The Chicago Blackhawks shook things up at practice on Thursday. Head Coach Jeff Blashill split the roster into an “NHL group” and an “AHL group.”
While the designations aren’t official, the changes gave us a clearer picture of how the roster battle is shaping up with less than two weeks until opening night.
Roster Shifts: NHL vs. AHL Groups
Blashill loaded the NHL group with players competing for jobs right now.
Big names like Connor Bedard, Teuvo Teräväinen, and André Burakovsky were there, along with top prospects Artyom Levshunov, Ethan Del Mastro, Colton Dach, Oliver Moore, and Ryan Greene.
But the surprise came on the back end: Kevin Korchinski and Nolan Allan were skating in the “AHL group” with Rockford head coach Jared Nightingale running the session.
Blashill admitted he might flip players around tomorrow, and sure enough, Korchinski and Allan are expected to rejoin the NHL group while Matt Grzelcyk and Louis Crevier move down.
“I made a decision to ramp it up a little bit, get to a group of guys who are competing more for NHL jobs. But there are still some in the second group who can push,” Blashill explained.
Who Skated in Group 2
While the NHL group was loaded with Bedard, Burakovsky, Teräväinen, and other top names, the “AHL group” still featured some notable talent. Here’s the list from Thursday:
Forwards: Nick Lardis, Martin Misiak, Aidan Thompson, Paul Ludwinski, Gavin Hayes, Dominic Toninato, Jackson Cates*
Defensemen: Kevin Korchinski, Nolan Allan, Taige Harding, Ryan Mast, Dmitry Kuzmin, Andrew Perrott*, Cavan Fitzgerald*, Ashton Cumby**
Goalies: Drew Commesso, Stanislav Berezhnoy, Mitchell Weeks*
(*AHL invite, **unsigned prospect)
Blackhawks Injury Updates
The injury list grew this week:
- Joey Anderson will undergo a procedure for a chronic issue and is out for the preseason. His regular-season timeline is unknown.
- Landon Slaggert (day-to-day), Samuel Savoie, and Brett Seney will skate on their own but won’t play this weekend.
- AJ Spellacy should be back in practice Friday and could be available for weekend action.
Blashill said he still wants to give Slaggert a shot with Jason Dickinson and Ilya Mikheyev when he’s healthy.
Takeaways from Tuesday’s Loss in Detroit
The Blackhawks dropped their preseason opener in Detroit, but Blashill downplayed the result.
“It was our sixth straight day after a hard camp. In the second and third, we were slow to pucks—partly because we were thinking too much, and partly because we were tired.
The first period we had legs and did some good stuff. [Arvid Söderblom] was great. These early games are for teaching. As you get closer to real hockey, they become more important.”
The coach pointed to breakouts and defensive-zone coverage as areas needing work. Chicago missed opportunities to exit cleanly, extended shifts in their own end, and struggled to kill plays in the quadrants they want.
Spencer Knight’s Early Impressions
One positive: Blashill likes what he’s seeing from new goaltender Spencer Knight, who’s adjusting quickly to Chicago’s systems.
Knight’s calm presence and communication with young blueliners like Levshunov and Wyatt Kaiser could prove valuable this season.
Blashill on Systems and Special Teams
Blashill spent close to nine minutes in his postgame press conference outlining what he’s trying to install in Chicago. His focus is on teaching players to react instinctively rather than overthink.
On the penalty kill, he called it a “smart pressure” system — designed to suffocate teams when executed quickly, but dangerous if late.
“If you’re chasing and giving guys time, you’re doing it wrong,” Blashill explained. “On the penalty kill, it’s all about quick reads — if you’re a step late, it opens up holes.”
That teaching point showed up directly in Tuesday’s loss. On Detroit’s power-play goal, Ethan Del Mastro hesitated on his assignment. Instead of closing the lane and killing the play in the corner, he was a step late — exactly the type of mistake Blashill says can turn into a dangerous scoring chance.
It’s the kind of breakdown expected in preseason, but also the perfect example of why the coaching staff is hammering these details now. The players are still learning a new system, and these exhibition games give them live reps to get it right.
In the neutral zone, the Blackhawks are running a 1-1-3 forecheck with more aggression than in past years.
Blashill said it’s similar to what he implemented in Tampa, where he emphasized meeting plays early rather than sitting back.
Defensively, he wants cleaner breakouts and quicker kills in the corners to avoid extended shifts stuck in-zone. “When we’re connected as five, it feels easy. When we’re not, it feels like we’re chasing all night,” he said.
Preseason Plans
The Blackhawks have two sets of back-to-backs on the preseason schedule, and Blashill doesn’t want to overwork veterans.
Expect split squads this weekend, then a heavier NHL roster in the final home games. Veterans like Connor Murphy and Nick Foligno will likely play one more game than usual to adjust to the new systems.
Blashill called his penalty-kill philosophy “smart pressure.” If executed quickly, it can suffocate opponents. But when late, it opens dangerous seams—like Detroit exposed on their power-play goal Tuesday night.
New contract for Kaiser
The Blackhawks announced a bridge contract for defenseman Wyatt Kaiser. The new two-year deal carries a $1.70 million average annual value. Last season, Kaiser appeared in 57 games and blocked 93 shots. Additionally, he logged 54 credited hits.
Bottom Line: Blackhawks focus on daily habits
The message is clear: the Blackhawks must build winning habits now. The roster split gave us a preview of where players stand, but nothing is finalized.
Expect Korchinski, Allan, and others to rotate back up as Blashill sorts out who belongs in Chicago to start the year.
The early exhibition games are about learning—not results. But with just two weeks until opening night, the pace is about to pick up.
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