Del Mastro debuts in loss to Preds
When the Blackhawks drafted Connor Bedard, one of many things Bedard thought about was eventually playing in the NHL with Canadian international teammates Kevin Korchinski, Ethan Del Mastro and Colton Dach.
He has done so alongside Korchinski all season. And in the Hawks’ 5-1 loss Friday to the Predators — their fourth-to-last game of the season — he got to play with Del Mastro, who made his NHL debut.
Coach Luke Richardson said the Hawks called up Del Mastro, a 21-year-old defenseman, to give him a “cookie” as a reward for his excellent season in Rockford. The 6-4 Ontario native and 2021 fourth-round pick has paced IceHogs defensemen with 37 points in 66 games and represented the team in the AHL All-Star Game.
He logged 18:35 of ice time on a pairing with Connor Murphy, who returned after his long injury absence.
“It’s pretty surreal when you step on the ice for warmups,” Del Mastro said. “[Predators forward Ryan] O’Reilly, I was just watching him in the playoffs last year as a hometown Leaf guy . . . and then you’re playing against him. It’s pretty cool.”
Del Mastro likely will play in the home finale Sunday against the Hurricanes, then return to Rockford — before the Hawks’ last two games, on the road against the Golden Knights and Kings — to gear up for the AHL playoffs. He’s in line to compete for a full-time NHL roster spot in training camp next season, though.
There wasn’t much else of note in the Hawks’ third consecutive blowout loss, a span in which they’ve been outscored 14-3. Filip Forsberg had a hat trick for the Predators, who scored on all three of their power plays.
Frozen out
Two of the three Hawks prospects in the NCAA Frozen Four were eliminated in the semifinals. Only Aidan Thompson (Denver) will play in the championship Saturday. Frank Nazar (Michigan) and Ryan Greene (Boston University) saw their sophomore seasons end.
Nazar and Greene might sign NHL entrylevel contracts this weekend. If they do, they could play in some of the Hawks’ three remaining games.
“Nazar is impressive to me,” Richardson said. “He gets around the ice and really seems to read the play well . ... It’s exciting that we might have a chance to have a look at him — [I’m] not sure yet. I’m sure it’s disappointing for him not to be in the final, but I think he had a really great, great year. So that’s looking good for us.”
Summer plans
Few players on the Hawks — or even around the league — have a more important offseason ahead of them than Korchinski, who has been hearing for months how important
it will be for him to use these quiet summer months to build up strength.
“It’s going to be good just to really grind in the gym,” Korchinski said. “[I’ll] get a lot stronger, quicker, faster and be able to battle more with men because the league is filled with men who are strong.”
He plans to head back home to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, for the summer, and his skills coaches and off-ice workout schedule are already
determined and booked. Richardson has given him some advice on what to emphasize.
More weight, more muscle mass and more strength should make it easier for Korchinski next season to not only box out around the crease and win board battles in the defensive zone but also get more Roman Josilike power behind his shots.