For the past couple weeks, Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill and his staff have only been able to watch their players skate and scrimmage from afar.
On Thursday morning, they’ll finally get hands-on for the first on-ice day of the NHL’s shortened training camps, following an off-ice day Wednesday.
The Hawks will race through their systems prep, new emphases and four-game preseason slate to prepare for their Sept. 29 season opener in Las Vegas, which is less than two weeks away.
Here are five storylines to follow:
Bedard’s rehab
The Hawks got their Connor Bedard captain announcement out of the way before camp, so the focus on Bedard will shift entirely to his rehab from left shoulder surgery.
On July 8, he was given a four-month recovery estimate, which equated to early November. He said Tuesday he’s unsure what his timeline looks like now. He confirmed he won’t be ready for the start of the season, but he hopes to “get back as soon as possible.”
He has been skating individually and lightly shooting. When will he begin skating with the team? When will he begin shooting with them? And when will he be cleared for contact? Those answers will be illuminating.
Roster math
One consequence of the shortened camp is less time for prospects to prove they belong. The official camp roster features 50 players, but Blashill plans to divide it into NHL and non-NHL groups right away.
Realistically, there are 24 healthy Hawks vying for 23 spots on the opening-night roster.
That includes 14 forwards: Patrick Kane, Frank Nazar, Anton Frondell, Roman Kantserov, Tyler Bertuzzi, Oliver Moore, Ryan Greene, Nick Lardis, Ryan Donato, Teuvo Teravainen, Cole Smith, Jordan Greenway, Landon Slaggert and Andrew Mangiapane.
That also includes eight defensemen — Bowen Byram, Alex Vlasic, Wyatt Kaiser, Ian Cole, Artyom Levshunov, Sam Rinzel, Kevin Korchinski and Ethan Del Mastro — and two goalies, Spencer Knight and Arvid Soderblom.
Forward prospect AJ Spellacy, despite impressive showings in prospect showcase games Monday and Tuesday, will almost certainly start his first pro season in Rockford. The same is true for Sacha Boisvert.
Young goalie Drew Commesso probably won’t have a chance to steal Soderblom’s backup job yet, either. In-season performance will determine who gets call-up opportunities.
Del Mastro in flux
Del Mastro finally signed a two-year, one-way contract carrying a $950,000 salary-cap hit Wednesday, getting him in camp. The big, physical 23-year-old defenseman had been one of the last unsigned restricted free agents around the league.
His situation remains in flux, though. He showed promise in 24 NHL games in 2024-25, but he struggled in camp and in 19 NHL games last season. He enters this camp as, presumably, the eighth defenseman (below Korchinski).
Can Del Mastro impress enough to convince the Hawks to carry eight defensemen on their opening roster? If not, since he’s no longer waivers-exempt, he’ll likely end up on waivers at the end of camp, with the Hawks hoping to send him to Rockford.
If they decide to waive a forward instead, Mangiapane or Slaggert could be in jeopardy.
Line combos
That’s enough about the roster edges. The middle of it matters more, and there are plenty of lineup construction questions needing answers.
Frondell and Nazar will definitely start at center, but who will the other two centers be? Kantserov, Moore, Donato and Greene are all possibilities.
Plus, which center will slot next to Kane on the first line? Who will play on the opposite wing? And what will the entire second line look like? The Hawks’ forward depth chart is a puzzle with seemingly dozens of different possible combinations.
On defense, will either Byram or Cole shift to the right side — their “off” side as left-handed shots — to solve the Hawks’ handedness imbalance? Levshunov and Rinzel are their only natural righties.
Who will team up with Byram on the top pair? If he moves to the right, Vlasic would be a logical candidate. And who will take on the challenging task of pairing with and mentoring Levshunov?
League drama
The Hawks’ uncertainties pale in comparison to some teams’ conundrums. The news cycle around the NHL in the coming weeks could be popcorn-worthy.
In Winnipeg, franchise goalie Connor Hellebuyck has demanded a trade and reportedly won’t report to Jets camp. His departure could open the Hawks’ door to climbing up the Central Division slightly wider.
In Columbus and Carolina, young studs Adam Fantilli and Alexander Nikishin, respectively, remain unsigned RFAs. Fantilli and the Blue Jackets’ asking prices reportedly aren’t close, which is interesting considering Bedard and Ducks center Leo Carlsson — the other two members of the 2023 draft class’ famed top three — sorted out their contracts months ago.
And in Detroit, franchise center Dylan Larkin has demanded a trade, been stripped of the captaincy and won’t be at Red Wings camp, supposedly due to injury. The Wings’ general manager situation seems messy, too, even with Shawn Horcoff now given an interim tag.