ST. LOUIS — The Chicago Blackhawks fell to St. Louis Blues 4-3 in overtime at Centene Community Ice Center in St. Louis on Friday in Game 1 of the 2024 Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase.
Here are 10 observations from the loss:
1. A real bummer that Chicago No. 2 overall pick in 2024 Artyom Levshunov could not play in the showcase because of a right foot injury he suffered during a recent skate. According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, he is expected to be in a walking boot for two weeks and could miss up to six weeks. I imagine that's more of a cautious timeline, but it means he won't be healthy for the start of training camp on Sept. 18.
2. Rockford IceHogs head coach Anders Sorensen was supposed to be behind the bench for the showcase but had to head home to tend to a family matter. Rockford assistant coach — and former Blackhawk/IceHogs winger — Rob Klinkhammer stepped in as the head coach and was excited about the opportunity, although he wished it was under different circumstances.
"It's really cool," Klinkhammer said. "You get to work with these prospects. Obviously worked with quite a few of them last year in Rockford and some of these guys we had all year and some of these guys came at the end of the year. It's fun to track their growth and see what gains they made over the summer, the stuff they worked on, and now they get to put it into action in games so we just kind of sit back, let the horses run, and enjoy the show."
3. Frank Nazar skated on a line with Colton Dach and Landon Slaggert. I didn't notice Nazar too much, but he did connect with Nick Lardis on the power play for the opening goal 70 seconds into the contest. I thought Lardis had some jump in his game.
Chicago Blackhawks
4. Drew Commesso played in the showcase last year in Minnesota and pitched a shutout in his unofficial Blackhawks debut. This time around, he gave up four goals on 34 shots for a save percentage of .882. He looked fine. Two of the goals against he was screened, one of which by his own player. I'm sure he'd like the overtime goal back.
5. AJ Spellacy — a third-round pick by Chicago in June — was one of the best players on the ice. He can skate like the wind, and it showed on his goal after blowing past everyone through the neutral zone. He's listed at 6-foot-2, 195 pounds, but he looks bigger than that. Appealing package.
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"I thought Spellacy was flying around," Klinkhammer said. "He wants to go. He can move. That kid can fly. His speed obviously on the goal, really good job kind of getting that puck out, protecting it and then finding a shooting lane with an elite finish. Again on the forecheck a couple times using his speed to get in there, and that's a tool he's going to have to rely on."
6. The Blackhawks' defensemen looked a little out of sorts. Hard to put too much stock into it though because it was the first game in months for a lot of them.
7. I keep hearing from members of the organization how impressed they've been with Paul Ludwinski's growth over the last couple seasons. He was particularly effective on the penalty kill in this game. He recorded a primary assist on Slaggert's goal, and had a breakaway attempt later on as well.His legs were moving early, showing his strong work ethic.
"I was definitely happy with how I played," Ludwinski said. "It was a good start. I'll watch some video on what to build on, but at the same time, there are a few things to work on. It's a good thing cause it's still really early and I've got a lot to learn at the pro level. I'm definitely happy with my performance but it would've been better if the boys came out with a win."
8. Nolan Allan served as the captain while Ethan Del Mastro and Slaggert each wore an "A" on their sweater. Del Mastro looked a bit rusty, particularly on a late breakaway where he couldn’t get a shot off, while Allan quarterbacked the second power-play unit, an opportunity to expand his game.
9. Great to see Sam Savoie back on the ice and feeling like himself again. He suffered a gruesome-looking femur fracture last preseason and thought he would be out all season but returned and was more than a point-per-game player in the QMJHL. His mind was racing on the night he took that hit.
"During that time, it's pretty much everything is going around in your head, right?" Savoie said. "You're overthinking. For me, it was just like, 'Oh I hope I'm not seriously injured and I can play soon,' but at the end of the day, I knew I couldn't control that and just to go to the hospital, I knew that my femur was broken. It was tough."
Savoie left the game on Friday right before overtime with an upper-body injury, but he's fine and is expected to play on Saturday. Apparently he was getting ready to return but the Blues scored to end the game before he could make it back.
10. Other injury news: Marcel Marcel got banged up at practice on Thursday and has been ruled out for the weekend. Ryan Gagnier, who wasn't on the original roster, took his spot in the lineup. Alex Pharand was also slated to play but he suffered an injury in an OHL preseason game and did not participate.
