Chicago Blackhawks fans come in full force for Day 2

Like many hockey coaches and players, Kevin Dineen makes it a point to get to practices and games early.

So when the Blackhawks' assistant saw droves of fans milling about the United Center before 7 a.m. Saturday - a full four hours before an intrasquad Blackhawks scrimmage was scheduled to begin - his heart definitely skipped a beat.

"It scared me. I look at my itinerary because I thought I was late. There were thousands of people outside," Dineen said after the Hawks hosted their Training Camp Festival in front of a packed UC crowd. "Every organization in sports talks about how great their fans are, but today is a pretty good representation for our young players to see … the way people think about the Hawks."

Winger Nick Schmaltz agreed.

"It was unbelievable. The support that the fans show, coming out for a Red-White scrimmage, (it) just shows how passionate this town is for the Blackhawks," Schmaltz said. "It's pretty amazing and it was fun to get on that ice for the first time."

The 20-year-old Schmaltz is among more than a half-dozen players who are trying to earn one of 3-4 forward spots that are open.

Schmaltz's Team White prevailed 4-1, with his squad getting goals from Richard Panik, Mark McNeill and Spencer Abbott (2). Ryan Hartman tallied Team Red's lone goal.

Saturday's standout players included:

• Pierre-Cedric Labrie. The 29-year-old blasted Brent Seabrook against the boards in the first period, missed a wide-open net in the second period and later fed Roy Radke for a good scoring opportunity. Labrie also scored in Friday's scrimmage.

• Panik, who scored his team's first goal with a nice move in front of the net to beat Mac Carruth.

• Vincent Hinostroza, Tanner Kero and Brandon Mashinter. This trio worked well together on Team Red's second line and created a number of chances. Mashinter was visible all day, throwing his 6-foot-4, 212-pound frame into opponents on a number of occasions. Meanwhile, Kero made some nice passes, and Hinostroza scored twice in a 3-on-3 OT session that went 10 minutes.

• And once again - Alexandre Fortin. The 19-year-old Swede assisted on Abbott's second goal and continues to set up teammates with spot-on passes.

"I liked the way I played," Fortin said. "I worked a lot this summer to come here stronger than I was at prospects camp. I'm really happy with what I did out there."

Dineen, as fellow assistant Mike Kitchen did the day before, had plenty of good things to say about Fortin.

"I like his willingness to learn," Dineen said. "There are things that you talk about, and immediately it translates right into the next shift."

We're just two days into camp, and obviously nobody wants to get ahead of themselves thinking one or two good performances will cement a spot on the final roster.

"I've dreamed about it for a while," said Schmaltz, who signed his entry-level deal after playing at North Dakota for two seasons. "It's kind of crazy - it's almost here. But I've got a lot of work to do to solidify myself. So I'm just going to work as hard as I can and show my game day in and day out."

Some players like Hinostroza and Kero definitely have the upper hand in that they've been through this process before and have also played at the NHL level.

"Last year was my first year and I was pretty nervous," Hinostroza said. "I didn't know what to expect, didn't know the guys in the locker room. This year … I'm more comfortable in here, and I really know what it takes to get here.

"I (also) know how I can play my game within this system. Pretty confident in this camp and I just want to get better every day."