The Chicago Blackhawks were on the ice for day two of training camp on Friday. They continued to keep the NHL group separated from the non-NHL group.
They are also starting to get some strategies in order ahead of their first preseason game, which will come on Saturday night when they take on the Minnesota Wild at Grand Casino Arena.
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One of those things that they worked on was the power play. Chicago struggled in this department in 2025-26, but they added a handful of players who will be able to help them with the man advantage.
The first unit to get reps was the exact unit that you’d expect to see, knowing that Connor Bedard can’t be a part of it due to his continued recovery from shoulder surgery.
Tyler Bertuzzi
Patrick Kane – Roman Kantserov – Anton Frondell
Bowen Byram
A few weeks ago, the Blackhawks started to hint at the idea of Kantserov getting some time at center. Well, he hasn’t played the position yet at even strength in practice, but he is getting chances there on this top power-play unit.
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Tyler Bertyzzi is the net-front man, as he was elite at it last year; Bowen Byram is operating the point, and Patrick Kane and Anton Frondell are working the half-walls. Kane is a lot more creative with the puck when he has the time and space, but Frondell has a wicked one-time blast that he can bring from the dot.
When Bedard comes back, either Roman Kantserov or Anton Frondell will come off and move to the second unit, which will likely feature guys like Nick Lardis, Frank Nazar, Ryan Donato, and Teuvo Teravainen, amongst others. The depth that this team is capable of having on the power play should give their overall percentage a boost.
Although the new additions up front (Kane and Kantserov) are nice, it is Bowen Byram who will make the biggest difference. A puck-moving defenseman with his skills should open things up for every other player on the ice in that man-advantage situation. This is also his first opportunity to quarterback a number one unit in the NHL regularly, so there is motivation there.
The non-NHL group will travel to Minnesota, so this unit will have to wait to get some game action, but expect to see them at the United Center on Monday.
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