News Blackhawks Team Notes

[Chicago Blackhawks]

Embarrassing Oilers, New Draft Rankings, Tax Issue Dismissed, and Other Blackhawks Bullets

I hate hyperbole and recency bias, but even I have to admit the first two games of the Stanley Cup Final were two of the best games in the history of the league. Game One went to overtime; Game Two went to double overtime. The games were both back and forth filled with incredible skill and fabulous playmaking all over the ice. Blackhawks fans were left feeling nostalgic for the teams in Chicago that looked that good.

Last night was Game Three. If you were excited to see where the series could go from the end of Game Two, last night was… a dull thud. The Florida Panthers were back at home and allowed the Edmonton Oilers to embarrass themselves for 60 minutes, taking stupid penalties and leaving their starting goaltender on an island while chasing players around to sucker punch them or cheap shot them instead of defending.

The end result: a 6-1 Panthers win that included the fourth-highest combined penalty minute total (140) in a Stanley Cup Final game in history. The Oilers accounted for 85 of those PIM, which is the third-highest total for a team in a Stanley Cup Final game in history. Ironically, the Oilers were five short of tying both the record for penalty minutes by a team and tying the score in the game (the Habs had 90 in 1986).

Let me be crystal clear: I’m not against fighting in hockey. I thought the 4 Nations Face-Off was incredible; I’ve written as much here a few times this year. It elevated hockey on an international level for sports viewers and fans who aren’t likely to tune in otherwise. And the US-Canada game started with a whole buncha rock-em sock-em robots. The difference here was the Oilers weren’t competing. They were trying to injure. And when the Panthers — who are plenty familiar with questionable hits/contact as a tactic — didn’t fight back and instead kicked their @$$ up and down the ice, the optics were terrible.

I think this clip from the end of regulation sums up the entire game perfectly. Corey Perry was out for blood, slashing anything he could find in an opposite color jersey. The Panthers stood around and took his whacks and laughed in his face while he lost his mind.

Corey Perry gave Niko Mikkola a nasty two-hander, and dropped the gloves to fight…

Meanwhile, Mikkola just pointed and laughed in his face pic.twitter.com/iTXIiPnib7

— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) June 10, 2025

• NHL commissioner Gary Bettman appeared on the TNT set last night for a few questions. Paul Bissonnette asked him about the state tax “problem” that’s been created since teams in Canada can’t beat teams from Florida. I thought Bettman dismissed the attempt at creating an issue perfectly. When the Panthers and Lightning sucked for all those years, nobody complained. But once they got good owners who spend money and good general managers who spend that money wisely, OMG THEIR TAXES AREN’T FAIR! The Blackhawks won three times with terrible taxes in this state. Nobody complained.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman calls Paul Bissonnette's concern about the NHL & Florida's lack of state tax "ridiculous."

Bettman adds, "I was watching you during the prior rounds. Your attire was a little suspect in terms of your journalistic objectivity." #NHL #StanleyCup https://t.co/eLmLyNCi2c pic.twitter.com/25Tuu8gKnm

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 9, 2025

• Four of the top prospects heading to the 2025 NHL Draft were at Game Three of the Stanley Cup Final last night.

Just a couple of the top 2025 #NHLDraft prospects taking in the #StanleyCup Final.

Cc: Michael Misa, Matthew Schaefer, James Hagens & Jake O'Brien

: @NHL_On_TNT & @SportsonMax https://t.co/4TuyIATi3T
: @Sportsnet or stream on Sportsnet+ https://t.co/4KjbdjVctF pic.twitter.com/JBaTW47UTt

— NHL (@NHL) June 10, 2025

• Corey Pronman at The Athletic posted his final top 125 prospect rankings for the 2025 NHL Draft on Tuesday morning. He has Matthew Schaefer and Michael Misa at 1-2, which isn’t a surprise. The intrigue is at 3-7. Pronman has Porter Martone at 3, Caleb Desnoyers at 4, James Hagens at 5, Anton Frondell at 6 and Jake O’Brien at 7.

