Kevin Korchinski is ready to put in the work this summer and knows what he has to do to take the next step.
Kevin Korchinski is ready to put in the work this summer and knows what he has to do to take the next step.
Kevin Korchinski is completely ready to embrace a summer of hard work to come back next season as an improved player. The young Chicago Blackhawks defenseman knows what he has to work on and has a plan to get there.
In end-of-season interviews, Korchinski explained his training goals for the offseason. Korchinski, who doesn't turn 20 until June, wants to come into his second NHL campaign ready to push himself and help push his team to the next level.
Because of his age, the talented 19-year-old D-man had to either make the Blackhawks in 2023-24 season or return to his junior team, the WHL Seattle Thunderbirds. The Blackhawks believed it was better for Korchinski's development that he spend this season in the NHL. Sending him to the AHL wasn't an option, per an agreement with the CHL that prohibits signed junior players under 20 from being assigned to minor pro teams.
Korchinski should be a huge part of the Blackhawks' future on the back-end. The seventh overall draft pick from 2022 has already shown he has the ability to compete at a high level.
Coach Luke Richardson has compared Korchinski's skills and style to those of Hall-of-Fame D-man Scott Niedermayer, who starred for 18 seasons with New Jersey and Anaheim.
First and foremost, Korchinski said he wants to "have a good summer and come next year stronger, better, faster, and just take that next step."
Listed at 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds, he finished his rookie season with 26 hits. While not every defenseman has to be overly physical to be effective, it definitely helps. Korchinski's speed is there and he is a very smooth skater, but needs to become stronger — and selectively meaner and more physical on the ice.
Korchinski is going back home to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan for the summer and said he has a really good setup there. He plans on starting soon because he enjoys summer training and is ready to "work on the stuff he's gotta work on."
When it comes to specifics, Korchinski said, "I think the main thing is just in the gym getting stronger so that I can defend at a higher level."
Stronger, more-experienced opponents got the better of Korchinski in front of the net and in other one-on-one battles zones on more than one occasion last season. That was to be expected.
The 31st place Blackhawks missed the playoffs for the fourth straight season. But Korchinski said that allows him to set up a training plan and really reap the benefits the following season.
Korchinski said gapping up, stick, and positioning in the defensive zone are what he'd like to get better at. He also revealed he will be working on shooting and getting his shot away more quickly.
"I think that's another thing this summer," he said. "Just working on that one-time slap shot where you can threaten that more on the power play and threaten a harder shot that finds the back of the net more."
Korchinski has a lot on his plate, but seems to be honed in on improving both offensively and defensively while getting his body more attuned for NHL action. He has no shortage of energy and "gas in the tank."
He wrapped up his first year in the NHL with five goals and 15 points in 76 games while averaging 19:37 of ice time per game. He was a minus-39 on a team with a minus-111 goals differential
Early in the season, Korchinski often was paired with veteran Connor Murphy. But Murphy suffered a groin/hip injury in mid-January that sidelined him for three months and Korchinski lost a solid on-the-ice mentor.
With the work ethic, drive, and intelligence Korchinski's has shown, the Blackhawks are going to reap the rewards from having him exponentially improve over the coming years.
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