The Chicago Blackhawks were defeated by the St. Louis Blues 3-1 in their first of two matchups in the 2026 Prospect Showcase. The consensus from the team after the game was that the Hawks played with a good effort, but some sloppiness and penalty trouble sank them.
Game 2 took place one day later at USG Arena. The Blackhawks started Adam Gajan in net for the second game in a row as they looked to split the event with the Blues. Once again, Taige Harding wore the C as the captain. Jake Furlong kept his A from the night before, but Martin Misiak had the other in place of the missing Paul Ludwinski.
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In the first period, the Blackhawks got off to a much better start. They outshot the Blues 10-3, and one of them went in courtesy of AJ Spellacy.
The Blackhawks carried that 1-0 lead into the second period, but it didn’t last long. With 17:22 remaining in the second period, a shot floated through traffic and found the back of the net to tie the game at 1. Just over a minute later, however, Parker Holmes restored the lead for Chicago with a snipe off a turnover.
There have been many fights during this event. In this game, Taige Harding was part of one. This is notable because he left the penalty box with an apparent hand injury at the next whistle. On the next shift, Martin Misiak scored his second goal in as many days to make it 3-1 Blackhawks.
With just over two minutes remaining in the middle frame, AJ Spellacy scored his second of the game to finish off a nice tic-tac-toe goal. The Blackhawks held a 4-1 lead going into the second intermission.
In the third period, Taige Harding was back on the ice and looked no worse for wear. For him, that’s important as he wants to make an impact early and often with the Rockford IceHogs.
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The third period had a little bit of everything. Each team took a penalty; there were more fights, and both sides had their fair share of chances.
The first goal of the final frame came off the stick of Jakub Stancl, who scored his second of the Prospect Challenge. This one came as a shorthanded goal to get the Blues back within 2. The Blackhawks responded with an empty-net goal, courtesy of Martin Misiak.
That 5-2 score stood as the final. The Blackhawks defeated the Blues to end the Prospect Showcase 1-1. That is all for this particular group of prospects, but they are now all headed to different training camps to prepare for the upcoming 2026-27 season.
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