New post @TheAthleticNHL: Top 125 prospect rankings for the 2025 NHL Draft https://t.co/8XKGVQIOhf

— Corey Pronman (@coreypronman) June 10, 2025

• Speaking of Desnoyers, really good read from Ben Pope on the player who might be the Blackhawks’ pick at No. 3 in a couple weeks. You should know by now that I’m a fan of his game and think he’s going to be a terrific NHL player. Good stuff in this interview with Ben.

I sat down with Caleb Desnoyers at the combine to learn more about him.

"If you’re better in your D-zone, you’ll get more offensive time. So I always took pride in that to get the puck."

Here's his Blackhawks prospect profile:https://t.co/qTC3WrKcBG

— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) June 9, 2025

• With the Blackhawks likely promoting a handful of defenseman to the NHL (and some others potentially being involved in other decisions), one of the overlooked aspects of the organizational depth is which players would fill out the roster in Rockford. Over the past couple years, the Blackhawks have done a nice job of insulating young players with good vets in the AHL. They’re going to have one key member of their roster stay put for two more years. Defenseman Cavan Fitzgerald inked a two-year deal on Monday.

MVP is staying for TWO

We've signed defenseman Cavan Fitzgerald to a two-year AHL contract. See you soon Fitzy!!

: https://t.co/ZTsh7AvgjT pic.twitter.com/2XQvyXIYjD

— Rockford IceHogs (@goicehogs) June 9, 2025

• Earlier this morning I took a look at some new 2025 NHL mock drafts that have popped up since the end of the Scouting Combine this past week in Buffalo.

Let’s Compare Some New #Blackhawks Mock Drafts www.bleachernation.com/blackhawks/2…

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— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@bn-blackhawks.bsky.social) June 10, 2025 at 6:44 AM

• I’m pretty sure Evander Kane just took another penalty…

• The New York Islanders announced the hiring of assistant coaches Ray Bennett and Bob Boughner.

• TJ Oshie did retire on Monday. Heck of a career. Good for him.

T.J. Oshie, who helped lead the @Capitals to a #StanleyCup in 2018, has announced his retirement from the NHL after 16 seasons and 1,010 regular season games.

Full release and statement from Oshie: https://t.co/KZx1PFociU pic.twitter.com/osRPtKhjCP

— NHLPA (@NHLPA) June 9, 2025

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• One of the best home run robberies you’ll ever see took place last night.

• PFF loves the Bears’ new-look offensive line (here’s why).

• Bulls trade buzz before the 2025 NBA Draft? Yes please!

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blac...issue-dismissed-and-other-blackhawks-bullets/

 

[Chicago Blackhawks]

Let’s Compare Some New Blackhawks Mock Drafts

With the NHL Scouting Combine in the rearview mirror, the hockey world now transitions into more frequent mock drafts. And the Chicago Blackhawks have two selections in the first round, which gives us more to discuss.

On Monday I posted an updated 2025 NHL mock draft of my own that incorporates a few trade scenarios that could play out in the coming weeks. I hadn’t included trades before, so that was a fun wrinkle. But those trades also incorporated some of the buzz that came from the Combine this past week.

We got three other new mock drafts on Monday, a two-for at NHL.com and an updated mock draft at The Athletic. Though Corey Pronman hasn’t updated his since the Combine yet, I wanted to include his most recent work in here as well because it was just before the Combine began. Here are the four mock drafts we’ll look at:

• NHL.com — Adam Kimelman and Mike G. Morreale (June 9)
• The Athletic — Scott Wheeler (June 9)
• The Athletic — Corey Pronman (June 3)

Let’s get into the picks these analysts make for the Blackhawks with their two selections in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft.

Blackhawks Pick — No. 3 overall​

All four writers took Anton Frondell for the Blackhawks at No. 3 overall. Here’s some of what they wrote about that selection:

Wheeler: “Misa would be an obvious choice for the Blackhawks if he were to get to No. 3, but if he doesn’t, I’ve felt it’s going to be Frondell or [Caleb] Desnoyers for them here since the lottery. Their abundance of 5-10/11 forward prospects probably takes [James] Hagens out of their mix, and Porter Martone doesn’t have the skating/pace they prioritize. I’ve taken Frondell in both of my mocks, but Desnoyers is a real possibility here.“

Pronman: “Frondell brings high-end skill, an elite shot and a complete 200-foot game and fills Chicago’s need for a strong two-way pivot to pair with Connor Bedard or potentially move Bedard to the wing.“

