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Post by OldTimeHawky on Mar 17, 2024 20:16:45 GMT -6
Korchinski's maturing before our eyes, on and off the ice. His interviews are much better and he's playing smart at both ends. Those 2 on 1s are still hurting him but he'll learn and start picking off passes, that'll create odd man rushes the other way.
For a 19yr old rookie dman with high expectations, who's dad passed before Christmas, he's showing a lot of maturity.
Nice to see him score his 4th and get the 1st star.
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Post by BigT on Mar 17, 2024 20:31:29 GMT -6
I know he’s 19 and all that. But his interviews will get better. Hahahaha every answer in the on ice was “Ya Ya, we played……..”. Hahaha But that’s really not a complaint. Just making a little fun out of his interview.
He’s been playing better. He will have a good summer to look back on this year and look forward to next year. His offense will be coming around more and more. It’ll be fun to watch!!!
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Post by ebonyraptor on Mar 17, 2024 21:57:16 GMT -6
I know he’s 19 and all that. But his interviews will get better. Hahahaha every answer in the on ice was “Ya Ya, we played……..”. Hahaha But that’s really not a complaint. Just making a little fun out of his interview. He’s been playing better. He will have a good summer to look back on this year and look forward to next year. His offense will be coming around more and more. It’ll be fun to watch!!! Yeah I agree. I watched a lot of Seattle games last year so I saw KK play upwards of 40-50 games including the playoffs. My assessment of what he needed to improve upon was his shot (and willingness to use it) and to get stronger to better handle physical one-on-one battles. His shot has gotten better because, although it's still not a heavy shot, he gets it off quicker and more frequently. I think he's gotten at handling the physical game too. I think in both cases he still has much improvement to make - but - I think he's proven the NHL game wasn't too much for him which was very much in doubt at the beginning of the season. |
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Post by OldTimeHawky on Mar 17, 2024 22:20:14 GMT -6
I know he’s 19 and all that. But his interviews will get better. Hahahaha every answer in the on ice was “Ya Ya, we played……..”. Hahaha But that’s really not a complaint. Just making a little fun out of his interview. He’s been playing better. He will have a good summer to look back on this year and look forward to next year. His offense will be coming around more and more. It’ll be fun to watch!!! His interviews were really bad at the start of the season, said 'um' a lot. Speaking in front of the home crowd for the first time must be tough but he did OK, lots of excitement in his voice. But a few games ago he was interviewed between periods and did a good job. Having more skill in the lineup with help his offense, not everyone can finish his feeds. |
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Post by OldTimeHawky on Mar 17, 2024 22:27:29 GMT -6
I know he’s 19 and all that. But his interviews will get better. Hahahaha every answer in the on ice was “Ya Ya, we played……..”. Hahaha But that’s really not a complaint. Just making a little fun out of his interview. He’s been playing better. He will have a good summer to look back on this year and look forward to next year. His offense will be coming around more and more. It’ll be fun to watch!!! Yeah I agree. I watched a lot of Seattle games last year so I saw KK play upwards of 40-50 games including the playoffs. My assessment of what he needed to improve upon was his shot (and willingness to use it) and to get stronger to better handle physical one-on-one battles. His shot has gotten better because, although it's still not a heavy shot, he gets it off quicker and more frequently. I think he's gotten at handling the physical game too. I think in both cases he still has much improvement to make - but - I think he's proven the NHL game wasn't too much for him which was very much in doubt at the beginning of the season. I remember you talking about his shot but I noticed at the World Juniors he had some dump ins that had a lot of velocity, seems like he holds back with his shots on net so he doesn't lose accuracy. And of course he passes more than he shoots but you can't blame him with his passing abilities. A game not long ago showed he got up to 93mph on a half slapper. And with him being almost 200lbs after last summer he seems a lot more comfortable with the physical play, he should be able to get to 200+lbs after next summer, that'll help even more. |
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Post by galaxytrash on Mar 21, 2024 9:05:01 GMT -6
coach wants korchinski to be "meaner" in front of the net.
hopefully this is a sign of things to come. he seems to be doing a decent job here against foligno.
