Blashill puts the Chicago
Blackhawks through challenging practice on 1st day of training camp
[September 19, 2025]
By JAY COHEN
CHICAGO (AP) — There was no easing in for the Chicago Blackhawks at
the start of training camp. Not with Jeff Blashill in charge.
Connor Bedard and Co. had a rigorous first day of practice, and
Blashill was everywhere — barking out various instructions and
pointers. It took a toll, too.
“My feet are killing me,” a smiling Blashill said Thursday. “I
haven’t been on the ice since April, so that was a hard adjustment.
I don’t remember them hurting that bad, but I guess that’s what
happens every training camp.”
And that's a relatively minor adjustment for Blashill in his first
real look at his new team since he was hired as coach in May. His
big task is moving along a painful rebuilding process after Chicago
won a total of 74 games over the previous three seasons.
There is talent — led by Bedard, who just turned 20 in July — but
the Blackhawks assuredly will be one of the NHL's youngest teams on
opening night. So Blashill has some work to do.
“Out of camp, one, we want to start to build a culture here. ... The
second goal would be to make sure your systems are in place,"
Blashill said. “Third goal would be to figure out who’s in what
spots.”
Blashill said Thursday was mostly about culture, focused on winning
fundamentals. The intensity and pace — especially for the first day
of training camp — were noticeable. There was little down time, with
Blashill and his coaching staff hurrying the players into place
ahead of each drill.
“I loved everything about today,” captain Nick Foligno said. “I
think it sets the tone for what Blash is going to want, what our
coaching staff wants, and the standard that we want to have.”
Bedard said the players knew what was coming.
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“He warned us a little that we were going to be
skating,” he said. “I think it’s good. You need to do that and it’s
going to build a culture and the way we’re going to play.”
The job with the Blackhawks is a second opportunity
for Blashill to prove he can be a successful head coach in the NHL.
The 51-year-old Michigan native went 204-261-72 in seven seasons
with the Detroit Red Wings before he was let go in April 2022.
Blashill spent the previous three years as an assistant to Jon
Cooper with Tampa Bay, but he likely will be calling on his
experience as a head coach in the minors as he navigates the growing
pains with the youthful Blackhawks.
“There’s real comparisons to my experiences that I had in the
American (Hockey) League,” he said. “But in the end, a coach said
this to me a long time ago, he was a former player, (he) said his
best coaches made them do it right, and we’re going to make our guys
do it right.”
Blashill and the Blackhawks opened training camp without veteran
goaltender Laurent Brossoit, who has been sidelined by injuries
since he agreed to a two-year contract last year in free agency.
General manager Kyle Davidson said Brossoit is going to be out “long
term” after he had offseason hip surgery.
The Blackhawks acquired Spencer Knight in a March 1 trade with
Florida, and they signed the goaltender to a contract extension last
week. They also have Arvid Soderblom in net.
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