Kimelman: “One scout described Frondell (6-1, 198) as a ‘military tank’ because of how competitive he is and how hard he plays. Frondell has an elite offensive game, is an outstanding skater and he uses it well on the forecheck. He won’t shy away from physical play, which is especially impressive from an 18-year-old player skating in Allsvenskan, the second-highest professional league in Sweden.“

Morreale: “Frondell did exceptionally well at the 2025 NHL Scouting Combine, particularly on the bike tests. He had 25 points (11 goals, 14 assists) in 29 regular-season games and seven points (three goals, four assists) in 16 playoff games in Allsvenskan to help Djurgarden earn promotion to the Swedish Hockey League for next season.“

Blackhawks Pick — No. 25 overall​

Predictably, there isn’t consensus on who the Blackhawks will target with their second pick in the first round. But four interesting names were mentioned, which gives us more names to consider.

• Pronman: Will Horcoff, C

“A big, skilled forward with great hockey sense, Horcoff needs to work on his skating but has the potential to be a legit scorer as a pro and looked quite good at the college level as a U18 player.”

• Wheeler: Daniil Prokhorov, RW

“The Blackhawks should look to be aggressive and package some of their picks to move up from here or look to add a player. If they do, I could see Nesbitt being a potential target a few spots up. If they don’t, I don’t see the consensus D in this range (Fiddler and Boumedienne, and then Brzustewicz) as targets. The competitive, well-rounded Gastrin makes sense if they stay here as a potential 3C of the future.”

• Kimelman — Malcolm Spence, LW

“After selecting a center with their first choice, the Blackhawks can take a shot with a talented forward who projects to be a solid goal-scorer. Spence (6-2, 201) is a very good skater who can accelerate with the puck on his stick, and he’s strong enough to make his presence felt on the forecheck. He also was one of five OHL players to score at least five power-play goals and five short-handed goals this season.”

• Morreale — Cullen Potter, C

“Potter is an elite skater capable of creating chances in the offensive end. He was the first forward in NTDP history to leave the program for college after his U-17 season.”

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blackhawks/2025/06/10/lets-compare-some-new-blackhawks-mock-drafts/

 

[Chicago Blackhawks]

Report: Jonathan Toews Decision Coming Soon

It sounds like former Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews could make a decision on his future within the next two weeks. David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported on Wednesday that Toews is expected to make his decision before the 2025 NHL Draft begins — which is two weeks from Friday.

Toews cannot officially sign until July 1, but he can make the decision in advance. Pagnotta reports the Winnipeg Jets and Toronto Maple Leafs have made inquiries. The Jets, Toews’ hometown team, have been linked prominently since Toews indicated he will return for the 2025-26 season.

The 2025 NHL Draft is on June 27 and 28, and Toews has an autograph event at Sports ‘N More in Yorktown Mall on June 29. Could make for some interesting questions at the table for the longest-tenured captain in Blackhawks history for sure.

Jonathan Toews is starting to narrow down his options and I'm told he plans to make a decision by the NHL Draft. He can't officially sign with a team until July 1, but can agree with a team in advance. https://t.co/k1aGMGS8dL

— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) June 11, 2025

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blackhawks/2025/06/11/report-jonathan-toews-decision-coming-soon/

 

[Chicago Blackhawks]

Blackhawks Draft Buzz: Frondell Frequency, Trades Coming? Lack of Dinner Dates, More

If you haven’t been able to tell by now, I’m a little bit of a draft addict. I love looking ahead to the NHL draft for the Blackhawks every year, whether they’re picking first or last. So June is a great month even if there aren’t meaningful games for the Hawks. And mock drafts? Give me all of them!

While I like mock drafts that are from a single writer, when The Athletic does their beat writers mock draft I’m locked in. It gives us a sense from those who cover teams closely that they think the teams will do. And they dropped the latest edition of that exercise on Wednesday. Scott Powers had the privilege of handling the Blackhawks’ two picks in the first round.

