The Chicago Blackhawks announced their 2023–24 opening night roster on Monday afternoon, ahead of the league’s 4 p.m. CDT deadline.
With a maximum active roster size of 23, the Hawks opted for a 14–7–2 format after assigning Joey Anderson and Isaak Phillips to the Rockford IceHogs earlier in the day.
The opening night roster breakdown is as follows:
Forwards
Andreas Athanasiou
Connor Bedard
Jason Dickinson
Ryan Donato
MacKenzie Entwistle
Nick Foligno
Cole Guttman
Taylor Hall
Reese Johnson
Tyler Johnson
Boris Katchouk
Corey Perry
Taylor Raddysh
Lukas Reichel
Defensemen
Seth Jones
Wyatt Kaiser
Kevin Korchinski
Connor Murphy
Jarred Tinordi
Alex Vlasic
Nikita Zaitsev
Goaltenders
Petr Mrazek
Arvid Soderblom
The Blackhawks also Philipp Kurashev has been placed on injured reserve retroactive to Sept. 28, while Colin Blackwell, Colton Dach, Luke Philp and Samuel Savoie will begin the season on the injured/non-roster list.
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) October 9, 2023
While the above 23 players constitute the team’s opening roster, changes very well may occur in the near future. One particular player to make note of is Korchinski, as there are questions about whether he is truly ready to handle NHL hockey on a full-time basis. The Blackhawks are expected to give Korchinski at least nine games before making a more permanent decision for the remainder of the decision. Unfortunately, with the CHL transfer agreement, Korchinski must either spend the season with the Blackhawks or return to the Seattle Thunderbirds of the WHL. Seeing how Korchinski performs—particularly in the defensive zone—in his first nine games will be critical. Should the Blackhawks make what is likely the right decision to send Korchinski back to the WHL, look for someone like Phillips to return to the big club.
Chicago opens its 2023–24 regular season on Tuesday, traveling to face the Pittsburgh Penguins. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. CDT on ESPN, with all eyes in the hockey world anticipating Bedard’s NHL debut.