Injuries, World Juniors & A Hopeful Trajectory
The latest Blackhawks injury news, prospect updates from the World Juniors, and reasons to continue watching the Hawks
Welcome to the THW Chicago Blackhawks Substack newsletter, with all the latest from our team of Blackhawks writers.
In today’s edition, we look at the latest injury news, how the Blackhawks’ prospects fared at the World Juniors, and reasons to watch the Blackhawks amid all the bad luck.
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Now, onto the good stuff…
3 Reasons to Watch the Blackhawks Without Connor Bedard
January 7, 2024 by Jim Bay
After the news broke on Saturday (Jan 6) that the Chicago Blackhawks placed Connor Bedard and Nick Foligno on the IR, I had a few choice expletive-filled comments regarding it. Upon hearing that, my wife commented, “Well, I guess there is no reason to watch the Blackhawks for a while.” I thought about that for a while before realizing she was incorrect.
While it is true that watching Bedard has been the main attraction of watching Blackhawk hockey, his presence did not translate to a great deal of production from the team. Entering Sunday’s (Jan 7) game against the Calgary Flames, the Blackhawks were 31st in the NHL in scoring, 31st in shots on goal, 29th on the power play, and 28th in shooting percentage.
While this sounds like a case not to watch while Bedard is out, it is actually an opportunity to see what happens in Chicago while the 18-year-old recovers from his fractured jaw.
Blackhawks Prospects Shine at 2024 World Junior Championship
January 6, 2024 by Jim Bay
The Chicago Blackhawks were well represented at the 2024 World Junior Championship, with four prospects playing for Team USA and two prospects skating for Team Slovakia. The WJC is a great chance to familiarize yourself with some of the Blackhawks’ future players and to follow them as they develop into NHL players. This year, the tournament found a new home in Gothenburg, Sweden, after being hosted in Canada four straight times (three in Edmonton, including the canceled one, and one on the East Coast) and returned to the usual holiday season schedule.
Team Slovakia and Blackhawks prospects Adam Gajan and Martin Misiak were eliminated on Tuesday (Jan. 2) after falling to Team Finland in the quarterfinals. Team USA had Blackhawks prospects, Frank Nazar, Gavin Hayes, Oliver Moore, and Sam Rinzel, who captured the gold medal on Friday (Jan. 5) by defeating Sweden 6-2. Overall, all six prospects played well during this tournament and gave the Blackhawks and their fans something to look forward to in the future.
Blackhawks Lose Bedard and Foligno to IR, Make Trade for Depth
January 6, 2024 by Jim Bay
The 2023-24 edition of the Chicago Blackhawks continues to see its roster getting further depleted. Unfortunately, the recent losses come to two of the team’s more important players. The team recently announced that both Connor Bedard and Nick Foligno are being placed on IR. Bedard suffered a fractured jaw while Foligno has a fractured finger, both occurring in Friday’s (Jan. 5) loss to the New Jersey Devils.
Bedard left in the first period of Friday’s 4-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils after taking a big hit from defenseman Brendan Smith. He was seen holding his jaw area as he went to the locker room. Foligno was also placed on injured reserve due to a fractured left finger that he may have suffered in his second-period fight with Smith. The team now has a total of nine players on injured reserve.