Jeff Blashill exudes the strongest aura of any Blackhawks coach since Joel Quenneville.
His personality matches that of a quintessential NHL coach, and he operates with a matching amount of confidence. While Jeremy Colliton was a little too nerdy, Derek King a little too carefree, Luke Richardson a little too nice and Anders Sorensen a little too reserved, Blashill checks boxes with authority.
The fact he arrived in Chicago with much more previous NHL coaching experience than those four predecessors probably contributes to that. But it’s also simply who he is.
Blashill’s actual coaching performance during his first Hawks season was more difficult to assess, though. The team’s record (29-39-14) was the second-worst in the league yet their best in five years.
Entering his second season, the 52-year-old boss he hopes to see his ultra-young roster of players exude an assertive aura of their own.
“One of the goals that I wanted culturally is to build back our confidence and swagger,” Blashill told the Sun-Times this week.
That influenced the Hawks’ big summer splashes. Blashill was involved in both acquiring Bowen Byram and signing Patrick Kane, assisting general manager Kyle Davidson.
Having previously coached Kane in two world championships, Blashill leaned on that relationship and tried to sell Kane — during his lengthy free agency — on the “talent and character” of the Hawks’ young players, many of whom weren’t in the league when Kane last played for the Hawks. That evidently worked, and those players now have a new mentor.
“[Kane is] going to have a very good impact, and that’s before we start even talking about offensive production,” Blashill said. “[That’s because of] his impact in the locker room, the example and expectation that he sets, how he approaches every single day in terms of reaching for and demanding excellence.”
The offensive production, of course, should be helpful, too.
“He feels as good as he has in a long time,” Blashill added. “He’s skating well; he’s moving well. Guys that play with their brain first…seem to last a long time in this league, and he certainly has.”
A Byram scouting report, meanwhile, came to Blashill from Sabres assistant coach Seth Appert, a close friend in the industry. That report matched the first impression Byram made after the trade: he’s a remarkably poised man and defenseman.
“I think if you get enough guys that are hyper-competitive, have a great inner confidence and swagger and are super detailed about becoming great every day, you’re going to become a way better organization in a hurry,” Blashill said.
Byram’s critics argue his risk tolerance is too high, claiming he gives back with defensive unreliability most of what he creates with his dynamic talent. Blashill disagreed.
“He’s got a skating ability that allows him to attack up the ice, be more active on the rush and in the [offensive] zone, end up around the net we’re attacking and still get back,” Blashill said. “That’s a special skill. Not many guys skate like that. Some of the best ‘D’ in the league are able to do that. A guy like Zach Werenski comes to mind.”
Camp plans
Blashill is thankful this year isn’t his first in charge. It would’ve been nearly impossible to install entirely new systems in a training camp shortened to less than two weeks.
Camps around the league start Thursday. The Hawks’ preseason opener is Saturday in Minnesota, followed by three more exhibitions next week before the regular-season opener Sept. 29 in Las Vegas.
With so few practice days between now and then, Blashill plans to immediately divide the camp roster into NHL and non-NHL groups, maximizing time together for “the group of players I think are most ready to play for the Blackhawks.”
One big emphasis in camp will be generating more puck possession, which the Hawks direly lacked last season.
“Whether that’s through winning puck battles, through pressuring to get it back or through support and decision-making with it, that’ll be a really important piece — beyond just getting our systems in place — of what we want to do,” Blashill said.
Blashill discussed the science of gapping (defensemen pressuring opposing puck-carriers in the neutral zone) during exit interviews in April, and he reiterated this week he was “disappointed at the end of the year that we weren’t a better gapping team.”
There were some games last spring in which the Hawks were burned for trying to gap vertically instead of laterally. Blashill believes the team has the potential to improve due to their speed and mobility.
“[We need to] practice it more,” he said. “It’s something we had in our heads last year, but maybe not something we worked on enough.”
Once established inside the offensive zone with possession, Blashill also wants to work on creating scoring chances at a higher rate, since the Hawks were more dangerous off the rush than in the zone last season. He has some tactical changes planned.
Rookie expectations
Connor Bedard’s shoulder rehab has progressed to skating on his own, but the Hawks will still have to survive without their superstar for a month or more. They’ve at least had months to prepare for that situation.
“A number of our guys are in position to really take steps, and with additions, we’re just a deeper hockey team,” Blashill said. “That allows us to be prepared to absorb a significant loss.
“The power play…might look a little different with and without Bedard. But from a pure playing standpoint, we have a belief in how we want our team to play and how we think we can win long-term with this group, and we’re going to play that way.”
It’s unclear if rookie Anton Frondell will start as the first-line center in Bedard’s spot, but Frondell definitely will start at center, as Davidson foreshadowed back in the spring.
“[Frondell] played center through most of his life, and then through other people’s decisions, [they] decided to put him on wing,” Blashill said. “That’s their prerogative. My decision is, I see him as a guy who has a skill set of a really good winning center. He can play a 200-foot game and still produce offense.”
Fellow rookie Roman Kantserov will immediately handle a major role, as well. Solely from watching Kantserov’s tape from Russia last season, Blashill’s expectations have been set high.
“His ability with the puck [is impressive], both from a passing and shooting aspect,” Blashill said. “But he’s also very tenacious, strong on the puck, wins battles, knows how to leverage his body and plays a real complete game. To me, that’s something that allows young players not only to step in and be productive but also to help us win.”
There are two possible news items to monitor this week as camp begins. The first is defenseman Ethan Del Mastro’s contract situation, since he remains an unsigned restricted free agent. The second is a captaincy announcement, which — if it happens — will presumably involve Bedard.
Asked about this season’s player leadership structure, Blashill said he has “thought about it,” then chuckled as he declined to elaborate further.