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Post by OldTimeHawky on Mar 21, 2024 9:33:55 GMT -6
coach wants korchinski to be "meaner" in front of the net. hopefully this is a sign of things to come. he seems to be doing a decent job here against foligno. Gotta love Foligno, Korchinski was going at him hard, and he's excited for him afterwards. |
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Post by ebonyraptor on Mar 21, 2024 10:35:51 GMT -6
I can't find the clip but there was a net front battle drill with KK and Bedard too. Very similar to the one with Foligno - really being physical and battling.
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Post by galaxytrash on Mar 21, 2024 10:40:21 GMT -6
I can't find the clip but there was a net front battle drill with KK and Bedard too. Very similar to the one with Foligno - really being physical and battling. this one i think. |
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Post by OldTimeHawky on Mar 21, 2024 11:55:00 GMT -6
I can't find the clip but there was a net front battle drill with KK and Bedard too. Very similar to the one with Foligno - really being physical and battling. this one i think. Korchinski was all over him and he still gets his backhand on net. Nice tap on the shinpads at the end by Bedard. |
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Post by ebonyraptor on Mar 21, 2024 14:56:28 GMT -6
I can't find the clip but there was a net front battle drill with KK and Bedard too. Very similar to the one with Foligno - really being physical and battling. this one i think. Yep - that's the one. Thanks GT. |
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Post by nighbor on Mar 22, 2024 13:45:45 GMT -6
Richardson compared KK to Scott Niedermayer.
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Post by OldTimeHawky on Sept 20, 2024 15:21:05 GMT -6
Luke said Korchinski looks bigger, stronger and confident this camp.
He's definitely not 6'1" 185lbs like the NHL site and HockeyDB says. 2yrs ago team Canada had him listed at 6'3-3/4". And he said he was 196lbs after last summer, he might be 6'4" 205lbs now.
I don't think he'll play in Rockford this season.
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Post by galaxytrash on Sept 20, 2024 17:57:46 GMT -6
Luke said Korchinski looks bigger, stronger and confident this camp. He's definitely not 6'1" 185lbs like the NHL site and HockeyDB says. 2yrs ago team Canada had him listed at 6'3-3/4". And he said he was 196lbs after last summer, he might be 6'4" 205lbs now. I don't think he'll play in Rockford this season. |
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Post by OldTimeHawky on Sept 20, 2024 18:14:03 GMT -6
Luke said Korchinski looks bigger, stronger and confident this camp. He's definitely not 6'1" 185lbs like the NHL site and HockeyDB says. 2yrs ago team Canada had him listed at 6'3-3/4". And he said he was 196lbs after last summer, he might be 6'4" 205lbs now. I don't think he'll play in Rockford this season. Good to hear he's over 200lbs now and feeling stronger on the ice. |
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Post by vadarx on Sept 20, 2024 20:10:01 GMT -6
I just posted in another thread that is seems like most of the media folks expect KK to start in the Rock. I hope he proves them wrong.
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Post by BigT on Sept 21, 2024 5:08:47 GMT -6
I just posted in another thread that is seems like most of the media folks expect KK to start in the Rock. I hope he proves them wrong. I know things can change. But TJ said he’s gonna be paired with KK. At first they did tell him Vlasic. But it was never chipped in stone. So I think KK is gonna be his roommate on the road. So there’s some insider news for ya. But again. If KK doesn’t perform. He will indeed start in Rockford. I do think the plan is for him to be in Chicago as a productive member!!! |
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Post by bigbarn27 on Sept 21, 2024 8:41:57 GMT -6
Sector 1901 - Save Korch
This is the section where we'll talk about the Hawks.
I know I said in the leadoff to this funky little experiment that I wasn't here to shit on the Hawks. I wasn't here to provide some sort of yang to the vibey-yin elsewhere. It's mostly trying to control my own blood pressure, but also that isn't all that much fun. Maybe this is a way for me to lengthen the runway to something that will have my blood boiling come the second week of October.
Kevin Korchinski shouldn't spend a minute in Rockford, even though you and I both know he will do so.
