A particularly large crop
Blackhawks make bigger players a priority as development camp opens
The newest Chicago Blackhawks didn’t have much time to get the lay of the land before hitting the ice for the opening of development camp Monday at Fifth Third Arena.
“You get drafted, you get a call and then they say they’re going to send you your flights the next day,” center Dominic James said. “I don’t know, it’s really awesome, all of it, though. Kind of looked at my jersey, then looked around and had a smile on my face the whole time.”
Added winger Gavin Hayes: “Right when we got drafted, we had to come to Chicago. It was like 6:30 a.m., so been on the go.”
As much as it has been a whirlwind for the Hawks’ 11 draft picks and other prospects invited to the weeklong camp, the players aren’t the only ones who had their heads whipped around by the process. It started with general manager Kyle Davidson briskly trading his way into three first-round draft picks Thursday after starting the day with none.
“It was obviously some really bold moves and some hard decisions,” Hawks CEO Danny Wirtz said.
That included trading fan favorite Alex DeBrincat to the Ottawa Senators for the No. 7 pick, used to select defenseman Kevin Korchinski. Forward Frank Nazar, the No. 13 pick, came via the deal that sent Kirby Dach to the Montreal Canadiens, and a swap of picks and cap space with the Toronto Maple Leafs brought a third first-rounder, defenseman Sam Rinzel, at No. 25.
DeBrincat said his immediate reaction was shock.
“I guess you don’t really think (the trade rumors are) true until it becomes true,” DeBrincat said. “Kind of knew (the rumors) were around for a while and thought there was a possibility to get moved. It doesn’t really hit you until it gets done.
“You think about all the good times I had
in Chicago and how great they were for me. Definitely sad leaving but a new adventure for me here” in Ottawa.
Asked if the wheeling and dealing surprised him — particularly involving DeBrincat — Wirtz said, “Not in the planning process.”
“The good thing about Kyle is (he’s) very good and objective about laying out potential scenarios of where things could go, so there’s a lot of scenario work,” Wirtz said. “So by the time you actually get to where you’re now at a decision point, it’s not a big shock other than when it does become real when the trade call goes in to the NHL and it’s, ‘OK, we actually did it.’ But the rationale and all that work and the analysis of it is longerterm.”
Still, it’s bittersweet parting with players such as DeBrincat and Dach.
“Luckily Kyle can really separate that, but it’s hard to see a player go, especially one that’s beloved,” Wirtz said. “I balance that with this tremendous excitement for especially the three players that were drafted in the first round Thursday, seeing them and getting to know them a little bit. And then now seeing them here at development camp, that gets you excited too.
“So it helps balance it out because it’s a sting, but like anything you find some balance and a lot to get excited about.”
Here are four things we learned on the first day of camp.
1. Why the Hawks moved up for Sam Rinzel.
The selection of Rinzel at No. 25 raised some eyebrows.
Some pundits had pegged the Hawks as a suitor for the defenseman — but in the second round, particularly because much of his playing experience came in high school. The Hawks said they believed the Minnesota Wild and others were eyeing him.
Rinzel had a take on why he rose up draft boards.
“I was a late bloomer a little bit, kind of growing into my strengths and growing height-wise,” the 6-foot-4 Rinzel said. “But I was able to get out there and I think people were noticing me a little bit.”
2. The Hawks prospect pool is growing to new heights.
Hawks management wanted to add some size, and five of the players in camp this week are at least 6-6.
Louis Crevier, a 6-8 defenseman drafted in 2020, finally met his match in center Riku Tohila, a seventh-round pick.
While they’re on the extreme end, the Hawks did gain size with first-rounders Korchinski (6-2) and Rinzel (6-4).
Korchinski said steady growth helped his skating “tremendously.”
“I just got taller and stronger and just able to balance out my stride, get kind of bigger strides, more explosive,” he said. “I guess you could say I didn’t really have a big growth spurt, more just rapid, gradually growing. I was 5-9 in bantam and just grew an inch or two every year.”
3. Kevin Korchinski is focused on his development.
As part of the trade package the Hawks received for DeBrincat, Korchinski naturally will be judged by fans on whether drafting him was worth giving away an All-Star.
Korchinski would like to win over Chicago, but he put the DeBrincat connection in perspective.
“Puts a little bit more pressure (on me), but I’m just worried about myself and improving every day and winning every day,” he said. “I know what kind of hockey player I am, I’m confident in my abilities, so for me it’s just winning each day and getting to the level I want to be at.”
Nazar, acquired in the Dach deal, said having two other Hawks drafted in the first round creates an automatic support system.
“It helps a bit knowing they’re going through the same process that I am and know they’re going through the same troubles,” he said. “It’s cool, we’ve talked about it a little bit.”
4. Samuel Savoie explains confident versus cocky.
Some of the Hawks picks punctuated their draft day by talking up their game and making comparisons to established players.
Savoie, a winger picked in the third round, said he sees a bit of Brad Marchand in himself.
“Marchand’s a guy who likes to go under people’s skin. That’s what I do and I like it,” he said.
But Savoie knows there’s a fine line between confident and cocky, especially for players starting their careers.
“Confident, you can still be humble,” he said. “It’s more of you’re confident, you know you’re good, you’re here, obviously there’s some good players around you and you know that there’s better players than you too. To be confident (is necessary) just to have a little flow.
“I think cocky is thinking you’re better than everyone and you’re thinking you’re better than yourself.”