Latest news with #MasonWest
CBS News
29-07-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Edina's two-sport star Mason West has chosen his future: hockey
An NHL Draft first-rounder at 17 years old. "It was a kind of a blackout situation for me," said Mason West. "I don't really know. It was a surreal moment." West is from Edina, Minnesota, but he says going 29th overall in June to the Chicago Blackhawks was a full-circle scenario. "My dad is from Chicago," said West. "He brought the Blackhawks era into our household along with the Bulls and Cubs. It's kinda cool. I have family down in Chicago. So it's all kinda worked out." Last season on the ice was another good one for West and the Hornets. But they came up short, falling in the state semifinals. "It was tough because I want to win," West said. "So if we don't win the state championship, I don't look at it as a failure, but I look at it as something that they can do next year." West won't play high school hockey as a senior; instead, he'll head to juniors in Fargo. But he's not quite done. West is running it back for one more season as the quarterback of the football team, because, unlike in hockey, he still hasn't won a title in that sport. "Done that in hockey but not in football," said West. "So I want to achieve my goals and stay loyal to my teammates. I think they really need me in order to win. So I'll be there for them." West could have played Division I football. He chose hockey and college at Michigan State. He decided between the two just last fall. "After the Fargo season ended, obviously, that experience and that game style. I just really thought I could make an impact at the next upcoming levels," said West. "I think I develop fast and work really hard. So, right as I knew I could keep developing in that time span, I just decided to pursue hockey. It's what I love to do."
Yahoo
27-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Blackhawks Draft Pick Mason West Interviewed With Jon Gruden
As everybody well knows by now, the Chicago Blackhawks drafted a player, Mason West, who is going to finish his senior year of football before focusing completely on hockey for good.
Yahoo
26-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Blackhawks Draft Pick Mason West Interviewed With Jon Gruden
As everybody well knows by now, the Chicago Blackhawks drafted a player, Mason West, who is going to finish his senior year of football before focusing completely on hockey for good.
New York Times
26-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
What I'm hearing about the Blackhawks: How committed is Mason West to hockey over football?
Mason West has committed to playing hockey. That's why the Chicago Blackhawks drafted him in the first round. That won't stop college football programs from calling, though. 'Yeah, they'll always be calling,' said Jason Potts, West's football coach at Edina High in Minnesota, on Thursday. With West being 6 feet 6 and athletic and deciding to play one more season of high school football as a quarterback, college football programs are still hoping he'll change his mind. Advertisement 'I think the interest will always be there,' Potts said. 'Recruiting is just out of hand. It's crazy. It feels like it never stops. They're always interested, and I think they always will be. I don't know when it actually ever stops. But again, Mason's just focused on his goals and what he wants to do. And he's really good at blocking distractions out and then just enjoying the experience.' The fact that college football programs continue to call is something the Blackhawks have to live with. That's part of the game. What is more important to the Blackhawks is West's commitment to hockey. As long as he's not enticed by major college football programs calling him, they can rest assured in his path. West doesn't seem to be tempted. Potts said he hasn't thrown for any major football programs this summer. Dream come true. Thankful to so many who helped along the way, and extremely excited to be apart of the @NHLBlackhawks organization. — Mason West '26 (@MasonWest2026) June 29, 2025 Potts won't be trying to change his mind, either. 'A lot of people think, as the football coach, I'm going to tell him to play football or don't play hockey,' Potts said. 