CHICAGO — The Chicago Blackhawks wrapped up development camp on Thursday, but at least a few of the players headed toward the holiday weekend still thinking about competition.
As in a four-team volleyball tournament.
“We have volleyball today, which should be pretty fun,” said Hawks forward prospect Martin Misiak, whose Team Gray consists of “five Europeans and Ty Henry.”
“We’ve been No. 1 the whole time. We’re the best team so far.”
This week’s off-ice program has featured activities that focus on building communication skills, but Misiak noted his teammates hail from five countries.
It’s harder. We have two Finns, a Swede, Slovak, Czech and a Canadian,” said Misiak, a native of Banská Bystrica, Slovakia.
“Communication, it’s harder sometimes, but we figure it out.”
Here are five things we’ve learned this week at camp at Fifth Third Arena.
1. Misiak credits coaches, linemates for breakout postseason.
Misiak had pretty similar regular-season numbers in back-to-back seasons with the OHL Erie Otters: the same 23 goals, with a bump in assists from 24 to 36.
But it was in the playoffs when he exploded: seven goals and six assists in eight games.
We kind of settled as a team after Christmas, going into (the) playoffs,” he said. “I started playing consistently with one line: Me and Dylan Edwards and Gabriel Frasca picked up some good chemistry going into the playoffs.”
Then in February, former Kelowna Rockets coach Kris Mallette replaced Stan Butler, who was fired in January.
“I started playing really good with the coaching change,” Misiak said. “The new coach really helped me pick up my game, and I think it showed really well in (the) playoffs.”
2. Eaton switches back into player development mode.
Last season, he left his role as assistant general manager of player development to become a first-time coach with the Rockford IceHogs after the Hawks promoted Anders Sörensen to interim coach in December, following Luke Richardson’s firing.
“It’s been easy,” Eaton said. “That speaks to the people around me. Hudson (Chodos) and Andy Delmar, Kendall Coyne, Brian Keane have done a great job with running player development while I was in Rockford.
“Just picking up where I left off and looking forward to getting back into it.”
It’s not often a player development chief gets a coach’s perspective of his works-in-progress.
“Being around them every day, six days a week for an entire season, if anything it reaffirms that a lot of what we’re doing on the amateur side, what we’re doing here this week, we’re focusing on the right things,” Eaton said. “Because that’s what a lot of these guys need as first-year pros is stuff away from the rink, learning how to be pros, taking care of themselves, nutrition, that kind of stuff.”
3. Frondell isn’t just barking about Aleksander Barkov.
Anton Frondell prides himself on being a two-way player like his idol on the Florida Panthers.
4. Is Pridham making a mistake going back to Kitchener?
The Hawks forward prospect had been committed to Boston University, but backed out, opting to return to the team where he put up 27 goals and 27 assists in 48 games last season.
“After a long decision with my family, I decided I’m not going to go to Boston anymore,” Pridham said. “I liked my game in Kitchener this year and I want to put my best foot forward (in training camp) to try to earn a contract with Chicago. And if not, then the plan will be back in Kitchener for one more year.”
Typically, teams want to see prospects test themselves on another level — if they’re ready.
