The first week of the 2025–26 NHL season is in the books. It was a short week that began last Tuesday with the Chicago Blackhawks opening their campaign in Florida.
Despite finishing with an 0-2-1 record and only one point out of six, there’s more good than bad to take away.
Every Monday, we’ll bring you the Blackhawks Weekly Recap — covering the Hawks, their AHL affiliate Rockford IceHogs, and top prospects in the system.
We’ll review results, highlight key stats, share updates from around the organization, and finish with our Three Stars of the Week for all three levels.
A Rough Blackhawks Start, but Competitive Hockey
Yes, the Hawks went winless this week, but they lost all three games by a single goal, showing they’re playing meaningful hockey and staying competitive — exactly what you want from a rebuilding team.
They opened the season with a 3-2 loss in Florida, followed by a 4-3 overtime loss in Boston, and finished with a 3-2 defeat at home to Montreal on Saturday night.
Each game came down to one play late:
- vs Florida: The Panthers’ winner came off a puck swatted out of mid-air like a baseball swing midway through the third.
- vs Boston: The Bruins sealed it in overtime on a 2-on-1 rush.
- vs Montreal: The Canadiens scored the decisive goal with just 15 seconds left in regulation.
Despite the frustration, the Hawks looked better each night. They tightened their structure, showed improved forechecking, and competed hard in every game.
Blackhawks News and Roster Notes
A busy first week brought several lineup changes and injury updates from coach Jeff Blashill:
- Ethan Del Mastro reassigned to Rockford.
- Alex Vlasic missed the opener but returned Thursday.
- Louis Crevier was inserted into the lineup for Thursday’s game. 1 goal
- Jason Dickinson left Thursday’s game (Day-to-Day).
- Colton Dach promoted from third line → first line for Thursday & Saturday.
- Ryan Donato moved down to third line.
- Blashill used 11 forwards + 7 defensemen vs Boston.
- Lukas Reichel made his season debut vs Montreal.
- Sam Rinzel scored his first NHL goal against the Canadiens — a milestone for the 21-year-old blueliner.
- Levshunov was a healthy scratch on Saturday night.
The home opener also marked the launch of the Blackhawks Centennial Season, with pre-game ceremonies and several Hawks legends in attendance.
Blackhawks By the Numbers
| Category | Stat | NHL Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 0-2-1 (1 pt) | 28th |
| Goals For | 7 | 17th |
| Goals Against | 10 | 26th |
| Goal Differential | -3 | 25th |
| GF/GP | 2.33 | 25th |
| GA/GP | 3.33 | 26th |
| Power Play | 10.0 % | 17th |
| Penalty Kill | 76.5 % | 22nd |
| Shots/GP | 21.7 | 29th |
| Shots Against/GP | 32.7 | 27th |
| Faceoff % | 40.6 % | 30th |
| Hits | 64 | 12th |
At 5-on-5, the Hawks were outscored just 6-5 — proof they’re staying close even while special teams adjust.
Player Highlights
- Frank Nazar: 1 G 4 A 5 PTS — confident and creative start for the rookie.
- Teuvo Teräväinen: 1 G 3 A 4 PTS — steady veteran presence.
- Connor Bedard: 2 G 1 A 3 PTS — leading by example and generating chances.
- Sam Rinzel: First NHL goal Saturday night.
Top Stats: Shots – Donato (8), Nazar (7) | TOI – Rinzel (23:26), Vlasic (21:43), Bedard (20:46)
Perfect Weekend for the IceHogs
Friday — Savoie Plays OT Hero
The IceHogs opened their season with a 3-2 OT win vs Milwaukee. Samuel Savoie buried the winner 1:38 into OT.
Drew Commesso stopped 15 of 16 in the first period; Brett Seney opened the scoring from Kevin Korchinski’s feed.
Jackson Cates tied it late, forcing OT where Savoie snapped home the winner.
Sunday — Moore Shines in Iowa
Rockford rolled Iowa 6-2. Oliver Moore scored his first two pro goals, and goalie Stanislav Berezhnoy earned his first AHL win (29 saves).
Additional goals: Dillon Boucher, Jamie Englebert, Connor Mylymok, and Dominic Toninato (assist by Nick Lardis — his first pro point).
Rockford returns home Friday, Oct 17 at 7 p.m. CT to host Texas.
