Ahead of the big Hall of Fame ceremony, the Chicago Blackhawks held a practice on Friday.
CHICAGO - On Friday afternoon, the Chicago Blackhawks held a practice at Blackhawks Ice Center. With three games remaining, Jeff Blashill finds it important to have intense practice to prepare.
Despite not going to the playoffs, there is a clear emphasis on continuing their development and work habits heading into the off-season.
The forward lines had another new look as Blashill continues to experiment as the year comes to a close:
Greene - Bedard - Lardis
Bertuzzi - Frondell - Mikheyev
Donato - Nazar - Burakovsky
Mangiapane - Boisvert - Teravainen
It looks like Sacha Boisvert will make his United Center debut on Saturday afternoon. He skated on the fourth line at center between Andrew Mangiapane and Teuvo Teravainen.
Ryan Greene moved back up to the top line with Connor Bedard and Nick Lardis. Blashill said that Greene's game doesn't change much based on his position. Either way, you're going to get a defensive-minded forward who has the skills needed to keep up with the high-end players on the team.
Anton Frondell has been extremely impressive as an offensive player, whether he's been at center or wing. Lately, it's been at center, which has allowed them to run him down the middle as part of a three-headed monster with Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar. That depth down the middle has been a positive during this tough stretch.
Blackhawks Hall of Fame
This practice took place before the Hall of Fame ceremony that the Blackhawks put on at USG Arena. Troy Murray, Duncan Keith, and Steve Larmer are the inaugural inductees, alongside the men whose numbers are already retired.
King Clancy Memorial Trophy
Earlier in the day, the NHL announced all 32 nominees for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, which goes to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.
For the Blackhawks, that nominee is Alex Vlasic for his work off the ice to make Chicago and Illinois in general a better place.
“He’s a great human being," Jeff Blashill said of Alex Vlasic’s nomination for the King Clancy. “We're judged on the impact we have on the people around us, and he has great impact on everybody.”
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