Blackhawks Breakaway

Latest Episodes:

Ep. 161: Recapping Traverse City and Blackhawks training camp is almost here Sep 11, 2019

Show notes

On the latest Blackhawks Talk Podcast, Pat Boyle, Charlie Roumeliotis and Slavko Bekovic recap the top storylines from the 2019 Traverse City Prospect Tournament. How did Adam Boqvist and Kirby Dach perform?

The guys also discuss some standouts, takeaways from the tournament and four prospects escaping with minor injuries. They wrap up by reacting to the Brendan Perlini extension and share what they'll be looking for when training camp opens on Friday.

0:45 – Kirby Dach and Adam Boqvist’s performance in Traverse City

2:40 – What was the talent level at the tournament?

4:08 – Blackhawks Director of Player Development Mark Eaton on tournament evaluation

7:35 – Who can springboard themselves into training camp?

9:36 – How the Blackhawks can reign in Boqvist’s game

12:10 – Crazy injuries in tournament finale vs Wild

16:25 – Other prospects that stood out in the tournament

18:10 – Does Dach or Boqvist have a better chance to play the season opener?

24:02 – Brendan Perlini’s role on the Blackhawks

26:30 – Camp Storylines: Dach’s chances at third line center spot

27:50 – Camp Storylines: the goalie tandem

28:35 – Camp Storylines: the defensive improvements

30:02 – Camp Storylines: Patrick Kane’s usage this season

31:10 – Camp Storylines: the Hawks’ d-zone system

32:20 – Camp Storylines: winger spots open on the top two lines

Ep. 160: Previewing Traverse City tournament and Blackhawks 2019 training camp storylines Sep 03, 2019

Show notes

On the latest Blackhawks Talk Podcast, Slavko Bekovic and Charlie Roumeliotis preview the eight-team prospect tournament in Traverse City and what to look for from the Blackhawks.

The guys also look ahead to training camp and cover the top storylines, including Kirby Dach's chances at making the Blackhawks roster, where Brendan Perlini fits into the equation and who could get a shot in the top-six.

1:18 – Prospect Tournament preview

3:13 – What to expect from Kirby Dach and Adam Boqvist

7:32 – Defenseman group at the Prospect Tournament

9:37 – Forward prospects to keep an eye on

17:30 – Roster battles open at training camp

19:40 – Should Kane and Toews stay together on a line long-term?

21:27 – Does Dach or Boqvist have better shot to make the Hawks?

25:18 – Clarity on Brendan Perlini’s contract situation

26:15 – The Blackhawks’ bottom-six is wide open at camp

28:15 – How CBA is effecting the RFA market

34:04 – Top Blackhawks get their NHL 20 video game ratings

Ep. 159: Answering your Blackhawks offseason mailbag questions Aug 27, 2019

Show notes

On the latest Blackhawks Talk Podcast, Pat Boyle, Charlie Roumeliotis and Slavko Bekovic answer your mailbag questions.

Will the Blackhawks will make the playoffs this season? Which darkhorse player could have a breakout season? And is Stan Bowman's seat a little warm? The guys hit on all that and more.

1:06 – NHL Network lists snubbing the Blackhawks

7:32 – Is Corey Crawford ready for the start of the season?

9:51 – Excitement building around potential of the Hawks

13:27 – Can the Hawks improve their age mix and contract efficiency?

19:22 – Brent Seabrook’s future with the Blackhawks

27:15 – Will a signing like Marian Hossa ever happen again?

32:15 – Who are potential breakout candidates this year?

35:51 – The hype surrounding Dominik Kubalik

38:28 – Is Stan Bowman on the hot seat entering the season?

Ep. 158: An inside look at the Blackhawks Hockey Ops department with Senior VP Al MacIsaac Aug 20, 2019

Show notes

On the latest Blackhawks Talk Podcast, Pat Boyle catches up with Senior VP of Hockey Operations, Al MacIsaac. They discuss the process the Blackhawks took in transforming the roster this off-season. MacIsaac is entering his 20th year with the Blackhawks and talks about the organizational changes over the last two decades. He also weighs in on the role analytics plays in evaluating current or potential Blackhawks and he explains why the team made a commitment to make its new practice facility the “gold standard” of the NHL.

