by Cassie Schneider
As of October 19, the Chicago Blackhawks are entering their 7th game of the 2025-2026 season. During the preseason, they played quite sloppy, winning only two of six games. There’s always the excuse of “having young talent,” or it being “a building year,” but how long can we say that? Currently 2-2-2, the Hawks are 6th in the Central Division, but things are looking up.
Despite losing their first three games, each was lost by just one goal, and in games against the Utah Mammoths and St. Louis Blues, hope seems to be on the horizon. I believe we’re finally starting to see a rhythm with the team. As both games showed, the passes connected, and the overall teamwork was something that I haven’t seen from the Hawks for a while. The most important change, though, is the progression of the younger group.
Adapting and getting comfortable in new spaces is daunting and takes time, and it seems far more commonplace for Gen-Z (I would know.) With so many young talents on the roster, it should be expected to take a while for the locker room to fully connect on and off the ice. Defenseman and Illinois native Alex Vlasic has been a consistent player over the past few years. I’m lucky to frequently attend Rockford IceHogs games, who are the AHL affiliate of the Blackhawks, so I’ve seen him play and grow first-hand.
The same can be said of Lukas Reichel as he continues to improve year-over-year. Vlasic and Reichel have been a sort of pair since their Rockford days, usually being called up together. Reichel has been in a bit of a slump and even rumored to have been in talks of a trade. Against the Blues, he took those rumors personally and was one of the three stars of the night. I saw true hustle from Reichel that I haven’t seen in a while; he tends to wait for a pass, or cherry pick at the center line.
Other former IceHogs on the current roster include Ethan Del Mastro, Sam Rinzel, and Colton Dach, brother of the former Blackhawk and currently always injured Hab Kirby Dach. All have at least one point to their name so far this season and have already been critical in setting up plays on the ice. Rinzel is a sleeper standout with how he moves the puck to the opposite end of the ice.
As for the youngest stars, 21-year-old Frank Nazar has been a force to be reckoned with. Within the last few games, he’s racked up four assists and two goals and is currently at a +3. One of Nazar’s strengths is his confidence on the ice, and that’s the uniting factor between all the players I’ve mentioned. These young players developing their confidence on the ice is truly what I believe will be a determining factor for what their season (and hopefully post season) will look like.
No introduction is necessary, but the other returning and seemingly main character in this story is Connor Bedard. I tend to cut him some slack because going into his draft class as the projected #1 overall while having people online call you “the second coming of hockey” must be very anxiety-inducing. During his first NHL season, I was lucky enough to see him play against his hometown team, the Vancouver Canucks. They ended up losing that game, but Bedard had his moments, despite backing down from any physicality on the ice. He looked down at his stick way too much, which is clearly a sign of nervousness. He also watched the jumbotron more than any other player I’ve seen. This was apparent to social media, too, and I’m guessing it didn’t help. But with the guidance of veteran Nick Foligno and now his friendship with Nazar (which resembles 2010 Kane and Toews a lot), he’s really come out of his shell.
Finally, the last name I want to throw out is Oliver Moore. A first-round pick, he went 19th overall. A native Minnesotan, he committed to play at the University of Minnesota and just started his first professional season with the Rockford IceHogs. I was at the Hogs home opener and his potential is clearly there. I understand why he started in Rockford, though. He makes too many risky moves; do first, think later. Some pay off, some don’t, but in the world of the pros, the “some don’t” shouldn’t happen. I remember spasming in my seat when he decided to send a mildly weak pass down the center, while still in his own zone. Working center ice that close to your own goalie should be a common sense no-no since it’s practically taught from mites through juniors. That aside, he already scored and earned an assist in his second game. He’s a very fast skater and can handle the puck, and he’ll eventually be called up to the Blackhawks.
Just as Moore is now, Blackhawks’ fans have been paying their dues for years, waiting for this fresh talent, and hopefully it’ll soon pay off.
