NHL
The Hawks’ prospect pool is almost overflowing with talent after adding in their 2024 draft class, including the defenseman taken with the No. 2 overall pick.
Teravainen’s new three-year contract in Chicago — signed eight years after he was traded away — creates plenty of opportunities for nostalgia. The Finnish forward should be an influential addition moving forward, too.
The defenseman drafted No. 2 overall will officially turn pro for the 2024-25 season. He will likely end up starting the season with Rockford in the AHL.
Bertuzzi, who first heard about the Hawks’ interest through Foligno, appreciates the length of his new four-year contract. Plus, updates on Ryan Greene, Gavin Hayes and more Hawks prospects.
Moving forward, roster spots won’t be cleared for prospects coming up from Rockford until they’ve “convincingly” proved they can handle the responsibilities in a sustainable way, Hawks general manager Kyle Davidson said Friday.
The 6-4 defenseman, a first-round pick in 2022 and a rising sophomore at Minnesota, is up to about 190 pounds and plans to eventually exceed 200.
The veteran defenseman finds himself on a rebuilding team for the first time in his lengthy career. He intends to pass on lessons he once learned from early-2010s Kings like Rob Scuderi, Matt Greene, Willie Mitchell and Robyn Regehr.
On NHL Opening Night on Oct. 8, the Hawks will be the opponent in the Utah Hockey Club’s first game. The following week, the Hawks will host their home opener Oct. 17 against the Sharks.
The Hawks’ improvement in 2024-25 now will be largely driven by veterans on short-term deals who won’t factor into the long-term rebuild. The youth movement — and the fruits of the rebuild — has been delayed by a year.
After nearly three years of ineligibility for employment within the league due to involvement in the Brad Aldrich sexual-assault scandal, the Hawks’ former GM and coach will now be eligible to be hired by any team starting July 10.
The Hawks made a series of splashy moves Monday as NHL free agency began, adding a long list of veterans —Teravainen, Bertuzzi, Laurent Brossoit, Alec Martinez, T.J. Brodie, Pat Maroon and Craig Smith. They also brought back Joey Anderson.
The Hawks gave qualifying offers only to two young defensemen — Isaak Phillips and Louis Crevier. A long list of other pending restricted free agents, including Taylor Raddysh and Joey Anderson, were not qualified and will become unrestricted free agents Monday.
The Hawks’ chairman reaffirmed his confidence in general manager Kyle Davidson’s slow-and-steady approach at the NHL Draft on Saturday. He also emphasized he’s “prepared to spend to the limit to be able to win the Stanley Cup” down the road.
The Hawks completed their 2024 draft class on Saturday by picking four forwards (John Mustard, AJ Spellacy, Jack Pridham and Joel Svensson) and one defenseman (Ty Henry). Here are scouting reports on all five of them.
Blackhawks add to draft haul by taking forwards Sacha Boisvert, Marek Vanacker with 18th, 27th picks
After selecting Boisvert, a 6-2 center from Quebec, the Hawks aggressively acquired yet another first-round selection in a trade with the Hurricanes. That allowed them to take Vanacker, a 6-0 winger from Ontario.
The 18-year-old defenseman from Belarus, coming off an impressive freshman year at Michigan State, adds potentially the final piece to the Hawks’ future defensive core.
General manager Kyle Davidson said Thursday he feels “confident with where we’re going to go.” He didn’t name names, but defenseman Artyom Levshunov has emerged as the favorite over Ivan Demidov.
After leading all rookies with 61 points this past season — and doing it in just 68 games — Bedard on Thursday received the trophy he always seemed destined to receive.
In exchange for overpaid forward Ilya Mihkeyev and his contract, the Hawks also acquired the rights to pending free-agent forward Sam Lafferty — a familiar face — and flipped a 2027 fourth-round draft pick for a 2027 second-round pick.