Hawks Weekly Update 4/22

Here it is. The final Hawks Weekly Update of the 2023-24 season.

From seeing Bedard play to watching a historically bad Blackhawks team, this season was loaded with some ups, and a lot of downs. I'll do a season recap sometime this week to air out some of my thoughts on what transpired. Next week, an offseason preview will come out. I'll take a look at what Davidson should focus on and discuss some of the things that were said in the exit interviews.

Don't expect much in the way of playoffs from me. I might share my thoughts on some big moments or how the Hawks might be impacted in terms of a draft pick. I won't be watching the playoffs with a critical eye like I do with the Hawks.

Finally, adding an album of the week. Just because. Get ready for a lot of metal.

Let's get into how the Hawks finished off their season.

• Weekly Update
• Game Recaps
• The Pig Trough (IceHogs)
• Daydream Nation - Frank Nazar
• Sickbay

Album of the week: Iron Maiden, Piece of Mind

Weekly Update

• Connor Murphy sat out the last game of the year due to tweaking something in the Vegas game. Didn't everyone say that playing meaningless games after a groin injury was a bad idea?
• Lukas Reichel won't be playing in the World Championship, instead, he'll be joining Rockford in the post-season. He was sent down to Rockford on Friday, April 19th and got an assist in their last game of the season. I'm all for it.
• The Blackhawks had their exit interviews over the weekend. You can find them here. I'll get more into them next week. Oh, and stop taking Seth Jones' comments out of context. I get it. Jones' is way overpaid and he isn't great. He has made some terrible decisions on the ice (despite what CHGO might say). But let's use some critical thinking with these interview clips.
• The Winter Classic will be held on Dec. 31 with the puck dropping at 4pm. I'm guessing it's not on New Year's Day so as not to compete with college football. Hoping to go to this one as I have never been to a Winter Classic before.

Game Recaps

Hawks @ Golden Knights - Hawks Lose 3-1
Game Recap here.

Hawks @ Kings - Hawks Lose 4-5 OT
Game Recap here.

The Pig Trough

Are you a Hawks fan? Guess what. You have post-season hockey to care about.

The pigs are gearing up for the playoffs and so should you. With the regular season coming to a close on Sunday in a 3-2 OT win against the Wolves, here's how the IceHogs did over the season.

The first half of the season wasn't great. They had a 7 game losing streak in December which consisted of a lack of offensive punch and letting in a lot of goals. The losing continued at the start of 2024 as the Hogs had another 7 game losing streak rolling into February.

On Feb 21, things turned around. A 3-1 win against the Iowa Wild turned into a 7 game winning streak. The IceHogs were then able to string a series of consecutive wins to get them into the post-season. They finish 3rd in the central with a 39-26-7 record and will play the Grand Rapids Griffins on April 27th.

Among the team's best players are as follows. Forwards include Brett Seney with 63 points in 68 games, Rem Pitlick (remember him?) with 57 points in 59 games, David Gust with 42 points in 62 games, and Cole Guttman with 40 in 39. Of those players, the only one you should care about is Guttman, who is sitting out with an injury.

On the blueline, we're all familiar with Ethan Del Mastro. He's the IceHogs' no. 1 defenseman with 37 points in 69 games. Nolan Allan has 17 points in 60 games. Wyatt Kaiser has 18 in 37.

Drew Commesso had a bumpy start to the season but seems to have picked things up. He has a .906 SV% and a 2.65 GAA. Jaxson Stauber has a .902 SV% and a 2.85.

Daydream Nation

Frank Nazar - C/RW - 2022 Draft, 1st Round, 13 OVA

It only feels natural to wrap up the regular season with Frank Nazar. Nazar is a beacon of hope for Hawks fans because there is a lot more in store beyond Bedard. So who is Nazar?

The 5'10'' 180lb forward has already proved that size doesn't matter. In fact, it was his size that made some people rank him slightly lower in the 2022 draft. But not by much. What stood out, and has been evident in his 3 NHL games, is his puck handling ability, his offensive awareness, his knack for setting up teammates for scoring chances, and his keen sense of getting in the defender's blindspots. It's this last point where you can really observe Nazar's hockey IQ at work. Just watch him.

What was noticeable before Nazar was drafted (1 year before his injury) was how he could (and still can) manipulate defenders and play very well in tight spaces. What's more, it was noted that Nazar was ahead of his peers in terms of playing through traffic. Something Hawks fans have observed so far in Chicago.

Following the draft, Nazar went off to school to play for Michigan State. Unfortunately, Nazar was injured and missed the vast majority of his freshman year. Finishing with only 13 games and 7 points under his belt, Frank was going to return to Michigan in order to get more experience. This had Hawks fans, myself included, somewhat worried. If he hadn't gotten injured, Nazar would have most likely signed his ELC at the end of the 22-23 season and joined the IceHogs the next.

It is what it is. Nazar recovered and played an impressive sophomore season with 41 points in 41 games. The plays he makes are smart, noteworthy, and effective. Size? You don't need to worry about size, friend. Nazar plays NHL ready and that's not a stretch of the imagination. Should he need some AHL time next season, that's not a bad thing either. It would be more about getting his body accustomed to the NHL schedule. However, I really think Nazar has a spot on the roster for all of next year.

Sickbay

• Taylor Hall – Knee/Out for season
• Reese Johnson - Concussion/unknown
• Connor Murphy - undisclosed/day-to-day