0:45 – MacIsaac on changes within the Blackhawks organization in the last 20 years

4:00 – How the Blackhawks have added great depth this summer

5:25 – A good problem to have with two good goaltenders

6:23 – How the hockey ops meeting went at the end of last season

8:45 – How much the Blackhawks use and rely on analytics

10:27 – The importance of the Blackhawks strength and conditioning programs

12:24 – The planning behind Fifth Third Arena’s development

14:40 – The dynamic between hockey ops and business ops

16:37 – Agreements and disagreements within the hockey ops group

18:32 – MacIsaac’s longtime relationship with Mark Bernard

20:27 – Looking ahead to training camp and the regular season

22:42 – Tough decisions will need to be made when the season starts

Ep. 157: Why Jonathan Toews is a Top-20 center and answering your mailbag questions Aug 07, 2019

Show notes

On the latest Blackhawks Talk Podcast, Pat Boyle, Charlie Roumeliotis and Slavko Bekovic offer their thoughts on Jonathan Toews being left off NHL Network's Top-20 center rankings and make their case for why he should be on the list.

The guys also answer your mailbag questions, including whether Patrick Kane and Toews have another Stanley Cup run in them, Kirby Dach's chances at making the Blackhawks out of training camp and what the lines may look like on Opening Night.

0:43 – NHL Network keeps Jonathan Toews off top-20 centers list

8:45 – Will Blackhawks move on from Brendan Perlini?

11:30 – Status of DeBrincat and Strome contract extensions

14:35 – Do Toews and Kane have another Stanley Cup run in them?

18:26 – Is Saad/Dach/Shaw the Hawks third line?

22:08 – Evaluating the Hawks’ current playoff chances

24:45 – Who is the Hawks' No. 1 goalie?

27:04 – Will the Hawks make more roster moves?

30:48 – Frontrunners for Hawks bottom six roles?

33:13 – What the Hawks lines and pairings might look like?

37:11 – The Erik Gustafsson situation going forward

Ep. 156: Recapping top storylines from Blackhawks Convention Jul 30, 2019

Show notes

On the latest Blackhawks Talk Podcast, Pat Boyle and Charlie Roumeliotis recap the top storylines from the 12th annual fan convention.

The guys talk about Chris Kunitz joining the organization as a player development adviser, Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews on the roster makeover this offseason, Andrew Shaw's return to Chicago and top prospects Adam Boqvist and Kirby Dach aiming to make the NHL roster out of training camp.

0:45 Chris Kunitz joins team as player development adviser

4:45 Biggest takeaway from Hawks Convention

8:15 Kane & Toews discuss offseason moves

9:45 Versatility of roster

15:45 Kane & Toews on Shaw’s return

18:45 Playing in Chicago vs. elsewhere

22:45 Goalie situation & Delia’s role

27:50 Marc Crawford addition

29:20 Brendan Perlini’s contract

31:50 What’s up Dach?

34:20 Upcoming schedule

Ep. 155: Alex DeBrincat and Dylan Strome live from the Blackhawks Convention Jul 28, 2019

Show notes

The biggest bromance in the NHL joins the Blackhawks Talk Podcast live from the Blackhawks Convention. Alex DeBrincat and Dylan Strome join Pat Boyle and Charlie Roumeliotis to break down their long-time friendship, share stories of their time playing with Connor McDavid and look ahead to the upcoming Blackhawks season.

0:47 – Dylan Strome on his first convention

1:11 – Alex DeBrincat on another convention experience

1:30 – On staying in Chicago to train

3:20 – Strome on using a shorter stick than usual

4:27 – How much did they pay attention to the Hawks roster changes?

5:04 – On Andrew Shaw playing on Strome/DeBrincat line

6:13 – How Connor McDavid was there before the Strome/DeBrincat bromance

8:09 – On playing with Connor McDavid with Erie

9:00 – DeBrincat’s feistiness on the ice getting Strome and McDavid in trouble

10:00 – Biggest pet peeves in their friendship

10:45 – Who keeps who in order in the friendship?

11:30 – Friendship put aside during the World Championships this spring

12:19 – On the Canada/USA rivalry

13:05 – How much of the playoffs did they watch?

14:08 – On the Blues winning the Stanley Cup

15:20 – Early impressions of Kirby Dach, Adam Boqvist and other prospects

16:23 – Advice to prospects trying to break the team after camp

17:42 – Strome on why he only would have wanted to get traded to Chicago

19:18 – DeBrincat on the goal scoring lead wager with Patrick Kane

20:36 – How Patrick Kane continues to get better over time

22:27 – Strome’s competition with his brothers

24:04 – Who they would dream to play in a line with

25:05 – How they chose their sweater numbers

26:13 – DeBrincat on his pregame doughnuts tradition

26:55 – On Strome’s Blackhawks debut

27:45 – Favorite non-hockey memories from their time in Erie

29:10 – Best (and worst) parts of playing together

30:10 – The scoop on Ralph DeBrindog!

