Blackhawks prospects hope to impress for United States at World Juniors
Slaggert, Kaiser, James could be part of rebuilding Chicago in near future
The three Blackhawks prospects are playing in the tournament, which was rescheduled for Aug. 9-20 at Rogers Place after it was canceled in December due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus.
Slaggert, 20, of South Bend, Indiana, was selected No. 79 in the 2020 NHL Draft; Kaiser, 20, of Ham Lake, Minnesota, was selected No. 81 in 2020; and James, 20, of Plymouth, Michigan, was selected No. 173 in the 2022 NHL Draft.
"It's cool we're all here," Slaggert said. "We got to know each other at Blackhawks development camp a few weeks ago and it was awesome to do that and get a taste of what it takes to be an NHL player in their organization. They're good guys, and I think that's the biggest thing I took away from that camp, and now at this tournament; they're just a good guys that compete and work hard."
Slaggert will be returning for his junior season at Notre Dame at the conclusion of the tournament. The forward had 26 points (12 goals, 14 assists) in 40 games last season and helped them advance to the NCAA regional final, where they lost to Minnesota State.
"I thought last year was a good year overall," Slaggert said. "We made some noise in the tournament, we were right there and were in the regional final. It was awesome; I played with my brother (Graham Slaggert) last year, and it was special for both of us getting to play with each other."
Slaggert had a goal and assist in a 5-1 win against Germany in the United States' opening Group B game of the tournament on Tuesday. He also had a goal and assist in a 7-1 win against Switzerland on Thursday. The United States next plays Austria on Saturday.
"I'm glad we're getting an opportunity to play this tournament again," Slaggert said. "You create a unique bond with these guys, even though it's a short tournament, you know these guys are going to be friends for the rest of your life, so it's pretty cool. December, it was crushing news that the tournament was cancelled, but the texts started flying when we heard the tournament was going to be coming up in August and we get another chance to go for gold."
Along with being teammates at the World Junior Championship, James and Kaiser play together at the University of Minnesota Duluth. Minnesota Duluth also made it to the NCAA regional final last season, before losing to eventual national champion Denver.
"It was a good year, I learned a lot," Kaiser said. "Last year was definitely a learning process. I was a little bit older and I was able to find my identity and matured a little bit and tried to learn as much as possible."
Kaiser, a defenseman, is going into his junior year, while James, a forward, is going into his sophomore season. James had 18 points (six goals, 12 assists) in 39 games last season. He has one assist in the first two games at the World Junior Championship.
"I know Dom pretty well, he's a good buddy," Kaiser said. "We'll be living together next year. I love playing with him and I can't say enough good things about him. It's definitely special that we were both selected by the Blackhawks, it's a lot of fun playing on the same team, getting to know each other well and putting in the work together."
Along with attempting to help the United States win gold for the second straight tournament, the three are hoping to play together with the Blackhawks someday.
"It's pretty cool getting close with these guys, because we went to prospects camp with the Hawks and then we came here together, so it's good that we're getting to know each other pretty well," James said. "It's exciting coming back to be with the guys at this tournament. You look at all the gains we've made in the summer, and you get to use them right away and it's nice to get some competitive hockey in now."
The Blackhawks, who did not qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs each of the past two seasons, are rebuilding. Slaggert, Kaiser and James have an opportunity to be part of the future.
"I think we have faith in what they have going on there," Slaggert said. "They have a good management team and I think they have a good strategy and it's exciting to see where they're going to be in the future. They have some good draft picks coming in it should be exciting."
