Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman, during a Thursday Zoom call with reporters, provided updates on injured players and recent signings.
Injuries
In the biggest news of the interview, defenseman Calvin de Haan — out since Dec. 10 after undergoing shoulder surgery — is expected to be healthy for the start of training camp on July 10.
“Calvin is probably the furthest along of all [our Injured Reserve players],” Bowman said. “It was originally a four-to-six month recovery, so we’re pretty much in that timeframe right now... I would expect him to be ready.”
Defenseman Adam Boqvist and forward Drake Caggiula — who both suffered minor injuries in early March just before the season paused — are also fine, as anticipated.
The availabilities of forwards Andrew Shaw (concussion) and Zack Smith (back surgery) and defenseman Brent Seabrook (shoulder and hip surgeries) are less clear.
“We’re still determining their status for when we’re going to resume playing,” Bowman said. “Some of that will depend upon when the games start and once we see how they look when they get back on the ice.”
Signings
The Hawks signed three new players — top prospect Ian Mitchell, 2019 draft pick Michal Teply and undrafted European import Matej Chalupa — during their coronavirus media lockdown.
Bowman finally commented on all three Thursday.
Mitchell, after three years at the University of Denver, likely won’t be eligible for this summer’s playoffs. If he is, though, it sounds like the Hawks will eagerly deploy him. And if not, he’ll be “a big part of this team next season.”
Teply, just a fourth-round selection last June, took “big steps forward” in his first year in Canadian juniors. While he’s eligible to return to his Winnipeg junior team for 2020-21, Bowman said he’ll get a chance to prove he’s NHL- or AHL-ready in training camp this fall.
Chalupa, a Czech league star at age 21 this past season, was discovered by the Hawks during one of Bowman’s European scouting trips in January.
“He’s got good puck pursuit, so he’s what you’d call a busy or active player,” Bowman said. “A little bit of a later bloomer, so he’s just starting to see some of his best hockey right now, and it’s time to get him over to North America. I liked the potential, and we’ll see how quickly he adapts.”
He’ll probably need some time with the IceHogs at first, and he projects as a bottom-six forward at the NHL level.
