For the past three seasons, the Chicago Blackhawks were at the bottom of the standings and known to be one of the worst teams in the entirety of the NHL. Each year, the team struggled to find success and hopes for the playoffs often ended within the first two months of the season. However, this year seems to be different, as the team has had newfound success early in the season. The Blackhawks hold a record of 10-6-4 and are currently one of the best teams in the Western Conference, which is the strongest opening stretch in nearly a decade for the team.
Former first overall pick Conor Bedard has led the way for this team as he is becoming one of the NHL’s most successful forwards. He currently has 29 points (13 goals and 16 assists) which puts him at fourth in scoring in the NHL. Bedard’s offensive production and ability to control the pace of play when he is on the ice has truly transformed the Blackhawks into a competitive force.
Although Bedard’s success has been outstanding to see, the Blackhawks would not be where they currently are without the spectacular play of their young goaltender Spencer Knight. The Blackhawks acquired Knight in a trade last season with the Florida Panthers to help resolve their problem with inconsistent goalie play, and Knight has done just that.
This season, he is emerging as one of the best if not the best goaltenders in the league. Knight has consistently put forth strong performances each game he has started and has posted a save percentage of 92.4% in 13 games. Knight has continuously kept the Blackhawks in games, and by the looks of it, he is transforming into the Blackhawks franchise goalie for the years to come.
Prior to this season, the Blackhawks struggled with poor coaching. The team had many young players who needed strong coaching to develop their skills and help them reach their potential, but the coaching was poor and players were seeing a drop in their production. So, the Blackhawks chose to hire Jeff Blashill to help resolve these problems, but fans were skeptical due to Blashill’s weaker resume.
However, Blashill has proved the fans wrong as he has been developing these younger players better than any coach the Blackhawks had in the past. Under Blashill, a large number of the Blackhawks young stars have been producing better than ever before, proving that he was the right choice.
“I hope that the Blackhawks can continue their success. It has been a while since they were good and actually played competitively, but when they do, they are exciting to watch,” stated LTHS senior Andrew Bailey when asked about his thoughts on the Blackhawks hot start.
The Blackhawks success to start the season has been surprising to many fans as they were projected to once again be at the bottom of the standings. Fans have begun to attend more games and the atmosphere around Chicago hockey has risen again. The Blackhawks hope to continue this success throughout the remainder of the season and attempt to make the playoffs for the first time in five years.
