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New York Times
07-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Projecting the Blackhawks' 2025-26 lineup, line by line and pair by pair
No, Mitch Marner or Nikolaj Ehlers aren't coming, Yes, the Chicago Blackhawks' offseason was underwhelming. But the Blackhawks are going to be young next season. They might even be younger than you expect. That could be intriguing, especially under a new coach in Jeff Blashill. You may just want to refrain from peering at the standings too much. Advertisement Based on who the Blackhawks have returning among veterans and prospects, plus what they did this offseason in free agency, trades and the draft, here's what the Blackhawks' 2025-26 lineup could look like line to line, pairing to pairing and in net: The more I hear about what the Blackhawks think of No. 3 draft pick Anton Frondell, the more I think he's going to stick with them out of training camp. How he does in the Tom Kurvers Prospects Showcase could be an early indication. That's always been a huge barometer for me. Over the years, I think back to Gustav Forsling and Alex DeBrincat, and more recently Bedard and Wyatt Kaiser, and how those players separated themselves from most in the rookie games. Some of those players, like Forsling and Kaiser, still had to spend time with the Rockford IceHogs, but you could see their potential early on. In the case of Frondell, the Blackhawks are likely going to give him every opportunity to make the team, meaning he'll likely play in a lot of preseason games, too. With the focus being so much on development and playing the young players this season, there's really no downside for him being in the NHL. He can also be sent to Rockford if they want. If Frondell is in the NHL lineup, playing with Bedard might make sense out of the gate, too. The Blackhawks envision Frondell and Bedard as future linemates. Whether they'd experiment with that early on could also depend on what Bedard looks like come fall. You would think he's primed for a bigger season in his third year. If Frondell isn't on the top line or in the NHL, André Burakovsky could be a fit there. He's played in top-six roles and produced in the past. His production fell off in Seattle, but he attributes that to his injury issues and is healthy now. We'll see if he can return to form, but he's someone who could play up or down the lineup depending on the Blackhawks' need. Ilya Mikheyev also played with Bedard last season, so that's another possibility; Mikheyev is probably better suited further down the lineup. Advertisement As for the other winger, Donato is the logical choice. Can he repeat a 30-goal season? He thinks so and will be motivated to show it. He also understands the opportunities he got with the Blackhawks last season helped him there. If he's playing up the lineup and on the first power-play unit, he's going to get his share of chances. There is always the question about Bedard at center, too. The Blackhawks believe he's still destined to be there, but they've also been willing to move him around ba it or have another center on his line to split faceoffs and defensive responsibilities. Frondell can probably be a center or wing in the future. He played wing in Sweden last season, but he's also played center at his age level and likes to think of himself there in the future. Blashill might have other ideas, too. Bedard and Nazar had some time together at five-on-five last season, but it's not something the Blackhawks would like to do much of this season. Again, the decision will ultimately come down to Blashill, but the organization thinks Bedard and Nazar are best apart, other than on the power play, and both are future centers. In time, maybe it's a Patrick Kane-Jonathan Toews scenario where they're united when really needed. Nazar looks like he could have a breakout season based on his performance last season and at the World Championship in May. The Blackhawks ended the season with this line, and Nazar was at his most productive in five-on-five play with them. The trio had a 49.58 expected goals percentage in 107:33 of ice time, according to Natural Stat Trick. Teräväinen and Bertuzzi had some ups and downs during the season, especially with Bertuzzi's goalless stretches, but both probably finished with the type of production the Blackhawks expected out of them. More consistency would obviously benefit the Blackhawks next season. Another option for a winger for Nazar could be Colton Dach. Before Dach's late-season injury, he and Nazar were playing well together. The Blackhawks outscored teams 7-6 in five-on-five play with the pair on the ice, but the expected goals percentage wasn't as high, at 41.62 over 128:40 of ice time. Dach feels like one of the wild cards this preseason. If he plays well, the Blackhawks have to