Korchinski flying under radar for Blackhawks as teammate of Bedard

CHICAGO -- Kevin Korchinski is just going about his business, logging good minutes and playing a sizeable role as a rookie defenseman.

The No. 7 pick by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2022 NHL Draft has done it with relatively light fanfare because his teammate, center Connor Bedard, the Blackhawks' No. 1 pick in this year's draft, is getting the bulk of the attention.

"He can handle it," Korchinski said of Bedard with a laugh. Not that Korchinski couldn't.

"I think the media, you see that pressure, usually that's more outside of the rink. Once you get on the ice you just want to play and have fun out there and showcase your talent."

The 19-year-old is doing just that, and he'll keep building on his rookie season when the Blackhawks play the Tampa Bay Lightning at United Center on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; HULU, ESPN+, SN360, TVAS).

Playing on the second defense pair with Connor Murphy, Korchinski is averaging 19:11 of ice time per game, including 2:04 per game on the power play. He has four points (one goal, three assists) in 13 games, scoring his first goal in a 5-3 win against the Lightning Nov. 9 with his mom, Stacey, in attendance as part of the Blackhawks' biennial road trip with the moms.

It may not be long, however, before Korchinski gets more notice.

"I mean, if it keeps going and he continues to play this much and do well and continue to grow, I think he'll get a little bit more attention as it goes," Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson said of Korchinski.

But Murphy said it wasn't so much about the attention off the ice as what a player has to worry about while on it.

"You're still put in tough situations," Murphy said. "Maybe the media light is less, but you still have the pressure going out against big teams to start the year on the road and as far as the pressure of individual expectation is usually higher than the outside stuff."

Korchinski came to Chicago after a great final season with Seattle of the Western Hockey League. He had 73 points (11 goals, 62 assists) in 54 regular-season games, sixth among WHL defensemen, and 14 points (three goals, 11 assists) in 19 playoff games to help lead Seattle to the league championship. He also had three assists in five games at the Memorial Cup, where Seattle lost to Quebec in the final.

"He's bigger, stronger, faster," Seattle coach Matt O'Dette said. "He's moving around the ice quicker, more powerfully. He's able to hold his own in some of the battles against the men at the NHL level. He looks even better distributing the puck and making the smart plays that he does that we're used to seeing him do. And his defensive game, we know that's something he's needed to improve over the years, and I think he's doing that."

Korchinski said improving his mindset and being a sponge have been key through this early stretch.

"At the junior level it was harder to learn stuff just because you're playing against guys who are smaller and not as fast. [In the NHL], you have to adapt," he said.

"I think being able to adapt, that's the biggest thing I'm trying to work to, adapting my game to the pro level. That's just working on little things, defensive work, my stick, stuff like that that makes a big difference over time when you compound those little things and get better every day. It's been awesome so far."

Korchinski is making his mark with the Blackhawks with other rookies including Bedard and fellow defenseman Wyatt Kaiser. There's still a lot to learn, but Korchinski is making big strides.

"Confidence is a big thing," Murphy said. "Confidence in defending. It's hard stepping in right away, going against men in the NHL that are good and strong players. For him, it's gaining confidence there.

"He's always had the skating and on top of that, you can tell he just really cares to get better and work at it. (Assistant coach Kevin) Dean has been helping him daily, too, and he's just gaining confidence and playing better. It's cool to see. We've already played however many games and he's already taken big steps. It'll be fun to see over the course of the year how it continues."