It's been a busy couple of days for the Blackhawks, as the organization went directly from the 2022 NHL Draft in Montreal straight into the first day of Development Camp on Monday back at Fifth Third Arena. While time has been moving quickly since arriving back in Chicago--especially for the draftees swept into the whirlwind of professional hockey life right after stepping foot off the plane--the excitement to have Development Camp back on the ice for the first time in three years is palpable across players and coaches alike.
"It means everything," said Assistant General Manager, Development Mark Eaton. "They say, 'absence makes the heart grow fonder.' We had virtual Development Camp the last couple of years, and I think we did a pretty good job with it, but it's a whole other element when you can get the guys face-to-face interact with them, look them in the eye and kind of read if they're understanding what you're teaching them. It's great to have all our guys in one spot, all our coaches and staff in one spot, because that's where the real work gets done."
While the prospects had quite a difficult opening day on Sunday with testing, Eaton mentioned he couldn't tell so by their body language on Development Camp's official first day, as their enthusiasm and readiness to get on the ice was undeniable.
"I think they were really excited to get on the ice today, get skating and show us the work that they've put in," Eaton said.
Although Blackhawks managers and coaches are grateful for the opportunity to coach in person again--which also makes it easier to get a sense of who the players are before they head back to play with Juniors teams--being back at a true Development Camp is even more of a plus for the prospects.
"It means a lot, it's probably two- or three-fold," Eaton said. "It's an opportunity for them to show their abilities in front of all of us it's; it's an opportunity for them to interact with us and learn more; and to get to know the organization, get in these facilities, see what the next level looks like and just get excited about their future."
With Chicago focused on rebuilding for the future, this year's Development Camp marks a valuable opportunity to see where the Blackhawks are heading down the line.
"I look at it as the foundation, this is where it starts," Eaton said. "With a new management now, we're establishing an identity and trying to build towards that and look at Development Camp as the grassroots of that effort. This is our first touch on these guys a lot of times, and we're just starting to drive home to them the style of hockey that we want to play, our core values as an organization, kind of extrapolate that backwards and how they as individuals can come work and help build that identity."
