Blackhawks' preseason debut brings excitement for the season to come

It has been a long time coming, Blackhawks fans, but we finally have a Blackhawks game to talk about. The Hawks dropped the puck on their 2025 preseason schedule with a matchup in Motor City against the Red Wings on Tuesday night, losing 3-2 to Detroit.

Nothing beats the Stanley Cup Playoffs when it comes to watching a hockey game. The games get tighter, the stakes are even higher, and everyone is at their best. Unfortunately, fans who watched last night didn't get to see that, but after months of having nothing except baseball and then football to watch, I will take some preseason games.

The Blackhawks' preseason debut might not stir much excitement from fans, but with a new coach, a promising young core in the making, and another year into general manager Kyle Davidson's rebuild, there definitely is a lot to watch for.

It's fitting that head coach Jeff Blashill's first opportunity behind the bench came in Detroit. Blashill got his first head coaching gig with the Red Wings. He may not have had much success with the organization, but hopefully, it was a learning experience that he can bring with him to Chicago.

The Blackhawks had plenty of young prospects to keep an eye on in Detroit.

Colton Dach and Lukas Reichel both have hopes to make an impact on the Blackhawks roster this season. That started last night with an early opportunity to play with Connor Bedard on the top line.

Blashill spoke about both Reichel and Dach's opportunity on the top line before the game. For Reichel, it's all about the "impact he makes on the game"

"You can't give up a bunch defensively," Blashill said of Reichel, "because it's really hard to outscore your mistakes. But you have to create, if you are on a top line like that, you ultimately have to create. It will be interesting to see how the line goes, and it will be a good first game to evaluate."

In regards to Dach, Blashill indicated he is built for a real game more than an inter team scrimmage.

"I think part of what Colton's game has to be is bringing us edge and physicality and those types of things," Blashill said. "It's hard for him to do that in a scrimmage. As much as we want to play hard you don't want to run over each other."

The Blackhawks believe both Dach and Reichel have the skill to make an impact on the ice, and the preseason is their opportunity to show it. That is what makes this such an interesting time for fans.

When it comes to their first preseason performance, Dach definitely received the message from his head coach. He registered six hits and two shots on goal on the night and was constantly trying to clog up the net when in the offensive zone.

Dach looked like a guy trying to make an impact and show he deserves a spot on the team. Unfortunately, Reichel was a different story. Here is what Blackhawk Up Site Expert Greg Boysen had to say on Reichel postgame:

"Reichel got a chance to play with Bedard for the entire game. After a fast start to the game, his performance became less noticeable as the night progressed. He had just one shot on goal on one attempt. Blashill wanted to see him make an impact, and it wasn’t there for most of the game. Not a great start for a guy trying to earn a roster spot." - Greg Boysen

With the start of the preseason, the Davidson Era in Chicago is entering a new year.

For fans, this time brings a great chance to evaluate the team's talent and check in with some top prospects. Every preseason game is going to have a couple of top prospects on the ice to keep an eye on. Luckily, fans won't have to wait long to see this team back in action as the Hawks have back-to-back games this weekend with matchups with the St. Louis Blues and Minnesota Wild.