'But I love Mason. I love him as a person, and I want him to do whatever his heart is set out to do, so I'm really proud of him. I think (he and his family) handled it phenomenally. His parents were great support. I never told him what to do. I would just ask him guiding questions for him to help figure it out on his own, and I think that's what he did, and I think he feels really good about it, and the family is really happy.' The Blackhawks have a ton of faith in goaltending scout Dan Ellis. When it comes to other positions, they consult a variety of opinions from within their hockey operations department. On goalies, Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson mostly turns to Ellis. His opinion carries weight. So when the Blackhawks were looking for another goalie to sign for next season and likely be the No. 2 to Drew Commesso with the Rockford IceHogs, they turned to Ellis. Advertisement Ellis had someone in mind: Stanislav Berezhnoy, a 22-year-old, 6-4, 218-pound undrafted goalie from Russia. Berezhnoy was on Ellis' radar when he was draft-eligible, but he and every other NHL team didn't see enough to select him. 'But I just continued to track him, and his game just kept getting cleaner and cleaner,' Ellis said. 'He's a huge man, and it takes a lot for a big body like that to gain control, gain speed, gain power, and he's slowly just gotten better and better. And I thought that the size, the athleticism and the consistency that he's putting up, from the MHL to the VHL — he's only got a couple of games in the KHL, so there's not much to judge from that, but it's nice to see that he got that experience — and he just looked like a guy that might be a good prospect to add to the depth chart.' Berezhnoy had a .928 save percentage in 27 games in the VHL and played in one KHL game for SKA this past season. Berezhnoy is a bit of a project, but the Blackhawks can take that chance. They're confident in their NHL goalie pool, with Spencer Knight and Arvid Söderblom returning and Laurent Brossoit possibly joining the mix. They also have Commesso coming off a strong second half of last season with the IceHogs, likely to start next season as the No. 1. Berezhnoy can ease into North American hockey and share the IceHogs' net with Commesso. The Blackhawks considered signing a veteran for that role, but they thought there might be more upside in someone like Berezhnoy. 'The only thing with (the veteran) is it's great, but that player still wants their minutes, and they still want their games and stuff,' Ellis said. 'They're not always willing to accept that role, and some guys just don't want to be a mentor. … So you're paying anywhere from ($250,000) to ($500,000) in the American League to get a guy like that. Or, you look at, well, we can also get a prospect who can develop and maybe becomes an NHL goaltender, an NHL asset. Advertisement 'That was the route that we felt was best to take, with Drew taking the jump in his development. He's put himself in a position to be the No. 1 goaltender in Rockford and put himself in a position to be that next guy in line in Chicago. And Stanislav will now get a chance to earn the same opportunities in his own development time.' Ellis said he has been communicating with Berezhnoy's goalies coach in Russia and exchanging video and notes. Ellis said the focus will be getting Berezhnoy up to speed on playing more of an east-west game and adapting to the direction changes, mobility and quickness of the North American game in net. Ellis also influenced the Blackhawks in drafting goalie Ilya Kanarsky in the seventh round in June. Like Berezhnoy, Kanarsky is from Russia. He's 20 years old, 6-3 and 192 pounds. He had a .938 save percentage in 34 games in the MHL and a .942 save percentage in three games in the VHL last season. In the MHL, he shared the net with Kirill Zarubin, a Calgary Flames 2024 third-round pick, and had better numbers than him. 'I think there's a ton of potential there,' Ellis said of Kanarsky. 'I honestly don't know how he slipped through the draft. He's another guy that I tracked a couple years ago when he was first draft-eligible, and I've continued to follow him as well. He completely outplayed Zarubin, who was a third-round pick by Calgary. I remember talking to the goalie coach that year, the year that they were both draft-eligible, and he kinda seemed like he was steering us towards Rubin, for whatever the reason was. 'But I kept watching Kanarsky. They play a very similar game. They're very similar in size. They got the same equipment. They look identical, honestly. And so I was like, you know what, like, if this guy is available in the seventh round, why not take a swing at him? He's motivated. He's seen his partner get drafted over him. He stole the net from him last year. He's played in the VHL. He might get an opportunity to play in the KHL this year. I mean, the value that you have in a player like him in the seventh round, I think it's fantastic.' The Blackhawks' development camp is advertised as being off-ice, but some prospects get on the ice and work with the organization's development staff. That aspect of camp worked out well for Adam Gajan. 