Gustav Forsling feels like he has nothing to lose.
If he plays well enough and earns an NHL roster spot on the Chicago Blackhawks out of training camp, he’ll be happy. If he doesn’t, he’s okay with that as well. He’ll return to Sweden for another season and give the NHL another shot the following season. He just turned 20 in June, so he’s in no hurry.
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“If it doesn’t work out here, I can always go back to Linkoping one more year and come back,” Forsling said on the first day of the Blackhawks prospect camp on Sunday. “I’m just going to do my best and see where it goes.”
Forsling, a left-handed defenseman, is approaching the prospect camp now and the Blackhawks training camp in September with the intention of earning a NHL spot this season.
“I’m just trying to do my best here, try to practice like I can take a place on the big team here,” Forsling said. “That’s my goal. … I’ll do my best to try to take a spot.”
Forsling was unable to participate fully in the Blackhawks prospect camp last season due to a wrist injury. He’s healthy this season and was able to completely take part in the Blackhawks’ first on-ice training session on Sunday.
Forsling is known for his skating, puck-handling and offensive ability, but he’s put a lot of time in becoming a more well-rounded defenseman in the past year. It’s something he hopes to showcase to the Blackhawks.
“My defensive play, I had a good plus/minus this season,” Forsling said. “I feel more comfortable in the defensive zone. I’ve been working on that pretty much. … I need to get stronger here. I need to learn the game over here. It’s a different game than back in Sweden. I’ll be here to learn as well.”
Schmaltz’s decision: Nick Schmaltz said Sunday the Blackhawks trading Teuvo Teravainen wasn’t what clinched his decision to leave North Dakota after his sophomore season and turn professional.
“I think even before that there’s still a lot of an opportunity,” Schmaltz said. “They have salary cap issues. They need younger guys to play. I think it’s a great time. I think a lot of young guys are going to be in the NHL this year. Hopefully I can work for a job.”
NHL opportunities: Blackhawks prospects know all about the Blackhawks’ cap issues. Schmaltz wasn’t the only one who mentioned that, and they all know what that possibly means for them.
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“Yeah, obviously with cap issues, stuff is going to happen in the offseason, no one is really going to know what’s going to happen,” forward prospect Ryan Hartman said. “But it’s an opportunity now for me especially and some other guys to make a push and make the team this year.”
Hartman has been often compared to Andrew Shaw. That’s something he doesn’t mind.
“I think that’s my game,” Shaw said. “We play really similar styles. We feed off energy, make plays at the net. We’re hard players to play against. I watched him for a while now in Rockford and when I was back in Plymouth. I really took some things for his game. It helped me play and know what it takes to be an NHL player.”
Kempny’s arrival: Defenseman Michal Kempny will miss the first three days of the prospect camp and is expected to begin participating on Wednesday.
Kempny, 25, signed a one-year deal with the Blackhawks in May. He played in the KHL last season and played for the Czech Republic in the World Championship.