find a spot for him, which could come at the cost of another young player. The Blackhawks don't necessarily need all their veterans, but they need most of them on the roster to stay above the cap ceiling. Advertisement Nick Lardis will be another player to keep tabs on throughout this season. He probably stars in the AHL with the IceHogs, but he has the potential to be an NHL regular sooner rather than later. The Blackhawks want to make sure he's physically ready for the NHL, but they're confident his offensive game will translate nicely to the top level. A Dickinson bounce-back from last season would really help the Blackhawks. He may not get back to scoring 20 goals, but if he can be the steady defensive presence and match up against other teams' top centers as he has in the past, that can take a lot off the young players' plates and elevate what the team is capable of. In the 2023-24 season, the Blackhawks outscored opponents 45-36 with Dickinson on the ice at five-on-five. Last season, opponents flipped that and outscored the Blackhawks 36-24. Not all of that is on him, and injuries did factor into it, but he'd be the first to say last season wasn't his best. Mikheyev may have been the biggest surprise last season. He was arguably the Blackhawks' best all-around player. Based on Evolving-Hockey's analytics, Mikheyev was by far the best defensive player on the team and the fifth-best offensive player. He probably played up the lineup more than the Blackhawks expected last season, but that was a credit to his reliable game. Foligno will be 38 come October, but he's been durable throughout his time in Chicago. He played 74 games his first season and 78 games last season. His 46.31 expected goals percentage was among the highest on the Blackhawks last season. The actual goals percentage didn't match that; the Blackhawks were outscored 53-38 with him on the ice. Foligno, Dickinson and Mikheyev are in the final year of their contracts. The Blackhawks will likely still need to get the cap floor after the trade deadline, but it's possible the Blackhawks are active moving players out if they're out of contention in the standings and it works financially. Sacha Boisvert may be the only college prospect the Blackhawks try to sign this season and have play in the NHL. The Blackhawks want to start having some lines play as they hope to see in the future. That starts with speed and skating. Slaggert is a safe bet for this line after last season; his linemates could be up in the air. Moore and Greene made their NHL debuts after turning pro last season. Whether they start off this season in the NHL will likely depend on their preseasons. If they don't start in the NHL, they could easily go the same route as Nazar last season and spend some time playing in Rockford before being recalled. Greene was someone the Blackhawks previously thought might not need any time with the IceHogs, but time will tell. Burakovsky fits this line if he isn't higher up in the lineup. Sam Lafferty will likely join this line, too. That's why the Blackhawks got him: He could be in and out of the lineup throughout the season depending on need. Advertisement Where will Lukas Reichel be at the start of the season? If he's not traded by training camp, he's going to have really open some eyes to earn a roster spot. The Blackhawks don't have the patience they once did with him, and there are plenty of young players coming in whom they want to see. Samuel Savoie likely starts the season in Rockford, but he probably gets an NHL call-up if he can build on last season. He plays how the Blackhawks want on that line, too. Sam Rinzel opened eyes with his play last season. The Blackhawks were hopeful about him, but he exceeded their expectations after signing out of college. He's positioned himself to play on the Blackhawks' top pairing and quarterback their power play to start the 2025-26 season. His play factors into that, but also trading Seth Jones also made it much easier. Alex Vlasic wasn't as reliable last season as he was the season before. His ice time and role did vary at times last season, so that could have an impact. You would hope to see more consistency out of his game this season, with it being his third full NHL season and potentially having a consistent defensive partner. He and Rinzel played a lot together last season in a short time: 126:10 minutes together of Rinzel's 165:46 total five-on-five ice time. Vlasic, Rinzel, Kaiser and Connor Murphy are probably the locks among the defensemen next season. The others are not. Levshunov played better than expected in the NHL last season, but he wasn't perfect by any means. He did play some of his best hockey with Kaiser. Kaiser could play to Levshunov's strengths but also cover his unpredictability. The Blackhawks outscored teams 5-4 with them on the ice together