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In a way, Chicago Blackhawks development camp is under development.
When general manager Kyle Davidson took over last year, he said the Hawks would reevaluate how they do everything — and this is just another example.
Assistant general manager of development Mark Eaton revealed back in May that “rookie camp” would look a lot different after learning from the past.
So don’t come to Fifth Third Arena Saturday, the start of this year’s camp, hoping to see new No. 1 draft pick Connor Bedard running drills on the ice and competing against other prospects in scrimmages.
“We want to do what’s best for our prospects. And thinking about it, having no on-ice portion is the best use of that week,” Eaton told NBC Sports Chicago during a podcast in May.
Physical training is what they need most at this stage, Eaton said, but “they’ll put their off-ice training on hold to start skating so that they show well when they do get to Chicago.”
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So at least for this summer, “you don’t have to cram for development camp,” Eaton said.
Instead, coaches and staff will teach prospects about nutrition, sleep and what a training regimen looks like at the NHL level. That’s particularly critical for a defensive prospect like Kevin Korchinski.
“Does Kevin have all the skills and skating ability and smarts to play in the NHL right now? Absolutely,” Eaton said on the podcast.
“But physically, is he developed enough to withstand 82 games, plus playoffs, playing against the biggest, fastest, strongest men in hockey in the world? That’s the major question with most young players, especially defensemen.”
Here’s a look at how two defensive prospects have grown heading into camp.
Kevin Korchinski
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It has been a big season and offseason for Korchinski, and not just because he’s taken up guitar — something he picked up from his Seattle Thunderbirds teammates.
His WHL season could be summed up in a word: harmony.
The Thunderbirds traded for fellow Hawks prospects Nolan Allan and Colton Dach — no grand plan, just worked out that way — and the three became fast friends.
“It was good to play with those guys that you’re going to play with in the future,” Korchinski told the Tribune.
Korchinski has grown particularly close to “great guy” Allan, his fellow blueliner: “We live in the same city, in Saskatoon, so we get to spend time in the summer together and golf.“
On the ice, all three have played prominent roles in helping the ThunderBirds win the Western Hockey League championship en route to making a run to the Memorial Cup final before losing.
During the regular season, Korchinski recorded 11 goals and 62 assists — third among WHL defensemen — and scored 73 points — ranked sixth in the league. He also made the Canadian Hockey League All-Star third team.
“I’m most proud of our (WHL) championship that we won,” he said. “To win it all, it was really, really special doing it with the group of guys we had and just everybody contributing and cementing everybody’s legacy here as a Bird.”
Losing the final to the Québec Remparts 5-0 was a tough pill, but now Korchinski learned valuable lessons, such as being more consistent.
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“One thing I want to work on, just getting a harder shot and getting them through,” he said.
Yes, he was the No. 7 overall draft pick last season because of his offensive talent, but he’s putting equal effort into defense.
One are where he’s making strides? “Gap up and kill plays before they start. There’s not one player in the NHL that can’t make you look silly, so you’ve got to be extra careful. You can’t just be fishing for the puck.”
“You have to have good body position and just focus on playing the man and not giving up anything easy,” he added.
For now, he’s concentrating on Hawks development camp, where he’ll get a chance to build on his bond with Dach and Allan
“I don’t doubt that they’ll be there at the next level very, very shortly,” Korchinski said. “We’ve all got big summers ahead of us, things we’ve got to improve on, (but) we just don’t get too ahead of ourselves. It’s really exciting.”
In that vein, Allan noted how serendipity put himself, Dach Korchinski, Bedard and another Hawks prospect Ethan del Mastro on this year’s Canadian World Juniors team.
“It is kind of crazy to look back at it now and see how everything is just kind of coming together,” Allan said. ”Us three playing and winning the championship. And then obviously the Blackhawks winning the draft lottery and being able to select Connor. Super excited, honestly, to get to camp and see him and the guys and get started.”
As for Korchinski’s own NHL aspirations, he’s not putting himself under any pressure to make the Hawks roster out of training camp, echoing Eaton’s words.
“Taking it slow and just doing what’s right for my development,” Korchinski said. “You don’t want to rush things.”
Nolan Allan
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Allan spendt part of his offseason helping out with the family farm, driving tractors and building fences.
“We don’t milk any cows,” he told the Tribune. “We’re more of a grain farm. So we plant crops like canola and lentils and peas and wheat.”
But he has become a wrangler of sorts. Korchinski said Allan is the Thunderbirds’ “lockdown guy.”
“He’s a really tough hockey player,” he said. “He can really throw mean hit. He fights I wouldn’t want to go up against him.”
That’s something Allan developed with the CHL’s Prince Albert Raiders before they traded him to the Thunderbirds in November.
“The coaches really brought out in me,” he said. “That’s a strength of mine and playing hard defense and being physical. So any time I can make it hard on the other team’s top forwards and top line, it’s a goal.”
He’s still recognized for planting Russia’s Nikita Chibrikov into the bench during Canada’s gold-medal win in the 2021 U18s.
“That’s one of the bigger ones that went viral,” Allan said. “I haven’t put many guys over the bench like that.”
Chicago Tribune Sports
Allan admits, however, the trade to the Thunderbirds knocked him for a loop. But the move had a profound effect on him.
He got to experience winning a championship, and “to do it in front of our home crowd, too, was super special. It was a sold-out barn.”
Allan ended up making the Memorial Cup All-Star roster.Y He thinks he earned the honor with his “steady play” — but and his two goals helped too.
“I think just sticking to my game, sticking to my play style,” he said.
Allan said he’s careful not to soak up too much praise, just like he learned to shut out the critics who said he was a reach in the first round of the 2021 NHL draft.
“When I was drafted, I wasn’t really expecting to be picked that high,” the No. 32 pick said. “And I knew there were some people out there that didn’t really like my game and really didn’t believe in me. I just tried to stay out of it.”