Michael Leighton to Join Ring of Honor
During the home opener, Rockford announced Michael Leighton will be the fifth inductee into the IceHogs Ring of Honor on Feb 6, 2026.
Leighton posted 10 shutouts (most in team history) and set the AHL record for career shutouts (50).
He now runs the Michael Leighton Goalie Academy in Ontario.
Previous inductees: J.F. Rivard, Corey Crawford, Steve Martinson, Bryan Bickell.
Three Stars of the Week
Blackhawks
- ⭐ Frank Nazar: 1 G 4 A 5 PTS
- ⭐⭐ Spencer Knight: .908 SV% GSVA 2.9 (6th NHL)
- ⭐⭐⭐ Connor Bedard: 2 G (1 PPG) 3 PTS 17 shot attempts
IceHogs
- ⭐ Oliver Moore: 2 G 1 A 3 PTS 5 SOG
- ⭐⭐ Goaltenders: 2-0-0 2.00 GAA .941 SV%
- ⭐⭐⭐ Samuel Savoie: 1 G 2 A 3 PTS (OT GWG)
Prospects
- ⭐ Marek Vanacker: 5 G 3 A 8 PTS
- ⭐⭐ Vaclav Nestrasil: 3 G (hat trick)
- ⭐⭐⭐ Roman Kantserov: 2 G 2 PTS 3 SOG
The foundation is set — the Hawks are playing hard, the IceHogs are winning, and the prospect pipeline is thriving. That’s the kind of first week Chicago wanted to see.
Next Game: Blackhawks vs. Utah
Tonight — Monday, October 13
🕢 Blackhawks Set for Monday Night Matchup Against the Mammoth
📍 Puck drop at 7:30 PM CDT
📺 LOCAL TV: CHSN
🌎 OUT-OF-MARKET TV: ESPN+
🎙 RADIO: WGN-720-AM | Blackhawks App
Lotta meat here, Frenchy. Nice work here. This look back at the week on Monday is gonna be nice to read this yr…………. You said it all in one sentence, “the kind of 1st week we wanted to see”. The system is kinda humming right now.
Any Frondell scoop?
Would have been better had the Hawks gotten a point or two outa the weekend. They were close on the scoreboard but too far back in the possession numbers. It won’t improve until the club can posses the puck more often unless Knight plays out of his mind all yr. Doubtful, if only cuz he’ll get hurt with all that work.
Thanks for your comment! Yes, I’ll be bringing this feature every Monday — you called it! Knight delivered a solid performance, and the Hawks came away with two points. As for Frondell, no points last week — he only played one game with around 13 minutes of ice time. I think Blashill still needs to find three consistent lines with better chemistry to get the offense rolling.
And Blashill deserves a mention. His first week was good, and for me highlighted by giving Artie a seat last night despite two nice fancy numbers efforts. …… I’m thinking the kid can’t keep hurting the club like he has with penalties and Blashill is gonna have to make a statement with ice time taken away. Well, that was Artie and the night he does that the Hawks take 10ish penalties!!
Hopefully Blashill can nip this in the bud cuz no team can survive playing like that.
Liked his lineup decisions too and he didn’t juggle, he tweaked. Juggling has a way of stunting chemistry. Land on some lineups and give it a good look before moving on and it seems that’s Blashill’s tact.
What’s interesting is that Bedard has taken two bad penalties in his last two games. Artie had a solid overall performance — not perfect, but he’s developing his game steadily, one match at a time. Blashill managed his bench really well last night, balancing the TOI across all lines. The third line stood out and played a strong game.
Only 11 goals against so far — not bad at all for a young team still finding its rhythm. They just need a few adjustments from certain players when it comes to defensive-zone coverage. And like you said, puck possession has to improve if they want to control games more consistently.
I actually like how much tighter the 5 on 5 play is from the first game to the 3rd game. Love the double teams on entries along the boards. The forwards did a great job of protecting the slot vs the Habs, more of that please. And if the team defense can get better at limiting the offense to half the ice in the ozone i really like our goalies chances at keeping us in games.
Thanks for your comment! It was definitely an ugly win last night, but you’re absolutely right about the Blackhawks’ defensive play. The structure is improving, and you can see the effort and commitment in their own zone. If they keep tightening things up like that, these kinds of gritty wins will start to come more often.