What I expect from the Blackhawks: An underrated hope for elite scorers

Nick Lardis doesn't make it from training camp to the Chicago Blackhawks. The Blackhawks don't give him false hope and he knows his reality.

But when it comes to the future, perhaps no player has given as much hope in recent weeks as Lardis. What Lardis has shown in the last two weeks with his shot, his speed and his hockey IQ has given Chicago management even more hope for his possible entry into the NHL.

Aside from Connor Bedard, the 19-year-old Lardis may be the Blackhawks' best bet for an elite scorer in the coming years. As much hype as Frank Nazar, Oliver Moore and other young players have generated, most of them would lean more towards playmakers than scorers. Lardis is a pure scorer.

Lardis is coming off a season in which he scored 29 goals in 37 regular season OHL games and another four goals in six playoff games. Those goal totals would have been much higher had it not been for a wrist injury. He should be challenging for the title of OHL's top goal scorer this season.

In recent weeks, Lardis has proven that his offensive skills are applicable at the NHL level, scoring a one-timer and having another scoring opportunity despite playing with an upset stomach at the Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase. He then had a remarkable training camp while playing on a line alongside Nazar and Colton Dach.

Lardis knows exactly where he needs to score goals if he wants to be successful in the NHL.

“I think I'll just keep doing what I'm doing as a junior, but I think it's important for me to get into the habit of just getting to the goal,” Lardis said. “I think 85 percent of goals are scored right in the goal area, so it's important for me to get to the goal. I think in the first training game I did that and I got rewarded for it. I just want to keep doing that and make it a habit in my game.”

Teräväinen deserves a performance with Bedard soon

Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson wanted to give his first lineups a chance to develop some chemistry in training camp. He didn't think it would be helpful to change players too early in training camp. Soon, however, Richardson will begin changing players around.

If that happens, it would be surprising if Teuvo Teräväinen didn't play with Bedard. He is such a gifted and clever passer – he can thread passes, he knows how to use space. He also knows when not to force.

While Richardson did not go so far as to say that Teräväinen would move up to the first team, the coach, in his third year, seems aware of his potential.

“If you ask a player who has really worked on his two-way game over the last few years, especially the way Carolina plays, I think it's going to be fun to work with him and see where we can go with that,” Richardson said. “On power plays, he's naturally calm, he's got a good panic point, especially on the middle wall, and he makes good decisions. It's not a lot of high-risk decisions. He knows when the seam is there and he makes it.”

Bubble players appear as if they were getting real shots

Many teams talk about roster competition during training camp, but many don't actually follow through. Preseason games are where players can differentiate themselves from the competition, and teams can reduce players' chances of getting a roster spot by limiting their preseason games. The Blackhawks seem to plan on giving their players on the edge plenty of games.

“We're not going to use the experienced guys in every game,” Richardson said. “We need to give some of the guys who are fighting for something the opportunity to play in four, five or six games to show us what they can do so we can make the right decision.”

The forwards this likely applies to are Joey Anderson, Dach, Ryan Donato, Nazar and Landon Slaggert. As for the defensemen, Wyatt Kaiser, Kevin Korchinski, Isaak Phillips, Louis Crevier, Nolan Allan and Ethan Del Mastro will likely play in some preseason games.

Most physical player: Isaak Phillips

Phillips beat up a lot of teammates during the few days of training camp. It wasn't malicious, but he certainly didn't hold back.

The 22-year-old, who is entering his fifth professional season, focused his training on becoming more physical. He used time in the offseason to assess his development and after watching videos of the game's best defenders, he decided he needed to bring more of a physical element to his game.

“I haven't always used my size the way I thought I could, so I definitely want to show my physical presence in this camp,” Phillips said. “If I want to be a guy that you can count on, that can land some big shots, I need to use my body more. That's what I hope to show here, then in the preseason games and then continue down that path.”

Phillips admitted that he enjoys it too.

“It's fun,” Phillips said. “It's great. Knocking somebody down is great. It feels good. It's like, hell, yes, I can do that. … Excuse the cursing. But yeah, it's great. When you have confidence in your size and ability, it's fun.”

You might think that Phillips is probably in the running for the Blackhawks' seventh defenseman spot. He and Crevier held that role for some time last season.

Andreas Athanasiou will likely play on an all-veteran line with Pat Maroon and Craig Smith this season. (Claus Andersen / Getty Images)

Where does Athanasiou fit in?

Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson wanted to build a roster this season where players didn't just play anywhere. He didn't want to repeat a season where a handful of players played everywhere from the first to the fourth line.

Davidson actually seems to have succeeded – the Blackhawks now have players suited to the top six positions and others suited to the bottom six positions.

The only player who hasn't really fit in so far is Andreas Athanasiou. His current teammates Patrick Maroon and Craig Smith are proven, reliable veterans, but neither would be considered a particularly offensive player at this stage of their careers. Athanasiou may not have had a great offensive season, but his offensive skills are still his greatest strength.

Richardson was recently asked how he envisages Athanasiou’s deployment.

“I know he spent a lot of time here this summer working on his body and conditioning and he seems to be in top shape,” Richardson said. “Now it's just about getting him confident and letting him use his speed. I think he always looks good in the middle, so that's not a bad position where you have two experienced players, a line you can count on not to make mistakes. That's something where he needs to be more consistent and use his speed because when he has the puck and he's moving, he's very dangerous out there.

“Maroon has great hands for a big guy who is considered tough and can make very good plays. Craig Smith is a skilled player who can shoot the puck, as we saw (on the first day), and he has energy. The three of them together have a lot of experience. Who knows if they will stay together, but right now it looks like the chemistry between them is good. We'll see how it develops.”

Five more brief observations

• The camp's scrimmages seem to be a hit with everyone from management to coaches to players. Richardson mentioned the possibility of even longer scrimmages in the coming days.

• Slaggert has been one of the most impressive young players in camp so far. He just seems so focused. He's been active offensively and defensively. It helps that he's producing. We'll see if he can beat out someone else, but he could make it a tough decision.

• Philipp Kurashev said he hasn't thought at all about where the Blackhawks would place him in the lineup this season. He seems to be taking a lot of confidence from his performance last season. It will be interesting to see how much he performs, as that will likely determine his postseason contract negotiations.

• The Blackhawks have their first preseason games this week with a home game on Wednesday and away games on Friday and Saturday. The veterans usually play at home, so it's likely the roster will be full of veterans on Wednesday and the younger players will get the game on the weekend.

• Richardson expects the first camp releases to occur this week, likely the players with AHL contracts. Those expected to return to juniors will likely play a preseason game or two before returning to their respective teams.

(Top photo of Nick Lardis: Jamie Sabau / USA Today)