'I'm the only goalie here, so we get on the ice, and it's four coaches and me,' Gajan said. 'There was a lot of focus and working on a lot of details that we normally wouldn't have time to work on it. This week was super productive on the ice.' Advertisement The Blackhawks drafted Gajan in the second round in 2023 with the understanding he'd be a long-term project. He was in the USHL the season after being drafted and was a freshman at Minnesota Duluth last season. His first year in college was challenging, playing behind a young team and dealing with an injury. He finished with an .885 save percentage in 21 games. The focal point of the Blackhawks' instruction has been for Gajan not to rush to use his athleticism. 'You don't get that opportunity very often where you get an hour, hour and a half every day to just break down games, and so when I was out there with (goalie development coach) Matt Smith, we can slow things down,' Ellis said. 'We got a couple of great shooters out there. We can look at some of the small details of his game. The emphasis was controlling the power that he has. He's an extremely athletic guy, and sometimes he gets into those stretch or those split situations where he doesn't necessarily need to. He has to learn to trust his edges, trust his power and get to places under control. And so I think with the adjustments that we had him work on throughout the summer, his game has really evolved and improved, and we're looking forward to another great season for him.' The Blackhawks restructured their scouting staff this offseason and made some changes to streamline their process. With those changes, Anatoli Semyonov, Mikko Luoma, Brigette Lacquette and Alexandre Rouleau were not extended as full-time scouts, nor was Ron Anderson as a senior advisor. The Blackhawks also hired Juan Gonzalez to be their head strength and conditioning coach. He was with the Pittsburgh Penguins for the last two seasons. He also previously worked for the IceHogs from 2020 to 2022. The Blackhawks also promoted Sam Forstner from manager of analytics to director of analytics. He joined the Blackhawks in 2022 as a data scientist. Chris McCorkle has gone from senior analyst of hockey strategy to manager of hockey operations. Zack Brusso was made director of hockey technology after previously being a senior software engineer of hockey systems. (Top photo of Mason West: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)
New York Times
28-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Blackhawks add 3 more first-round draft picks to continue playing numbers game
CHICAGO — Kyle Davidson admitted he probably gave up more than the draft analytics suggest when he sent picks 34 and 62 to the Carolina Hurricanes for the No. 29 pick. But while Davidson is an analytically driven general manager, he's playing a far more basic game when it comes to the wild crapshoot that is the NHL draft. Advertisement 'The more you pick early in the NHL draft, you're more likely to succeed,' he said after taking Anton Frondell, Vaclav Nestrasil and Mason West in the first round on Friday night. 'We've taken that philosophy and tried to hit it with volume. But I also believe that some of these players are getting to the NHL. Some of them are on their path. I do believe from an objective assessment (with) their development so far, we are ahead of the odds in some way. I think we are beating the odds and getting a few more players out of the draft than the odds may dictate. Hopefully that continues.' Davidson said he's willing to shrug off the draft analytics and 'stick my neck out and really jump at a guy.' West, a football and hockey standout at Edina High School in Minnesota, was that guy on Friday. As a high-schooler who won't even become a full-time hockey player until after his senior football season, West has a longer runway to the NHL than most. But then again, so did Sam Rinzel in 2022, when Davidson traded back into the first round to take that raw, rangy high-schooler from Minnesota. Director of amateur scouting Mike Doneghey said the Blackhawks had some intel that West might not make it to No. 34, so Davidson pounced. 'I just really wanted to get back into the first round and take what I thought was a grand-slam hack,' Davidson said. 'I'm swinging for the fences and figured, why not? Let's go for a big one here. So that's kind of what I did.' The Blackhawks thought the draft would play out as it did with Matthew Schaefer going first and Michael Misa second. Of course, they heard the same rumors about the San Jose Sharks taking Frondell second as everyone else. Whether that happened or not, the Blackhawks were certain they'd be drafting Frondell or Misa. 'Anton and Michael Misa are elite hockey players,' Doneghey said. 