at five-on-five. Kaiser will be looking to build off last season, too. He was a different player after his last trip to Rockford, coming back more assertive and in control. The Blackhawks still have high hopes for him. Murphy played better last season when healthy. It's just a matter of whether he can stay healthy. With such a young defense, the Blackhawks will lean on his experience and his toughness. He loves Chicago, but whether he ends the season here is unknown, as he enters the final year of his deal with so many young defensemen pushing for spots. Murphy would like to get a taste of the playoffs at some point in his career. Advertisement Del Mastro may have been the most consistent young defenseman through last season. His ceiling isn't probably as high as some of the others, but he's showing he can be reliable in all zones. The veterans also developed a lot of respect for him. Whether he's in the NHL or AHL could depend on how some of the younger defensemen perform in the preseason. Kevin Korchinski can easily earn a spot out of camp if he performs well. The Blackhawks haven't lost faith he can still become the player they want him to be, but they've learned it's going to take more time than originally expected. He only turned 21 in June, so there is time. The defensive part of his game definitely improved last season. The Blackhawks just want him to be more aggressive offensively and pull those attributes out of his game on more shifts. He showed last season he can take over when he asserts himself. Nolan Allan is another who could be in the NHL. He was with the Blackhawks almost all of last season. His game took a dip late in the year and he ended up in Rockford, but he's shown the potential to be a consistent NHLer. Louis Crevier has also come a long way and shown he can be a third-pairing defenseman. He could be the seventh defenseman next season if the Blackhawks don't add another veteran in the coming months. The Blackhawks are expected to run back Knight and Söderblom as their tandem this coming season. Knight is expected to be the No. 1 goalie, as he was down the stretch last season, but their performances will likely dictate the split more than last season. The Blackhawks just wanted to give Knight as much of the net as possible after he arrived from the Florida Panthers last season. Knight looked great in some games, less so in others and finished with an .893 percentage in Chicago. He will be in a contract year. Söderblom will be hoping to build on last season. After a disastrous 2023-24 campaign, he proved he can be an NHL goalie last season. His numbers weren't amazing either with an .898 save percentage, but it was up from .879 the season before. The league average was .900 last season, so both goalies were around that. The unknown going into the season is Laurent Brossoit. The Blackhawks signed Brossoit to a two-year contract with a $3.3 million cap hit to share the net with Petr Mrázek last season but Brossoit never played due to injuries. It doesn't sound like the Blackhawks know if he'll be healthy next season. If he is, it'll be interesting to see whether there's a real competition. Brossoit had a .927 save percentage in 23 games with the Winnipeg Jets two seasons ago. Drew Commesso has to wonder where he fits into the big picture. He's still just 22 years old (he'll turn 23 this month) but he's trending up and could be worth an NHL call-up next season. He was outstanding late in the season for the IceHogs last year. (Top photo of Anton Frondell: Matt Winkelmeyer / Getty Images)
USA Today
30-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Former Spartan and brother of MSU head coach lands AHL head coaching job
Former Spartan and brother of MSU head coach lands AHL head coaching job A former Spartan, and brother of head coach Adam Nightingale, is getting his shot at a professional hockey head coaching job. Jared Nightingale spent 2002-2006 patrolling the blue line in East Lansing, before going on to have a 13-year professional playing career. Now, at 41-years-old, he is following in his older brother's footsteps as a coach in the sport. Nightingale has now been hired by the Rockford IceHogs, the AHL affiliate for the Chicago Blackhawks, propelling his career in a very favorable motion forward. In his coaching career, Nightingale has served as an assistant coach for the Omaha Lancers of the USHL, the OHL's Flint Firebirds and Saginaw Spirit, and the IceHogs. He got his first taste of a head coaching gig in the 2024-25 season, running the bench for the ECHL's South Carolina Stingrays, where he won the Brabham Cup and was South Division champions with a 52-15-3 record. Having the opportunity to head coach in the AHL will be massive for Nightingale, who will most likely be able to parlay that into an NHL or NCAA gig, if he chooses to do so. Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Cory Linsner on X @Cory_Linsner
