Blackhawks Daily: Chicago’s First Prospect Game; New TV Network

Friday night was glorious as the Chicago Blackhawks finally played some hockey again — well, sort of. It was the Hawks first match of the Tom Kurver’s Prospect Showcase in St. Louis. It may not be the NHL guys just yet but this is a great appetizer for the real thing coming in a few weeks.

Chicago’s prospects that made the roster took on the St. Louis Blues. Despite having a one-goal lead three separate times in the contest, the Blues rallied and won the game in overtime. The game-winning goal was a shot that barely squeaked through the equipment of Drew Commesso but they all count just the same.

The Hawks had big plays from guys like Frank Nazar, Landon Slaggert, AJ Spellacy, and Nick Lardis amongst others but it wasn’t enough to pull out the win in the end. A lot of these guys need some more seasoning in Major Junior or the AHL but they have the raw talent needed to become an NHL contributor. We saw some of that in this game but there is more work to do.

The good news is that this group gets to have a quick turnaround and get right back at it again on Saturday night against the Minnesota Wild. That game will also take place in St. Louis against a group of prospects for Minnesota that also has some great talent.

That wasn’t the only news from the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday. The Chicago Sports Network, the new home of Blackhawks hockey, revealed some information about the upcoming network’s pre/postgame show crew for the Hawks. The new network is expected to launch this October.

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From Around National Hockey Now Network

New Jersey Hockey Now: The New Jersey Devils have released an update on defenseman Luke Hughes. He is going to be out for a while recovering from a shoulder injury.

Monreal Hockey Now: Have a look at the Montreal Canadiens lines and defense pairs during their prospect practice. It is one of the more interesting farm systems in the NHL right now.

San Jose Hockey Now: The San Jose Sharks had their first prospect game of the Macklin Celebrini/Will Smith era. It went about how you would expect it to.