By Gail Kauchak,The Hockey Writers

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In camp so far he’s been on his off-side (right) next to Kevin Korchinski. In this scenario, Korchinski is the more offensively-minded defenseman, while Allan is the stay-at-home defenseman to back him up. Allan expounded on the difference of playing on his off side,

It’s different, I’d say, in breakouts. Like breaking the puck out, and sometimes in the neutral zone, it’s a little bit different. They’re kind of always going to take pinches looking ahead, because you don’t have your puck on your forehand all the time. Sometimes you’re skating up your backhand in the middle, so you kind of got to know where your outs are, constantly scanning. I played both sides over the last couple years, so I think I’m fairly comfortable being on the right.

On what he needs to do to make the team out of camp, Allan said,

I just have to play my game. Obviously, play to my identity. I got to be a hard guy to play against, play with an edge, and just control what I can control. Focus on the things I could be working on.

Blashill made a very perceptive analogy of Allan’s game, and how it translates. Here, he was speaking about both Allan and fellow depth blueliner Louis Crevier.

I think they’re both solid players. They’re both probably some of their attributes are going to be better once you get them into games. They’re not going to be the guy who stands out to you because of their skill in practice, necessarily. They have good skill sets, but not like flashy skill…they’ve both played good; it’s not that they haven’t done a good job within their own skillsets.

Specifically on Allan, Blashill said,

With Nolan, he brings a physical presence and an edge that you might not see in practice, but you’ll eventually see in games.

It will be interesting to watch Allan in the preseason games to see what kind of impact he can make. He could easily be a sleeper to make the team.

Blashill on Collaboration Between Chicago & Rockford

We’ve already talked about Coach Blashill a lot in this notebook. Rightfully so; his leadership is imperative to team success. To round out our first impressions, let’s touch on Blashill and how he wants to stay in touch with Rockford’s new head coach Jared Nightingale. After all, there will very likely be lots of opportunities for young players from the IceHogs to be called up to the Blackhawks throughout the season. I asked about Blashill how he plans on keeping the lines of communication open.

I was pumped when we hired Jared. I think he’s a great coach, I think he’s a great human, I think he’s the type of guy that can get the most out of young players. Not just young players, but players, period. Because I think he understands how to connect with them. He understands how to drive them, but still be in their corner. We will have constant communication. I think it’s real beneficial for the staff in Chicago the staff in Rockford to make sure we’re constantly on the same page in a lot of different areas.

One, systematically, is there anything they’re doing that we might want to steal and vice versa. I want him to watch our games and give me his perspective. I like to get different perspectives of people that aren’t necessarily in our coaching room every day. Because there might be something fresh that we hadn’t thought of. I’m sure he’ll pick my brain on stuff, so we’ll have constant communication.

It turns out the two grew up about an hour away from each other in Michigan, and their families have known each other for a long time. Blashill even coached Nightingale for a couple of games with the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins. It’s clear there is a mutual respect there. Having this sort of collaboration should be incredibly helpful, considering many young IceHogs will be on track to be Blackhawks in fairly short order.

The tone has certainly been set in the first handful of days of the Blackhawks training camp. GM Davidson has made it clear he has high expectations for this team, but we also have to be cognizant of some growing pains. The veterans are in place and ready to play their role, both on and off the ice. The young players are putting their best foot forward in an attempt to make the team. While everyone won’t make the opening night roster, there should be chances for call ups from the IceHogs throughout the season. Communication will be key between Chicago and Rockford, so everyone is on the same page and has the best chance for success.

The second week of camp will entail three exhibition games on the road; against the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday (Sept. 23), the St. Louis Blues on Saturday and the Minnesota Wild on Sunday. This is only just the beginning of what should be a fun and fruitful 2025-26 campaign for the Blackhawks. We’ll keep you updated here at The Hockey Writers on all the latest, as we continue our coverage of an exciting Blackhawks training camp.