6 things we learned at Chicago Blackhawks prospect camp, including no …
[ad_1]
The Chicago Blackhawks kicked off prospect camp Wednesday at Fifth Third Arena with one notable absence: Connor Bedard.
The No. 1 pick from this summer’s draft was busy completing his NHL player media tour in Las Vegas, during which he rubbed elbows with childhood idol Sidney Crosby, but Bedard is expected to join Hawks teammates at Thursday’s practice as they prepare for two games at the Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase in St. Paul, Minn., this weekend.
Rockford IceHogs coach Anders Sorensen bypassed the opportunity to add more to the Bedard hype than already exists.
“We expect him to come in tomorrow and then he’s part of the group here,” Sorensen said. “And then that’s all I really know at this point. He’ll play.”
With several prospects potentially making the leap from juniors to the pros based on their performances this month, a bigger picture is in play.
“It’s getting them ready for (training) camp as well, right?” Sorensen said. “It’s getting them into game mode, creating good habits right off the get-go so they have a little bit of an advantage coming into camp.
“Some of the older guys have been around. They know what it’s all about.”
Camp is as much about bonding as it is skill-building. Some of these prospects could be linemates or defensive partners in two or three years.
“They seemed to have fun today,” Sorensen said. “There was a competitive spirit on the ice. You can tell they know each other more on a personal level now than maybe in years past.”
Added defenseman Kevin Korchinski: “It’s really exciting. What we’re building here is a really deep prospect pool and a really bright future.”
Here are five other things we learned at Day 1 of the three-day camp.
1. Drew Commesso chews wisely.
You would think Commesso were an offensive lineman and not a goalie the way he was talking about his mission to put on pounds, but that has been his offseason goal.
“I got a brand new diet,” he said. “I put on about 8 pounds of…
[ad_2]