Jeremy Colliton loves to practice.
That has been the case ever since he became Blackhawks coach. But it has been especially noticeable this season, during which the Hawks have found every possible window to squeeze practices into their condensed 56-game schedule.
“That’s something that we’re trying to get in as normal,” Colliton said recently. “You get opportunities in the schedule at different times, and you’ve got to take advantage of it. And then when the schedule’s more heavy, you back off — then there’s more optionals and more days off.”
With the Hawks’ Saturday game against the Hurricanes postponed, leaving the team with a three-day break between games — their longest of the season so far — the Hawks didn’t return to Chicago as they historically would have.
Instead, they practiced Sunday in Raleigh, North Carolina, then practiced again Monday in Columbus, Ohio, and then held optional morning skate Tuesday in Columbus prior to the game at night.
That extended break and two-and-a-half consecutive practices provided a mental reset and a chance to go deeper on some of the nuances of their game that have struggled lately. Colliton said he “liked the energy” throughout the sessions.
The Hawks’ power-play drills, previously done entirely within the offensive zone, were altered to force the power-play unit to start from their own end and successfully execute a zone entry. The extra time those entries took would normally be an inefficient use of practice time, but there was extra time in general to work with.
The team, of course, also practiced five-on-five plays, having scored only four even-strength goals in three games prior to the break.
“We worked on breakouts, worked on being clean on our retrievals and finding a way to get through the neutral zone with speed,” Colliton said. “[And we] talked about, in the offensive zone, finding a way to drive the puck deep and hold it, protect it.
“When we’ve struggled to create momentum and zone time, a lot of it is we’re not able to hold the puck in the offensive zone, protect it, long enough to establish a shift down there... We’d like to do a better job there.”
Sunday and Monday’s practices were the the Hawks’ 19th and 20th of the season already, including training camp. Since the season opener, they’ve held practice on 13 of their 22 non-game days.
With so many rookies in the lineup — the Hawks have dressed at least seven every game recently — those additional reps are crucial to familiarize players with and thoroughly implement the Hawks’ systems.
“I actually don’t mind the schedule because you’re always ‘in it’ [and able to] get going right away at all times,” rookie forward Brandon Hagel said Tuesday. “It was nice to get a little bit of practice time, get a little break, get little rest that maybe you won’t get down the stretch... It’s definitely helped me out.”
Veterans and those in between have enjoyed it, too. Even for optional skates, the Hawks’ mid-20s clique of Alex DeBrincat, Dylan Strome, Dominik Kubalik and others are always certain to attend.
“Sometimes it’s good to get out there and get a sweat for 20, 25 minutes and have some fun out there,” Kubalik said. “That’s what we did the last two practices. For me personally, sometimes it’s good to be on the ice: feel the puck, get a sweat a little bit and get ready for the game.”
As Colliton referenced, though, the Hawks’ practice opportunities will become less frequent soon.
From March 4 to April 17, they’re scheduled for 23 games in a 45-day span — more game days than non-game days. And that’s before inevitable COVID-19 postponements make the late-season slate even denser.
Thus why they’ve practiced in every possible window up to this point.