The perception that Korch needs more "seasoning" is built on faulty data. The biggest piece being that Korch spent his rookie season playing with a collection of assholes and fuck-ups that would rival the extras on HBO's Oz. Korch's most frequent partner was Jaycob Megna, who A. couldn't even spell his fucking name correctly, and B. rarely if ever had played hockey before.
Korch also got 250+ minutes with Connor Murphy, who could barely move before going on the shelf for the season. There was also 215 minutes with Nikita Zaitsev, who apparently had leprosy scabs given how his own teams have felt about playing him.
And worse yet, at least in the case of Megna and Zaitsev, is that neither of these players were satisfied doing the things to let Korch shine, i.e. be his free safety allowing him to join the play up the ice. Far too often we saw Korch doing that for these two no-hopers and go-nowheres. Unless that's where the Hawks think Korch's future lies, in which case burn the whole thing down.
While Korch only got 89 minutes with Seth Jones, the 52 percent attempts-share they generated together is light years ahead of the 46 percent mark Alex Vlasic and Amy's Eldest produced. But let's get more into the weeds on this.
Even playing with two rejected muppets, Korch was the best on the team in controlled exits out of the zone (thanks to Corey Sznajder's AllThreeZones for all these):
Korch and Megna, somehow, were also best on the team in standing up at the blue line, which we're led to believe will be a tenet of how Luke Richardson would want his d-men to play when all this matters again:
And Korch was far better than Isaak Phillips on zone entries, even though Phillips has apparently located some sort of magic gas to dupe all of the front office, coaches, and local media into thinking he can do anything other than maintain his oxygen level to barely conscious-levels:
The other problem with Davidson's plan to let Korch marinate in Beef-a-Roo in Rockford is that it is impossible to disprove. If Korch goes down there, kicks everyone's ass into orbit, and then comes back a better player, it obviously was the right call, even if Korch would have shown improvement with the top club from the outset as well. If he struggles with the AHL's heavy dump-and-chase ways as well as the Piggies' tendency to be utterly mediocre no matter how much hype they generate to distract Hawks fans, well, that's just how it goes for a young d-man, isn't it?
Secondly, the plan of having Korch and Levshunov pair together in the A to come up together is patently ridiculous and it's barely worth discussing. No one has ever done this for two players they project to be their top pairing one day. Get the fuck outta here with that.
Alec Martinez would seem to be the perfect signing to partner Korch. Given Martinez's age, he's not shotgunning up the ice much anymore, but is still more than mobile enough to cover space behind a cowboy like Korch. What's the point of having Martinez here to parter T.J. Fucking Brodie?
This is the #7 pick who has already proven he's an NHL player. All of this just screams doing something to do it and to make Davidson look like some expert developer of talent. It's horseshit.
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Post by bigbarn27 on Sept 21, 2024 8:42:29 GMT -6
A quick post from Fels.
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Post by vadarx on Sept 21, 2024 8:57:14 GMT -6
I just posted in another thread that is seems like most of the media folks expect KK to start in the Rock. I hope he proves them wrong. I know things can change. But TJ said he’s gonna be paired with KK. At first they did tell him Vlasic. But it was never chipped in stone. So I think KK is gonna be his roommate on the road. So there’s some insider news for ya. But again. If KK doesn’t perform. He will indeed start in Rockford. I do think the plan is for him to be in Chicago as a productive member!!! yeah, I am 100% unopposed to KK having some time in Rockford if he needs it, but I am questioning the reporters who are saying Kaiser will take his spot before we even see them on the ice this preseason. if he earns his spot out of camp, I'm going to take it as a (very) good sign. |
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Post by bigbarn27 on Sept 21, 2024 9:22:50 GMT -6
I know things can change. But TJ said he’s gonna be paired with KK. At first they did tell him Vlasic. But it was never chipped in stone. So I think KK is gonna be his roommate on the road. So there’s some insider news for ya. But again. If KK doesn’t perform. He will indeed start in Rockford. I do think the plan is for him to be in Chicago as a productive member!!! yeah, I am 100% unopposed to KK having some time in Rockford if he needs it, but I am questioning the reporters who are saying Kaiser will take his spot before we even see them on the ice this preseason. if he earns his spot out of camp, I'm going to take it as a (very) good sign. Kor made some strides last year still long way to go. I dont think it matters where he plays this year as long as he keeps developing. If he is solid defensively and can be trusted at the end of a game in 3 years I believe that will be a huge win!!! |
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Post by OldTimeHawky on Sept 21, 2024 9:24:23 GMT -6
Luke is impressed with Korchinskis added size and confidence out there, I highly doubt he's going to Rockford.
