From drafting to who the Blackhawks have landed on in free agency and trades, there’s an underlying theme with what they’re looking for. Oh sure, they have a “type” targeting speed, skill, and hockey IQ when they dip into the draft waters. But the foundational building goes beyond the ice. There are players they seek who will help not only now–but down the road when the stakes gets higher and the games mean more.
A collection of what general manager Kyle Davidson, head coach Luke Richardson, and other front office members like Mike Doneghey and Mark Eaton have spoken the importance of what they’re building with who. For it all to work out, it has be built on a foundation stronger than the shifting sands of scoring goals or stopping shots.
Davidson on Blackhawks: ‘We’ve Made Our NHL Team Better’
Davidson speaks to that importance of both the short and long term view-especially after with how he spent in free agency to improve the Blackhawks
“We’ve made our NHL team better,” Davidson said. “Which is great, just to hopefully have more of a winning environment here in Chicago to bring young players into will only help serve the short-term development of those players but (also) the long-term horizons as well.”
So with the NHL team better, it buys time for the prospects. But many of those prospects bring more to the table than just the skillset on the ice.
So a player like Ethan Del Mastro, who was a captain in juniors and also wore a letter at the 2023 World Juniors, is one of those guys who has another coveted attribute by the front office: leadership. IceHogs head coach Anders Sorensen spoke to this at development camp.
“I think some of those guys, like Del Mastro has some natural leadership abilities,” Sorensen said. “And we saw that come through at the end of the year.”
Del Mastro stands out because he’s likely waiting a bit longer now that Davidson placed a premium on depth for the 2024-25 season. But there’s a familiar theme there. The leaders Davidson brought in to help at the NHL level as those players gradually make their way to Chicago. Alec Martinez is one who stands out as far as Richardson is concerned.
“I think he’s going to bring that leadership from his Stanley Cup-winning days, both in LA and Vegas, and that’s invaluable as well,” Richardson said. “It’s that winning mentality and doing whatever it takes to be calm out there. He’s a guy that seems to be calm out there but he moves the puck well, he’s efficient. That’s going to be great for us to have back there, whether he plays on the left with a Seth or on the right with Vlasic or someone like that. He’s going to be really big with that and helping us out on special teams as well.”
Allowing that organic development happen is crucial to the future, but also allows for some of the leadership skills to take hold, too. While it’ll start in Rockford, it’ll only be stronger as the room in Chicago has more battle tested voices. Then, that foundation is built to go when the games mean longer playoff runs.
