Blackhawks Going Back to College Tonight

Typically, but not always, a college student will be between the ages of 18-23. Tonight we could see as many (barring any last minute scratches) as 10 players in that age range play in the NHL inside of a college arena in Arizona.

As silly as that sounds, it also sounds quite fun. There should be energy, speed, and skill on display tonight and I expect the Blackhawks to still have an adrenaline kick from a stirring and spirited victory against the defending Cup champions on the road.

The Coyotes are led by Clayton Keller, Nick Scmaltz, and prized rookie Logan Cooley. Like Connor Bedard, Cooley should be a finalist for the Calder Trophy (league's best rookie) at season's end. So far in 7 games Logan Cooley has 5 points (5A) to Connor Bedard's 5 points (3G, 2A) in 8 games.

Anyway you look at tonight's matchup it's exciting as two of the leagues younger teams battle in an arena that only holds 5,000 fans.

Both teams come into tonight with 3 wins and 6 points and have, at times, shown early signs that their fortunes could be shifting towards that of a future playoff team. With a multitude of high picks in the pipeline, on the roster, and in the next several drafts each franchise's outlook looks bright at the moment.

Chicago though, unlike Arizona, knows where they will be playing in the years to come however (both arena and city) as the Coyotes have seen quite their share of downs in terms of formalizing a plan for a long term home arena in Arizona. While a 5,000 seat arena is novel and "fun" for now how long will the NHL and its owners stand by while Connor McDavid has to walk by a concession stand to get to the locker room? Likely not long, so let's enjoy tonight and cheer on the Hawks!