Blackhawks' draft picks take the ice Sunday
The Chicago Blackhawks will have a 66-player roster for their prospects camp, which begins Sunday at Johnny's IceHouse West.
Fans will be able to see eight of the team's nine 2016 draft picks in action during the six-day camp. Only forward Artur Kayumov, a second-round pick, will not attend.
On-ice sessions will run from approximately 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday through Thursday. Practices and scrimmages are scheduled Monday through Wednesday, and there will be position practice Thursday. On Friday, there will be one scrimmage that begins at 10 a.m.
This camp is always important for young hopefuls, but with more spots than normal open on the Hawks' roster, it's vital that the team's up-and-coming stars perform well.
Among the players that should stand out are:
• Nick Schmaltz, the 20-year-old Wisconsin native who turned pro last month after playing two years at North Dakota. General manager Stan Bowman has spoken glowingly about Schmaltz in recent weeks, and would love to see the young forward find an everyday role on the pro roster.
• Forward Tyler Motte, a left shot who scored 32 goals in 38 games with Michigan last season. Motte, a fourth-round pick in 2013, signed his entry-level contract with the Hawks in April, and was third in the nation with 56 points. A good summer ought to solidify a spot on coach Joel Quenneville's final roster.
• Local products Ryan Hartman (West Dundee) and Vinnie Hinostroza (Barlett). The 21-year-old Hartman (a first-round pick in 2013) has proved a capable AHL player but has yet to get much of a chance at the highest level. Hinostroza scored 18 goals in 66 games with Rockford last year and had a brief seven-game run with the Hawks.
• Tanner Kero, who scored a goal and had 2 assists in 17 games with the Hawks last season. The 23-year-old Michigan native has speed to burn and could earn a roster spot if he impresses this off-season.
• Defenseman Michal Kempny, the Czech Republic native whom the Hawks signed in May. Many believe he has the inside track to earning the team's spot as the sixth defenseman. He is also the oldest player in camp as he will turn 26 on Sept. 8.
Other defensemen to watch include Gustav Forsling, Dillon Fournier (second-round pick in 2012), Carl Dahlstrom (second rounder in 2013), Robin Norell (fourth rounder in 2013), Luc Snuggerud and Andreas Soderberg (both fifth-rounders in 2014), Dennis Gilbert (third rounder in 2015) and Ryan Shea (fourth rounder in 2015).
It will be interesting to watch this year's draft picks as well, in particular 5-foot-7 forward Alex DeBrincat and 5-11 defenseman Chad Krys. Both players were acquired in the trade that sent Andrew Shaw to Montreal. DeBrincat's resume is impressive as he scored 51 goals in back-to-back seasons in the OHL.
The Hawks split the players into three teams, with Team C having the potential to dominate scrimmages. Among the players on that squad are Hartman, Hinostroza, Kero, Motte, Schmaltz, Dahlstrom, Forsling and Kempny.
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