Especially when Luke has him on the second pair with Murphy. Of course all that can change before the start of the season but Korchinski is a top4 dman...in Chicago.
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Post by ebonyraptor on Sept 21, 2024 9:51:48 GMT -6
Sector 1901 - Save Korch Secondly, the plan of having Korch and Levshunov pair together in the A to come up together is patently ridiculous and it's barely worth discussing. No one has ever done this for two players they project to be their top pairing one day. Get the fuck outta here with that. Well then ... I'll go over there and sit down and listen.  |
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Post by BigT on Sept 21, 2024 10:01:19 GMT -6
Luke is impressed with Korchinskis added size and confidence out there, I highly doubt he's going to Rockford. Especially when Luke has him on the second pair with Murphy. Of course all that can change before the start of the season but Korchinski is a top4 dman...in Chicago. I don’t think Murph will be with him. TJ said he’s to play with him and be his roomie. I guess all that can change. I think Murph is going to be 3rd pairing with Martinez and or another yute. Gotta think when Luke is saying all the great things about kk, especially the Neidermayer reference. I don’t think he goes to Rockford!!! |
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Post by vadarx on Sept 21, 2024 10:34:43 GMT -6
Luke is impressed with Korchinskis added size and confidence out there, I highly doubt he's going to Rockford. Especially when Luke has him on the second pair with Murphy. Of course all that can change before the start of the season but Korchinski is a top4 dman...in Chicago. I don’t think Murph will be with him. TJ said he’s to play with him and be his roomie. I guess all that can change. I think Murph is going to be 3rd pairing with Martinez and or another yute. Gotta think when Luke is saying all the great things about kk, especially the Neidermayer reference. I don’t think he goes to Rockford!!! tbh, I think we see Murphy and TJ together on the third pairing and Martinez with KK. Martinez is still mobile enough to be KK's safety net. the other two probably aren't. |
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Post by vadarx on Oct 15, 2024 9:07:09 GMT -6
from Powers today:
ROCKFORD, Ill. — Kevin Korchinski recognized a Grand Rapids Griffins forward was cheating and playing him to drop a pass as he skated up the left side of the ice through the neutral zone during a Rockford IceHogs power play on Saturday.
Korchinski gained some speed and broke to his right, taking the open ice between three defenders near the opponents’ blue line. As those players converged on him, he quickly moved the puck from his forehand to his backhand and cut back to his left. Korchinski was prepared to move the puck to his teammate in the left corner as he arrived in the offensive zone, but something unexpected happened.
“Their D-man caught an edge and kind of gave me a treat,” Korchinski said later.
Korchinski accelerated again, surged past the wobbling defenseman and shot off his forehand on the move from the lower left circle. The puck bounced off the goalie and returned to Korchinski, who tucked it through the goalie’s legs and into the net.
The play was the kind Korchinski made as a defenseman in the Western Hockey League that led the Chicago Blackhawks to select him No. 7 in the 2022 NHL Draft. It was also the type of play Korchinski seldom made as the youngest everyday defenseman in the NHL last season.
Korchinski, who turned 20 in June, would prefer to be in the NHL, like anyone, and said he’s disappointed not to be. He also understands the bigger picture and why the Blackhawks decided to send him down to the AHL to begin this season. He can see now that he got away from being the player he was before. He’s hopeful his time with the IceHogs will revive that.
“I think in junior and always growing up I always tried to get up in the rush,” Korchinski said. “I think last year I deferred too much and played too passive, worrying about my own zone, to a fault almost, and not playing my game. I think tonight, just whether I’m going to make a mistake or not, be aggressive, trying to create plays out there and give my team the best chance to win.”
