Since the NHL decided not to participate this year, withdrawing from the Olympics, the Hawks will not have that distraction as an excuse.
The Olympic teams this year will be mostly made from former NHL players, current AHL players and Pro European Players.
Patrick Kane was disappointed that he and Alex Debrincat couldn't participate this year. 'It's just a tough situation for everybody,' Kane said after the NHL pulled out of the games. 'You always want to represent your country every time you get a chance. Felt like I would've had the chance to be in a leadership role this year, so it would've been fun to play with a lot of younger players and some great players around the league.'
All this being said, there are some reasons to watch the games this year. Former Blackhawks like Marcus Kruger, Joakim Nordstrom and Artem Anisimov will be participating. Not to mention Michael Frolik. Hawks fans should also pay attention to Drew Commesso.
Those who are aware of the Hawks prospects, were hoping that the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship would be Commesso's coming out party. In his lone start, he won a 3-2 over Slovakia. The Blackhawks' top goaltending prospect will now be one of three goaltenders on the United States squad.
In addition to the World Juniors and the Olympics, the 19-year-old has also played at the World Championships. It would be nice to know that the Hawks could have some depth in that position. The shelf life on Marc Andre Fleury isn't for long.