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
IceHogs Eliminated By Admirals In Devastating Fashion
The Rockford IceHogs were looking great in the Calder Cup Playoffs. When they took a 2-0 series lead over the Milwaukee Admirals in their second-round matchup, they did it with their fourth win in a row.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Former Rockford IceHogs coach Steve Martinson returning to the ECHL's Allen Americans
ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO/WQRF) — Former Rockford IceHogs coach Steve Martinson isn't finished coaching hockey. Not by a long shot. Monday he was named the head coach and general manager of the ECHL's Allen Americans in Allen, will be Martinson's second stint there. The first time around he guided the Americans to four championships. Overall, in his coaching career, Martinson has coached professional teams to ten championships in various leagues. One of those teams was the 2006-07 IceHogs team that won the UHL (United Hockey League) last year, Martinson was inducted into the IceHogs' Ring of Honor. In a statement on the Americans' website Martinson said the following: 'I'm super excited to get to work rebuilding this team. The first thing I will do is tell players to watch the Florida Panthers. If that's your style, you've found your place to play. Fast, skilled, and heavy. If you can't play that way, then Allen is not for you. Everyone knows my style and now we have an owner committed to creating the best environment for players to develop and the team to win. Myles Jack lived the importance of team, culture, and identity. As a player, you know when management and ownership give you all the tools you need to up, Kick Ass, Repeat. Let's Go.'Martinson spent this past season coaching in Georgia in the Federal Prospects Hockey League. He was named the Coach of the Year there after guiding his team the Athens Rock Lobsters to the playoffs Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
IceHogs Eliminated By Admirals In Devastating Fashion
Image The Rockford IceHogs were looking great in the Calder Cup Playoffs. When they took a 2-0 series lead over the Milwaukee Admirals in their second-round matchup, they did it with their fourth win in a row. Advertisement That gave them three chances to close out the series. After losing the next two, the two teams competed in a winner-take-all game five on Sunday in Milwaukee. Game five started negatively for Rockford. Chase De Leo scored his first of the playoffs for Milwaukee to put them up 1-0. However, the IceHogs showed some life in the first ten minutes of the second period. Zach Sanford scored two goals in under three minutes to give Rockford a 2-1 lead. Before the middle frame ended, the Admirals took the lead back. Back-to-back goals by Fedor Svechkov and Jesse Ylonen made it a 3-2 score. At 11:09 of the third period, Joey Anderson tucked in his fifth of the playoffs to tie the game for the IceHogs. At that point, it was clear that both teams wanted to move on badly. It would be an understatement to say that they were evenly matched, despite where they finished in the regular season standings. Advertisement 60 minutes wasn't enough to settle this game or series. Just 1:38 into the fourth period, Fedor Svechkov scored his second to win the game and the series for Milwaukee. It was a hard-fought matchup between two great teams. It was only fitting that it came down to one sudden-death goal. Now, the Admirals will move on to the Central Division Championship of the Calder Cup Playoffs. They will see the Texas Stars in that series. As for Rockford, there will be some changes. The Chicago Blackhawks may have a handful of their players in their opening night lineup next year. Guys like Artyom Levshunov, Ethan Del Mastro, and Nolan Allan, amongst others, are all going to compete for jobs at training camp. There are also players on the IceHogs roster who may be looking to make their NHL debut in the fall. Advertisement Reinforcements could be on the way as well. The Blackhawks will likely have some of the younger guys, like Taige Harding and Marek Vanacker, play in Rockford to begin their careers. Goaltender Drew Commesso deserves some individual praise. He gave the IceHogs a chance to win every night. The Blackhawks' backup situation in 2025-26 is cloudy, but he will be in the mix. Only time will tell if Rockford has what it needs to make a run again next season. It can be difficult in the AHL with all of the NHL transactions that affect their on-ice list of players. Every player, including veterans like Joey Anderson and Brett Seney, should be proud of the year that they had. Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay updated on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.