The Blackhawks would have probably sent Korchinski to Rockford last season if it had been an option. But because he was 19 and drafted out of the CHL, he had to either play in the NHL or go back to the WHL. Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson believed Korchinski was better off being in the NHL. He was already showing NHL traits, could be tested at the highest level and would work directly with the coaches and development staff.
Korchinski’s season didn’t go as smoothly as everyone hoped. Defending in the NHL was more trying for him than anticipated. He struggled with his gaps and keeping offensive players to the outside. Connor Murphy missed significant time with an injury, which also left fewer veterans for the Blackhawks’ younger defensemen to play with. Korchinski’s most frequent defensive partner became Jaycob Megna, who was claimed off waivers midway through the season. The Blackhawks were outscored 24-10 with Korchinski and Megna on the ice at five-on-five. Between that and the Blackhawks’ lack of offense, Korchinski’s confidence and offensive mentality shrunk. On top of everything, Korchinski’s father passed away during the season.
Davidson doesn’t regret keeping Korchinski in the NHL instead of sending him back to junior, but the GM does acknowledge it wasn’t the perfect development season.
“I think we asked a lot of him last year, and through injuries as well, it was mandatory that he had to jump into certain situations whether he was ready or not,” Davidson said. “I actually think he did pretty damn well for his age, for his experience level and for really how little we played with the puck and how hard the game was on our team at some times. And so, I give him a lot of credit for that and for actually doing as well as he actually did. But having said that, we gave him a really heavy workload and probably more than a player at that age should receive. But that’s the situation we were in at the time, especially with the injuries. It was just something we couldn’t have foreseen. … But if all things were equal, I think one level down, if it was open to him, probably would have benefitted him. But that wasn’t the case, and I thought he made the most of the year last year.”
Now that Rockford is an option, Davidson is taking it. Korchinski still showed some of the same tendencies during the Blackhawks’ preseason, and Davidson decided to send Korchinski to Rockford. And like anyone who joins the IceHogs, Korchinski has a development plan that’s created specifically for him.
Korchinski will work with IceHogs coach Anders Sorensen and his staff and Blackhawks assistant general manager Mark Eaton and his staff. But he’ll also be receiving one-on-one guidance from Blackhawks adviser and former NHL defenseman Brian Campbell, who began visiting Korchinski in Rockford as soon as Korchinski was assigned. They break down video and discuss habits, and Campbell shares his own experiences.
Since Campbell and Korchinski began meeting, Korchinski has played in two games. He was called up to play in the Blackhawks’ last preseason game and then made his IceHogs’ debut on Saturday. Korchinski showed encouraging signs in both games. His gaps were tighter, allowing him to defend less and be in the offensive zone more. He called for the puck more, tapped into his skating ability more and appeared more engaged throughout the game.
“After working with Soupy (Campbell) just after a couple games and watching video with him, it’s been awesome,” Korchinski said. “Somebody who has won Cups like him and played so many games, he understands the game and he can kind of help me and help me improve as a player. I’m excited. It’s going to be a phenomenal year.”
Like Saturday’s power-play goal, Korchinski is working to become more aggressive with the puck again. Being in Rockford helps in that Korchinski can test limits without the fear of making mistakes. His ice time and opportunities aren’t going to be impacted if he does falter. He also doesn’t have 18,000 fans on top of him and doesn’t have to return to a bench of NHL veterans.
“I think that’s probably the biggest difference between the AHL and NHL,” Sorensen said. “You have the opportunity here where the leash is a little bit longer here in certain areas. We want to be mindful in terms of being respectful for the group, obviously, because everything you do, you end up doing to the team. But I also do think that having the quote-unquote freedom helps players. Our biggest mantra as a team is we want guys to be creative. There’s going to be times when we turn the puck over. The biggest thing for us is to be a part of the equation to get the puck back as fast as possible. I think that helps the youngsters for sure.”
Korchinski is going to play on the IceHogs’ top power play. He’s going to play major minutes. He played nearly 24 minutes in the IceHogs’ opener. He played more than 23 minutes just four times in the NHL last season.
