I took some time to attend the Blackhawks annual prospect and development camp, this week, at Johnny's Icehouse West. I spent the better part of 2 days watching drills and a few scrimmages involving kids that are, for the most part, 2 to 3 years from even sniffing the AHL.
The organization invited roughly twenty five college and junior free agent players to join their forty-something prospects, for a little summer camp action. I cannot complain one bit, as it's still fun to enjoy hockey while it is 90 degrees outside.
I took notes on a majority of the players, and those that didn't stand out, I just omitted. Take a gander, below, at what I have complied.
The players that are highlighted and marked with an asterisk have their rights held by the Blackhawks organization.
| Forwards | Notes | |
| Radovan Bondra* | Nice size, moves well, protects the puck. | |
| Mathias From* | Nice goal on Wednesday. Looks taller than listed 6'1". Not afraid of contact. Kind of a kamikaze. | |
| Graham Knott* | No idea what to think of this kid. Seen him a few times, and nothing stands out. Just "a guy" | |
| Daniil Miromanov | Good size. Looks more bulky than listed 185 lbs. Moves well for a big player. Has some hands. | |
| Nathan Noel* | Looks small and thin. OK little player, but needs some weight on him. | |
| Fredrik Olofsson* | OK size. Didn't stand out, but didn't look over matched either. | |
| Beau Starrett* | Looks huge compared to everyone else. Not overly slow. Didn't show up on the score sheet, but could be a bottom 6 size guy with some talent. For some reason Adam Creighton came to mind. | |
| Liam Coughlin* | Decent size. Could be a decent bottom 6 PF | |
| John Dahlstrom* | Something about him seems "frumpy". Doesn't look short, but has a "wideness" to him. Sort of slow. | |
| Alex DeBrincat* | Short and stocky. Quick. Good hands. Desperately needs some more bulk. | |
| Alexandre Fortin | This kid was everywhere. Had 5 goals during the week and was all over the ice. Someone needs to give him a shot. | |
Matheson Iacopelli* | Decent size. Benefited from teammates having a good camp. Nothing special, but not a liability either | |
| Roy Radke* | Had a really good '15 camp. Potential is there. Has an edge to him, and protects the puck well. Can certainly see him playing in RFD soon. | |
| Jack Ramsey* | Actually looks bigger than listed 191 lbs. Kind of a power mold | |
| Dylan Sikura* | Set up Dahlstrom for the GWG on Wed with a nice cross slot pass on the back door. | |
| Ryan Hartman* | Smaller than perceived. Little sandpaper edge. | |
| John Hayden* | Big lumbering forward. Aggressive. Likes to use his size to intimidate. | |
Vincent Hinostroza* | Small and "water buggy" type. If he can't avoid hits, he'll end up getting murdered. | |
| Luke Johnson* | Seems like a "4th line" faceless player | |
| Tanner Kero* | A guy, basically. | |
| Anthony Louis* | Tiny. Tinier than Hinostroza. Going to take a lot to impress at the NHL level | |
| Tyler Motte* | Surprisingly Smallish. Didn't stand out. | |
| Nick Schmaltz* | Did nothing spectacular. Had a flash of speed in drills but, by no means, stood out. | |
| Defensemen | Notes | |
| Lucas Carlsson* | Loves to activate. Wants the puck on his stick. Offensive d-man. Made a nice 1-on-1 offensive move during scrimmage. | |
| Johan Ivarsson | Moves pretty well, like you would expect from a European D man. | |
| Jake Ryczek* | Looks small. Going to need to gain speed if he doesn't want to get killed in the NHL or put on some muscle. | |
| Blake Hillman* | Staff seemed to be working a lot with him. | |
| Chad Krys* | Had a commanding presence. Needs some bulk or he'll get pushed around | |
Andreas Soderberg* | Tall and thin. Lanky. Sat near him Monday and he looked almost frail. | |
| Joni Tuulola* | Seems to have the attention of the staff. Nothing of note on Mon. Doesn't seem 6'3", as listed. Another solid european defenseman | |
| Carl Dahlstrom* | Moves like Frankenstein. Has great size, but struggles to keep up. Looks like a younger Rozsival with equivalent speed | |
| Roman Dyukov | Slick hands. Smallish but moves very well. Skates with his head down too much, though | |
| Gustav Forsling* | Composed. Decent size. Smooth. | |
| Michal Kempny* | No Show Mon. Clearly older and more dominant. Aggressive. | |
| Robin Norell* | Like Press, smart and moves well. | |
| Robin Press* | Good size, and speed to go along with it. much more mobile than Dahlstrom. | |
| Nikita Ustinenko | Rangy but thin. Could get easily manhandled. | |
| Goalies | Notes | |
| Jack Burgart | Does not look the listed 6'5", by any stretch of the imagination. | |
| Collin Delia | Love his movement in net. Smooth, efficient. My favorite goalie of camp. Season stats not impressive, but passes the eye test. Hobey Baker nominee with Motte, and Schmaltz | |
| Evgeny Kiselev | Nothing really special. Avg size and ability. | |
| Connor LaCouvee | Smaller. Return to camp. Like how he holds his glove higher. Not overly aggressive | |
| Rob McGovern | Couldn't get over his white/baby blue pads. Unspectacular. Didn't look the listed 240 lbs | |
| Shane Starrett | Beau Starrett's older brother. BIG, BIG, BIG! | |
| Jake Hildebrand* | Smaller than the others. Relaxed positioning. Shows some composure but lack of size can hurt. Has a good glove hand | |
| Wouter Peeters* | Low very wide stance, holds glove low and tight. Looks smaller as a result | |
| Matt Tomkins* | 3rd camp. Solid, unspectacular but clearly the "veteran" of the goalies. | |