For The Athletic's mock draft, I made the Blackhawks' two first-round picks. I'm relatively confident with the first one. Who knows on the second one? I'm not convinced they'll even make that pick. www.nytimes.com/athletic/640…

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— Scott Powers (@scottpowers.bsky.social) June 11, 2025 at 9:09 AM

Not surprisingly, Powers went with Anton Frondell at No. 3 overall. Powers notes that he might be a wing at the NHL level, which the Blackhawks may prefer if they believe Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar are indeed their top two centers moving forward. There’s a ton of smoke around Frondell to the Blackhawks right now. And that gives me a little pause, because GMKD doesn’t necessarily always do what we all expect him to do.

At No. 25, Powers writes that he doesn’t necessarily believe the Blackhawks will make a pick. Trade up? Maybe. Trade for other assets? Possibly. But for the sake of the mock draft, he had to make a pick And he went with Russian forward Ivan Ryabkin, who’s viewed as a bit of a lottery ticket in this draft. Maybe a super-high ceiling, but it feels like he could have a low floor as well. Interesting name to consider for the Blackhawks.

No Blackhawks Dinner Dates?​

Really good emptying of the notebook from the NHL Scouting Combine from Rachel Doerrie at ESPN. She writes about some of the team-focused buzz as well as the players whose stock went up most at the events in Buffalo. First, this comment about the Blackhawks:

More interesting, Chicago, which owns the third pick, did not take anyone to dinner. That is certainly a calculated decision from its brass. Perhaps the Blackhawks plan to invite players to Chicago (or fly out to them) during draft week? It’s anyone’s guess, but their strategy was the topic of some conversation among other teams. The Philadelphia Flyers famously passed on the opportunity to take Jett Luchanko to dinner last season before drafting him, so as to not raise alarm bells with other teams. Perhaps Chicago is taking a page out of that book.

I’ve said it before but I’ll reiterate it here: I’m not losing sleep over the Blackhawks not having a meal with anyone. Being mysterious this time of year isn’t a bad thing, folks.

On the player side of things, Doerrie writes that Brady Martin, Anton Frondell and Caleb Desnoyers were the winners of the interview room(s) in Buffalo. She’s one of the many who are talking up Martin as a helium prospect in this year’s class; Doerrie goes as far as to say he won’t get past Boston at No. 7, which means there’s real chance of a slide from Porter Martone (cough, trade up Blackhawks? cough). There’s more buzz around Mason West in this piece as well.

For those who are feeling the Frondell to Chicago at No. 3 vibe, Doerrie wrote:

Questions about Anton Frondell’s fitness seemed to linger among scouts, and he all but shut those down, with one of the best performances on the VO2 max test, along with Cole Reschny.

Blackhawks Draft Miscellany​

• NHL.com wrote up the top ten goalie prospects in this year’s class. The Blackhawks appear to be set in net at the top of the depth chart with Spencer Knight moving forward. They have Drew Commesso coming in Rockford and Adam Gajan in college. So while I’m not sure they need another goalie, this front office has been consistent about drafting the best player on their board.

• Steven Ellis at Daily Faceoff put together his list of the 15 best wingers in this year’s draft — something that’s notable for Blackhawks fans with two first-round picks. I will note that Ellis used position designations from NHL Central Scouting, so no Frondell or Hagens here even if there’s some buzz they could be wings at the next level.

I looked at 15 of the best wingers for the 2025 #NHLDraft.

Porter Martone, Justin Carbonneau and Victor Eklund are among the top options available this year:https://t.co/wTetsUJ0Ax

— Steven Ellis (@SEllisHockey) June 11, 2025

• The draft could be a busy couple days for the coaches at a few NCAA programs, including the University of Michigan. There’s a lot of hype around Will Horcoff right now, whose workouts at the Combine may have elevated him into the late-first round conversation. Michigan could have seven (7) players on their 2025-26 roster hear their names called in a couple weeks in Los Angeles. Among those seven, Horcoff, Cole McKinney and Malcolm Spence could all make sense for the Blackhawks.

• Speaking of Los Angeles, the NHL making this year’s selection meeting remote appears to have been a good call — even if it was made months in advance.

The #NHL is closely monitoring the ongoing civil unrest and protests in Los Angeles, which is set to host the #NHLDraft in just 16 days.

Peacock Theater and LA Live are both within the current designated curfew boundary which restricts activity and movement from 8pm-6am.

— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) June 11, 2025

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blac...ency-trades-coming-lack-of-dinner-dates-more/