Korchinski is also going to have more time to watch video and practice between games. He’ll have two or three games and then a week of practice. The Blackhawks are hopeful the time will allow him to better analyze his game and make adjustments. The NHL schedule isn’t as suitable for that.
One area Sorensen expects to emphasize with Korchinski during practice and games is to tap more into his skating offensively and take on the defense more.
“I want him to play more downhill,” Sorensen said. “I think he’s a player, you got your (Cale) Makars, your (Quinn) Hugheses, he’s able to challenge on the winger, on the forward, downhill. We want him to play downhill offense, and I think that’s when he seems to be at his best. We’re hopefully going to encourage him to do that a lot and hopefully have some principles of play for us as a group to do that and help him. But that’s where he’s going to get a longer leash because we do want to make sure he gets back to that, where we know he can be.”
Korchinski is learning to adopt that mindset.
“I think the biggest thing, if I’m going to make a mistake, make it with aggression, make it because I’m trying to make the right play rather than being passive,” Korchinski said. “If you’re making mistakes out there because you’re gripping your stick (too hard), you’re being too unconfident in your play, that’s only going to kill the game. For me, if it’s just a good play, bad play, just reset the next shift, go out there, play hard and try to put the next line out for success.”
Davidson eventually hopes Korchinski can play in every situation in the NHL. He’d like to be able to trust Korchinski at any point of the game, and Korchinski’s defensive habits will still be a focus in Rockford. But Davidson also knows Korchinski has to be an offensive threat in the NHL. That’s why the Blackhawks drafted him so early. They envisioned him to be a game-changer with his skating and offensive skills.
Restoring Korchinski’s confidence could unlock a lot.
“You just want him to get that confidence back that he had in junior, and that’s going to take time, especially at the pro level,” Davidson said. “But you want to see him making plays with the puck. You want to see him using his feet to create and to get up ice and jump in the rush or sometimes be a major part of the rush or really using his stick to strip offensive players and then transition that puck up rather than always feeling wave after wave of players coming at you, not always having to defend.
“I think there’s also nuances of defending at the pro game against good players — against strong, experienced men — he’ll get down there and he’ll get every day in practice and then when he comes back on the bench. I think it’s just overall confidence and being able to impose himself on the game rather than just trying to not make a mistake.”
As much as Korchinski would like to be with the Blackhawks, he’s pretty laid back in general and is enjoying being with the IceHogs. There’s something to being with a lot of players around your age and feeding off each other. He and Colton Dach were teammates in the WHL. He and Samuel Savoie were roommates in Chicago for part of last season. They’re pushing each other and hoping to all succeed.
“I think you saw it firsthand today with Korch’s goal, that was a pretty special goal,” Dach said after the IceHogs’ win on Saturday. “The talent is unbelievable. I think all the guys know that we can have a pretty special group here and go for a long run. We just need to find our details and play with good habits, and that’s where success is going to come.”
Korchinski mentioned those details, too. Korchinski hopes to be back in the NHL sooner than later, but as long as he’s in Rockford, he’s going to make the most of it.
“It’s kind of learning all the little things and being able to dissect it to get to the next level,” Korchinski said. “I get it. I want to be the best hockey player I can be, and playing here, it’s only going to help. It’s not going to make me worse.
“Obviously understand it’s a business and I’m young. I have to develop. I want to get better. That’s the basic — can’t be satisfied with where I was last year. I think it’s a privilege to play hockey and get paid for it, whether it’s the NHL or wherever. For me, it’s a privilege wherever I’m playing and having the time of my life.”
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Post by ebonyraptor on Oct 15, 2024 9:48:59 GMT -6
KK doesn't have the truly elite skating of a Makar or Q.Hughes, and he doesn't have the booming shot from the blue line to strike fear in the opponent, and he doesn't have the size and temperament to play an imposing physical game - BUT - he has enough of the total package to be a very good NHL caliber d-man if he develops properly. His attitude sounds right for doing so.
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Post by shooter61 on Oct 15, 2024 17:52:58 GMT -6
In Rockford, KK will learn when to join the rush, or lead the rush, would be a big confidence boost to be able to try new things and not worry about making mistakes, up here be worried about making those same mistakes , after reading that I think it was the best move for his development
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