3 Things to Watch for With the Blackhawks This Week

The Chicago Blackhawks’ young core showed a lot of promise in their first preseason game on Saturday, despite the 3-2 overtime loss to the Minnesota Wild. Here’s what to look out for this week.

Young Core Showing Early Promise

The Blackhawks had an all-American Hockey League (AHL) roster in their first preseason game against the Wild in St. Paul. Kevin Korchinski, who signed a two-year, $2.65 million extension on Aug. 29, had an assist on the first goal in the loss. His game has been inconsistent over the past few years, but earning a point in the preseason opener is a good sign that he is developing.

“I think our group took some strides. Gotta learn how to play with a lead and learn to manage the game,” Korchinski told the media post-game. “Overall, we learned some stuff and grew as a group, and that’s what you want to do every time you step on the ice.”

AJ Spellecy also had a great game. Drafted 72nd overall in 2024, he showed he’s NHL-ready. A physical two-way forward, Spellecy showed a lot of promise in development camp and could make the opening-night roster. He signed a three-year, entry-level contract on Jan. 23, 2025.

Sacha Boisvert, who played seven games last season, didn’t show any progress in Saturday’s loss. It looked like he was trying to do too much.

“All the guys that played in the showcase are here now. We get those two games to prepare, and that’s two more games than pretty much everyone else here,” Boisvert told reporters before Saturday’s game. “It’s good to get those reps in and then finally get our first preseason game.”

Defensive Pairing Experiment

Head coach Jeff Blashill experimented by pairing Wyatt Kaiser and Artyom Levshunov on Saturday. “Kaiser’s always done a really good job of being vocal, and that can be a good complement to Arty,” Blashill told Ben Pope. “Both guys can move the puck. Arty’s got that physicality that should make him a great defender. When you boil it down to pure defensive plays…he makes tons of them.”

Kaiser and Levshunov remained a pairing at practice today, ahead of their second game against the Wild on Monday night in Chicago.

3-on-3 Projections

With Connor Bedard still rehabbing from offseason shoulder surgery, people were wondering what the overtime lines would look like.

Roman Kantserov, who played the last three seasons in the Kontinental Hockey League with Metallurg, played well in the preseason opener, and fans were excited to see him and Kane playing together in overtime.

“In [the] KHL, I was best in this spot on bumper, but now it’s absolutely different,” Kantserov told the media. “Guys here think faster and bring pressure, and I need to also be stronger, faster, smarter and feel guys” (from Blackhawks’ power play has new look with Patrick Kane on left, Roman Kantserov as bumper, Chicago Sun Times, Sept. 21, 2026).

Bowen Byram brings the offensive power Chicago has been looking for, and he is projected to be on the top defensive pairing, so it made sense to have him join Kantserov and Kane in overtime. Frank Nazar, Oliver Moore and Alex Vlasic are another strong option for overtime. Nazar and Moore are great skaters, while Vlasic has great defensive zone awareness and speed to counter any attack.

The young trio of Anton Frondell, Nick Lardis and Kaiser worked well together. Lardis has a wicked shot and can generate offensive chances anywhere on the ice. Frondell is entering his first full season, but he has the talent and skill to be a difference-maker. Kaiser has shown time and time again that he can develop chemistry with almost anyone.

Chicago will play four preseason games, two against the Wild and two against the St. Louis Blues, before they open their season against the Vegas Golden Knights on Sept. 29.