'They're going to be better than top-six forwards on any team, probably top-three forwards. Different players, but we were really comfortable knowing we were going to get one of them. We just kind of sat back.' If you're wondering, Davidson also said he didn't receive any realistic offers for the third pick. The question all along was whether the Blackhawks would seek someone who could step in as a winger beside Connor Bedard or Frank Nazar or they'd draft someone who might replace either one of them at center. Davidson has said he still envisions Bedard and Nazar as centers. So where does that put Frondell? The Blackhawks don't seem too concerned. Advertisement 'Coach can figure that out,' Doneghey said. 'Kyle and Norm (Maciver) give me and my group traits on how they want to build the team and we go and get it. It's a bonus that guys can play multiple positions. (Frondell) doesn't consider himself a center or wing anyway. His comments at the combine, I said, are you a center or wing, and he said, 'Well, whatever Connor (Bedard) doesn't play, I'll play.' He's got a confidence about him.' The assumption is Frondell, the No. 3 overall pick, will spend next season in the Swedish Hockey League at Djugården. But Frondell is holding out hope that he can start his career in Chicago a lot sooner. 'My goal is to play in the league,' he said. 'That's my dream, that's what I'm doing this every day for. If I get the chance to take a spot on the team, I'll do everything I can to do that, to play. If I'm not good enough, if I don't make it, I'll go back to Djugården.' Davidson said there might be some SHL contract details to work out, but he expects Frondell to be able to participate in Blackhawks training camp. Where he goes from there will be up to him. 'I don't think we have any expectation one way or another,' Davidson said. 'The plan as we stand here today is he's playing in Djugården in the SHL next year, but we've got a lot of time to figure out the best path. I think it's a great path if that's the one that occurs. We'll figure that out.' Frondell will be in the NHL sooner rather than later. With Nestrasil and West, the Blackhawks know they're dealing with more long-term projects. The Blackhawks took Nestrasil, a 6-foot-6 forward, after seeing his progression this past year with Muskegon in the USHL. A lot of his production — 19 goals and 23 assists in 61 games — came later in the season. He'll attend the University of Massachusetts as a freshman next season. Advertisement 'He's a cerebral player,' Doneghey said. 'He does have to get stronger, but that will come with maturity. Like he's 6-5, 180-some pounds, it's still all coming together for him. But his brain and his hands, he's got the ability to play up the lineup.' Like a lot of players the Blackhawks have drafted the last few years, Nestrasil's skating jumped out to them. 'We think he has the ability to be a four out of four mover in the NHL,' Doneghey said. 'He just needs the strength.' West is the second dual-sport standout the Blackhawks have taken in the past two drafts, joining AJ Spellacy, who had an excellent training camp and preseason after going in the third round last year. The Blackhawks feel West's potential is so high because he hasn't even fully committed to hockey yet, and won't until after this football season. West will play hockey — and only hockey — at Michigan State starting in 2026-27. 'There's so much there, that when he commits to hockey — you saw that he was one of the highest risers in the rankings once he went to Fargo and started playing hockey more than training for football and stuff like that,' Doneghey said. 'I heard you guys mention AJ. He's a hell of an athlete, but he's just big. You saw him as a quarterback. But he brings that quarterback mentality to the ice, because when he's entering the zone, he's always scanning the zone and what plays to make. He's comfortable with contact. He doesn't shy away from that type of stuff.' West had 27 goals and 22 assists in 31 games for Edina, then had a goal and eight assists in 10 games with Fargo of the USHL. But it's that football mentality that really separates him from the typical first-round pick. 'I think one of the cool things about me is when you see me play, you can really see the quarterback in me,' he said. 'I think I have really good sense and vision. I really don't cheat the game, I play the game the right way. Advertisement 'I really bring that power-forward presence, but I want to be more than that. I want to be a playmaker, and I want to score, I want to hit, I want to be a physical player on the ice. I want to be a unique player in the sense of trying to find it hard to compare guys to me.' (Photo of Jeremy Roenick: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)
