The Peaks and Valleys of Young Careers
A look at two different scenarios involving the highs of one season and the lows of another with the young Blackhawks
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 how Alex Vlasic has proved early critics wrong with his strong play this season, as well as look at how the Blackhawks can help Lukas Reichel in his quest for redemption.
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Blackhawks Have 3 Options to Fix Lukas Reichel
February 12, 2024 by Gail Kauchak
The Chicago Blackhawks have lost the first two games after the All-Star Break and have now dropped six games in a row, which is a record for the season. This doesn’t come as a big surprise; the team is still without the services of Connor Bedard, and they’re having trouble scoring without him. But one player that’s really struggled is Lukas Reichel. He was hoping a visit from his parents and a reset over the break would help him. But in the first two contests of February, that hasn’t been the case.
At this point, the Blackhawks don’t seem to know what to do to light a fire under Reichel. It’s been a topic of conversation all season long among the Blackhawks’ faithful; what can be done to get Reichel going? Let’s look at how the 21-year-old got to this point, weigh some of the options being discussed, and examine the pros and cons of these choices.
Blackhawks’ Vlasic Removing Doubt With Strong Rookie Season
February 10, 2024 by Brooke LoFurno
“I think they’re going to be studs, both of them.” Rockford IceHogs head coach Anders Sorensen said this quote about defensemen Alex Vlasic and Isaak Phillips in April. This statement carried weight as a couple of prospects whom Chicago Blackhawks fans were high on.
When coaches say things like this about any player, you know it’s something you want to keep in your back pocket because coaches see what fans don’t. Now, 10 months later, this quote seems pertinent, especially to Alex Vlasic, as he flew under the radar and came out with a bang as one of the team’s best as a 22-year-old rookie. Even better? He flipped the script on criticisms that have followed him since he got drafted. Let’s take a look back at how this came to be.