BLOG: Blackhawks Creating New Standards in Thursday’s Practice

Heading into practice on Thursday morning, head coach Luke Richardson stated he wanted his team to set a new standard for the team’s compete level. 

The Blackhawks took part in different battle drills along with special teams drills to prepare for another contest against the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday. For Nick Foligno, he noted that the compete level they should bring into practice all season long and not just after they lose a few games. 

“That's the standard that we need to get to and understand in this room,” Foligno said. “I think the message was clear today and how we need to play. I think the guys are understanding of, hopefully, the level that we got to today and how that has to translate into a game.”

Instead of feeling defeated with different drills and conditioning, players rallied each other up on the ice to build up the high energy and other hold each other to a competitive standard. 

Richardson and the staff felt pleased with the performance the team brought onto the ice and knew they understood the pain points they battled over the last few games. With a tight battle drill, it can allow players to think in high pressure situations and prepare for their next opponent. 

“It gets them use to playing and making high pressure decisions in quick instances and that's sometimes happens all over the ice,” Richardson said. “So today, we expected a high compete, high level skating practice, and we got it.”

Two players that stuck out the most included Connor Bedard and Wyatt Kaiser with their competitive spirits they brought within the drill. For the young defenseman, he described the practice as a positive experience that allowed the players to be more creative and still be competitive with their teammates. 

“You throw guys together in two-on-two [situations], everybody wants to win,” Kaiser said. “The competitiveness kind of comes out and the pace picks up a little bit, so it's fun.”