puck hit him and into the net.

6th Goal: Toews (DeBrincat, S Jones) 5-1 PP

More fast movement of the puck on the man advantage generated a tic-tac-toe sequence that ended with Toews tipping in DeBrincat's pass from the left circle. On both PP markers, Toews played in the slot which kept the Wild penalty killers honest and applied less pressure to the outside.

Game Notes

* Jones racked up 3 assists while DeBrincat also had 3 points on a goal and 2 assists.

* The team faceoff percentage continues to be vastly improved winning 57% of draws last night.

* Special teams were solid going 2-for-4 on the power play and 2-for-2 on the penalty kill plus a shortie.

Highlights

Goal by Henrik Borgstrom

See you on the boards!

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