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There’s a robust sense of excitement around the Chicago Blackhawks regarding the future of the organization. The prospect system continues to be one of the best in the NHL, seventh-best according to Scott Wheeler of The Athletic, and that’s not even taking into consideration players like Connor Bedard, Alex Vlasic, and Kevin Korchinski. But when you look at the future as a totality with the players in the system and the future top draft picks still to be utilized, there’s a concrete foundation to the sense of hope in the rebuild rather than snake oil.
Part of that excitement grows when a player from the prospect system graduates to the professional level. On Friday, we’ll likely get to see another new player make their way to the NHL ice when 2020 third-round pick Landon Slaggert steps onto the ice at the United Center.
“This is a day you dream of as a kid,” Slaggert said in his first media availability as a member of the club, underneath a nameplate made of paper because FedEx was running late getting his real one here in time. “It’s awesome to have it come true in a place like Chicago. With an organization as historic as the Blackhawks.”
Following the end of his Senior season at Notre Dame, the Blackhawks, and Slaggert agreed to a two-year deal that will only actually be about a 13-month deal because it will expire at the end of the 2024-25 season. That quick turnaround makes Slaggert’s first impression that much more important.
“You only get one first impression, so I’m excited to be doing it here, and hopefully, I can make a name for myself.”
Slaggert’s first impression with the Blackhawks fan base has come through his four-year college career at Notre Dame, where he established himself as a hard-working forward who uses speed and an unrelenting motor to out-duel opponents rather than being able to out-skill them all. Even if, as a one-time Red Wings fan, he looked up to Pavel Datsyuk.
“My Dad is from Saginaw, Michigan, so it was great when I was about five or six years old seeing them in the Cup Finals against the Penguins,” Slaggert “confessed” to the Chicago media. “Obviously, I grew up around here playing for the Chicago Mission, so a lot of my friends were Blackhawks fans right around the time they were building their dynasty, so it was pretty easy for me to hop on the bandwagon, and I’ve been a ‘Hawks fan for a while now.” The 21-year-old said one of the players he grew up watching and building his game after, that Blackhawks fans should feel alright with given the team’s success against him back in the day, is Zach Parise.
In his senior season at Notre Dame, Slaggert finished as the team’s leader in goals (20) and points (31) and set his own NCAA career highs in both categories. It was a stark difference year-over-year for him after a Junior season that saw him only tally seven goals and 13 points. While coming back for his Senior year gave Blackhawks fans a bit of stress about his future with the organization, his signing with the team was never in doubt, and the bounce-back year was incredibly important for him.
“I found my love for the game again,” the South Bend native said of his Senior season for the Irish. “It showed up on the scoresheet, but that wasn’t what it was about. It was about having fun and playing well with my teammates…It was frustrating in my Junior year, but a necessary year. I learned a lot about myself and about overcoming adversities.”
The majority of Slaggert’s 20 goals this season came around the net. Chicago hasn’t had a good run this season of finding players at the front of the net to take advantage of rebounds and redirections to pick up those goals in the garbage areas. Nick Foligno does it well, but he can’t be the only one, and he won’t be the one to do it for the long term in the organization. But Slaggert could be.
“Net-front presence was a big focus on my game this year. The pucks tend to end up around the net, so it was about finding a way to put more of those home and definitely having poise in those high-pressure areas.”
There’s still a lot for Slaggert to learn before making his debut, slated for Friday in Chicago against the Los Angeles Kings, so much so that he’s probably going to have to take the playbook home with him to get up to speed. But there’s promise to his game and character. Slaggert’s a likable person, a leader, a hard-working player, and although his ceiling at the NHL level isn’t as high as other young forwards in the organization like Oliver Moore or Frank Nazar, there are roles to be played on championship-caliber teams. He’ll need to get past game No. 1 first, but there’s optimism and energy around his arrival with the organization, and he can feel it too.
“You get a taste of it at development camp, but you don’t truly understand it until you get here…There’s definitely a lot of hype and a lot of excitement around this organization, and there should be. It’s an exciting time to be a ‘Hawks fan, and it’s only going to get better.”
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