31:00 – First tourist things they did in Chicago

31:45 – Best nicknames on the Blackhawks

32:50 – Favorite players growing up

33:30 – Their mental preparation before games

34:23 – The Blackhawks Lightning Round

37:49 – Who is the better dancer between Strome and DeBrincat?

Ep. 154: Reaction to Artem Anisimov trade and Development Camp standouts Jul 16, 2019

Show notes

On the latest Blackhawks Talk Podcast, Pat Boyle and Charlie Roumeliotis react to the trade of Artem Anisimov to the Senators for Zack Smith. The guys discuss the role Smith could have with the Hawks and the areas where he has an edge over Anisimov. They also discuss the first couple days of Development Camp and how this year’s top two draft picks - Kirby Dach and Alex Vlasic - have looked so far. Plus, a breakdown of the other top blue-liners and how Adam Boqvist, Nicolas Beaudin and Chad Krys have progressed and why they agree with Ian Mitchell’s decision to return to Denver for his junior year.

0:35 – Initial reaction to Anisimov/Smith trade

2:02 – Smith adds faceoff and penalty kill abilities

3:38 – Candidates for bottom-six center spots

4:57 – Edge a common theme among new Blackhawks

6:08 – Alex Nylander’s presence at Development Camp

8:20 – Kirby Dach has an open door to a roster spot

10:38 – Alex Vlasic holding his own against Dach

11:46 – Adam Boqvist wants to play in the NHL now

13:23 – Were Blackhawks recent moves scripted before NHL Draft?

15:28 – Ian Mitchell’s decision to return to college

18:57 – Young defenseman make decisions tough down the road

20:21 – Keeping an eye on Philipp Kurashev at camp

21:20 – Is Stan Bowman done making moves?

22:34 – Salary cap outlook with DeBrincat/Strome extensions coming

Ep. 153: Robin Lehner on mental health and competition with Corey Crawford; reaction to Henri Jokiharju trade Jul 09, 2019

Show notes

On the latest Blackhawks Talk Podcast, Robin Lehner joins the show to talk about mental health, the goaltending competition with Corey Crawford, his potential workload with the Blackhawks and much more.

Pat Boyle and Charlie Roumeliotis then react to the Lehner interview, discuss how the starts could be divided between Crawford and Lehner, react to the Henri Jokiharju-Alex Nylander trade and project the defensemen pairings.

0:40 - Robin Lehner joins the show

0:55 - Lehner in Chicago, what has the last week been like?

2:00 - Did going through treatment help Robin deal with uncertainty of free agency?

4:30 - Did Lehner discuss with Blackhawks their medical staff and support system for Robin to use going forward?

7:00 - Changing the stigma of bipolar disorder

10:15 - Has he talked to Corey Crawford?

10:40 - Summer training regimen

11:15 - How are you approaching your role this season?

12:55 - Did you discuss workload with Colliton?

14:30 - New mask design

16:00 - React to Lehner interview

17:25 - Sharing Lehner's story

19:35 - Goalie workload

22:00 - Does top goalie performer get extension?

23:30 - Will Crawford play beyond this season?

24:53 - Reaction to Jokiharju trade

27:00 - Scouting Nylander

34:00 - Projected defensemen pairings

36:18 - Blackhawks sign Kirby Dach

38:20 - Blackhawks biggest boom or bust team?

Ep. 152: Reacting to Robin Lehner signing, Andrew Shaw trade and what’s next for Blackhawks Jul 01, 2019

Show notes

On the latest Hawks Talk Podcast, Pat Boyle, Slavko Bekovic and Charlie Roumeliotis talk about the Blackhawks' surprise free-agency splash with Vezina Trophy finalist Robin Lehner. What was the reasoning behind it?

The guys also discuss the trade for Andrew Shaw, a busy day in the Central Division and what could be next for Stan Bowman and the Blackhawks this summer.

0:55 – Robin Lehner a surprise splash in free agency

5:35 – Lehner’s messy situation with Islanders

8:21 – Is Lehner product of Isles’ great defense?

11:13 – Stan Bowman on the Blackhawks cap situation

12:23 – Great 1-2 punch with Crawford & Lehner

15:39 – Andrew Shaw back with Blackhawks

18:31 – Shaw can help Hawks in many ways

20:58 – Bowman addressing Hawks’ biggest problems

25:53 – Busy day for the Central Division

30:48 – Finally…an offer sheet!

32:53 – Biggest move the Hawks have made so far

37:04 – What move is next for Bowman?