Josiah Slavin had a hat trick and Antti Saarela added two goals, but it was undeniably Adam Boqvist’s non-stop magic that lifted the red team to victory in the Blackhawks’ prospect scrimmage Friday.
Boqvist looked like an NHL All-Star disguised as an 18-year-old, flashing through the the white team defense with silky handles and brilliant vision all morning long.
He set up Slavin’s first goal off an end-to-end rush that fittingly set the tone. He continued to effortlessly cycle around the offensive zone, leaving pursuers disoriented and dumbfounded, throughout the scrimmage.
Watching #Blackhawks development camp scrimmage as three Finns are playing in it. Swedish top prospect Adam Boqvist has already put his offensive skills on display, setting up the 1st goal of the scrimmage. pic.twitter.com/8dfGbQJT0b
— Marco Bombino (@marco_bombino) July 19, 2019
The only person to which Boqvist’s showing wasn’t particularly exciting — especially when considering his unlikely but growing opportunity to make the Hawks’ 2019-20 roster — was Boqvist himself.
“Probably not,” he said, asked if he’d watch the highlight reel over himself. “I’m just going to go back and have a nap. I’m pretty tired.”
The eighth overall selection of 2018 has always been known as an offensively inclined defenseman, but he was stellar in his own zone, too.
Right before his rush to set up Slavin, Boqvist made a pinpoint saucer pass to D partner Nicolas Beaudin to break a white team forecheck, for example.
“His progression over this past year I thought was phenomenal, [with] the steps that he took with the defensive habits in his game,” said Mark Eaton, the Hawks’ player development director. “I’ve always said that he’s underrated in that aspect... He’s such a smart player that it’s not just one side — he’s not just smart offensively.”
2019 first-rounder Kirby Dach was impressive too, showing off his beyond-his-years strength and physicality on top of his own dazzling array of puckhandling moves.
He jumpstarted the white team’s comeback from 4-0 down with a never-in-doubt breakaway goal, then teamed up with linemate Mathias From — a less expected scrimmage standout — for the second-prettiest score of the day.
Kirby Dach skating circles around the other prospects at Dev Camp pic.twitter.com/d3rJIwOs5A
— The Render (@TheRenderMedia) July 19, 2019
“I‘ve always kind of had a detail-oriented mind, where I always want the puck and I’m going to do whatever it takes to get it back,” Dach said. “If somebody takes the puck from me, or if I turn it over, then it’s my responsibility to get that puck back.”
Recently acquired Alex Nylander, meanwhile, disappointed in the scrimmage despite looking good earlier in the week.
Defensively, Nylander looked a step behind the play — his lack of speed and stamina were frequent criticisms during his Sabres tenure — and offensively, Nylander seemed to be trying to do too much, although he did produce a couple good looks in the third period.
Among the goalies, Devin Cooley struggled but Zackarias Skog impressed.
Brandon Hagel, Cole Moberg and invite forward Kyle Olson scored the other goals.
