Sources: Chicago Sun-Times, Daily Herald, NBC Sports Chicago, The Athletic Chicago
Here's a summary of newsworthy notes from Day 14 of Blackhawks training camp:
* Caleb Jones will be out for 6 weeks with a left wrist strain.
* Brandon Hagel went down with a shot off the right calf but is reportedly going to be fine.
* Jonathan Toews, Jujhar Khaira, and Marc-Andre Fleury did not practice in order to take a maintenance day.
* There were 4 camp cuts yesterday (see more below).
* Lines and pairs in practice:
DeBrincat - T Johnson - Kane
Gaudette/Borgstrom - Dach - Hagel
Kurashev/Nylander - Strome - Kubalik
Hardman - Carpenter - R Johnson/Entwistle
de Haan - S Jones
McCabe - Murphy
Stillman - Mitchell
Galvas - Beaudin
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Roster Cuts
Evan Barratt and Dmitri Osipov were released to join IceHogs training camp. Nolan Allan and Colton Dach returned to their junior teams with the Prince Albert Raiders and Kelowna Rockets, respectively. Both 2021 draft picks earned ELCs a few weeks ago prior to camp.
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Roster Math
Note: Credit to reader LAHawk for this topic.
Conventional thought with NHL rosters is to carry at least 13 forwards, 7 defensemen, and 2 goalies with one additional spot to round out the 23 maximum players permitted. Rarely is that last player a goalie. Even more rare is having only 6 defensemen and 15 forwards.
Should the Blackhawks go that route at least to start the regular season? The 6th and 7th spots on D are vacant now that it's confirmed that Wyatt Kalynuk is out 2-4 weeks with an ankle injury and Caleb Jones is out a while longer for 6 weeks with a wrist injury.
It appears that Jakub Galvas and Ian Mitchell are the front runners with Nicolas Beaudin possibly being in the mix, too. Due to his 5 years of pro experience amassed in the Czech Republic and Finland, Galvas may have the leg up to fill that final starting role on the blueline.
de Haan - S Jones
McCabe - Murphy
Stillman - Galvas
Mitchell/Beaudin
Although Mitchell is marginally better than Beaudin as far as an all-around game, both should be starting in Rockford to marinate as long as needed in order to maximize their development. There's only so much a youngster can learn in the NHL by sitting as the spare 7th defenseman.
To think about it another way, the Hawks are lacking in NHL-ready rearguards and having half-baked players on the big club may stunt their growth not to mention put them in unfair situations as defensive liabilities on the ice. They could also have sheltered minutes.
Assuming stable health with the 6 starters on the D pairs listed above and knowing that Kalynuk and Caleb Jones are not out of commission long term, rolling with the same starters on the back end in the early going allows for there to be 3 spots up front for extra forwards.
If there's a glut of talent anywhere in the lineup, it's in the forward ranks. It can be argued that this excess personnel isn't all that worthy of being on the roster but there's also the issue of what to do with them given that the ones in question aren't waiver exempt.
Those extras in the 13th, 14th, and 15th spots are namely Dylan Strome, Alex Nylander, and Ryan Carpenter. This trio is being outplayed in training camp by another trio: Philipp Kurashev, Henrik Borgstrom, and MacKenzie Entwistle. Adam Gaudette is also having a solid camp.
DeBrincat - T Johnson - Kane
Kurashev - Toews - Kubalik
Hagel - Dach - Borgstrom
Khaira - Entwistle - Gaudette
Strome/Nylander/Carpenter
Having 15 spots for forwards would reward Kurashev, Borgstrom, and Entwistle for strong play in camp and preseason games while also having flexibility to cycle in Strome, Nylander, and Carpenter to either see how much they can still contribute and/or showcase them for trades.
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IceHogs: Game Summary
Starting Lineup
Pour - Reichel - McLaughlin
Morrison - Slavin - Teply
Altybarmakian - Yetman - Wilkie
McKay - Folkes - Chalupa
Phillips - Crevier
Watson - Krys
King - Krutil
Soderblom
Aubrun
On the 3rd D pair, King is D.J. King who is the son of IceHogs head coach Derek King. D.J. just began a preseason tryout with the Hogs. In juniors, he was teammates with MacKenzie Entwistle with the Hamilton Bulldogs and with D.J. Busdeker with the Saginaw Spirit.
Scoring Recap
1st Goal: Turgeon (0-1)
2nd Goal: Teply (1-1)
3rd Goal: Morrison (2-1) PP
4th Goal: Altybarmakian (3-1) PP
5th Goal: Cramarossa (3-2)
6th Goal: Cramarossa (3-3)
7th Goal: Turgeon (3-4) PP
Game Notes
* Michal Teply and Andrei Altybarmakian each scored their 2nd goal in as many games this preseason.
* Altybarmakian also picked up an apple to go along with his goal on the night.
* Lukas Reichel notched 2 assists, both on the power play.
* Arvid Soderblom stayed hot with 13 saves on 14 shots after pitching a shutout the game before.
* Backup goalie Tom Aubrun made 19 saves on 22 shots as he came in relief.
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See you on the boards!
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