{"id":15691,"date":"2025-02-28T02:57:42","date_gmt":"2025-02-28T02:57:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=15691"},"modified":"2025-02-28T02:57:42","modified_gmt":"2025-02-28T02:57:42","slug":"breaking-can-landon-slaggert-become-another-brandon-hagel-for-the-blackhawks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=15691","title":{"rendered":"BREAKING: Can Landon Slaggert become another Brandon Hagel for the Blackhawks?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Can<\/p>\n

LAS VEGAS \u2014 Since Landon Slaggert\u2019s call-up to the Blackhawks a month ago, some of Slaggert\u2019s similarities to former Hawks forward Brandon Hagel have been brought up with a healthy dose of optimism.<\/p>\n

It turns out Slaggert has been aware of those similarities for a long time. One of his coaches with the U.S. National Team Development Program \u2014 where he played before spending four years at Notre Dame \u2014 was the first to send him clips of Hagel, before the Hawks\u2019 front office began doing so more recently.<\/p>\n

\u201cEver since then, I\u2019ve tried to pick pieces out of [Hagel\u2019s] game,\u201d Slaggert said Tuesday. \u201cWe both play with a lot of compete [and] a lot of speed, so there\u2019s definitely some similarities.\u201d<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a reason why the comparison requires so much optimism: it\u2019s objectively unlikely Slaggert develops into anything close to a Hagel-caliber player.<\/p>\n

After all, Hagel has written one of the most impressive underdog stories in the modern NHL. He went from an unsigned Sabres sixth-round pick to a breakout fan favorite with the Hawks. Then he was traded for two first-round picks \u2014 which turned into prospects Oliver Moore and Sacha Boisvert \u2014 in one of general manager Kyle Davidson\u2019s pivotal first-year moves.<\/p>\n

Hagel has since become an integral part of the Lightning\u2019s offense and a member of Canada\u2019s 4 Nations Face-off championship team. Entering Thursday, he ranked 15th in the NHL with 65 points in 57 games this season, putting him on pace for 94 points by season\u2019s end.<\/p>\n

Slaggert laughed when asked if he saw 90 points in his future \u2014 \u201cYou can dream, right?\u201d he quipped \u2014 but he believes in himself, of course, that he can at least exceed the expectations placed on him.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s already something of an underdog story in his own right, considering he was a third-round pick who tallied only 13 points in 35 games during his 2022-23 collegiate junior year and now \u2014 two years later \u2014 looks like he fully belongs in the NHL.<\/p>\n

\n
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\"Can <\/picture>\n
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<\/div>\n<\/div>
Landon Slaggert\u2019s work ethic is a key part of his game. Michael Reaves\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Hawks interim coach Anders Sorensen, who coached Hagel back in 2019-20 in Rockford, first mentioned Slaggert\u2019s likeness to him unprompted back in January. He discussed Thursday some of the traits they share.<\/p>\n

“[It\u2019s about] the effort \u2014 the second effort, third effort even at times,\u201d Sorensen said. “[Landon is] able to stay on pucks all the time. If there\u2019s a change in transition, his reaction is really quick both ways \u2014 to jump on defense [or] jump on offense.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to Hagel\u2019s doggedness, Slaggert has also watched how Hagel uses his body to protect pucks and win battles despite being listed at only 180 pounds \u2014 the exact same weight as Slaggert.<\/p>\n

\u201cI saw a highlight the other night [where] he fended off the \u2018D’-man and created enough space to get off a shot,\u201d Slaggert said. \u201cThat\u2019s the biggest thing. Obviously, I\u2019m not the biggest guy. But going against these big defensemen, you\u2019ve got to find a way to get into their hands and get into their body to create that extra half-second.\u201d<\/p>\n

Slaggert\u2019s play has dipped a bit since the 4 Nations break, and he entered Thursday mired in a six-point pointless streak after tallying two points in his first three NHL appearances of the season (including a goal against Hagel\u2019s Lightning in his season debut).<\/p>\n

Sorensen talked Thursday about how Slaggert\u2019s compete level \u201cis always there,\u201d though, even when he\u2019s bobbling pucks and not playing his absolute best. Sorensen has also liked Slaggert\u2019s efforts on the penalty kill, which was a bright spot with a 5-for-5 showing in the otherwise ugly game Tuesday in Utah.<\/p>\n

Besides, Slaggert\u2019s long-term role is almost certainly going to be more as a versatile bottom-six energy guy and penalty killer than as a substantial offensive contributor. His work ethic is the crucial ingredient, especially when combined with his speed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hawks interim coach Anders Sorensen sees similarities between Slaggert and Hagel, and as it turns out, Slaggert has actually been studying Hagel’s game for years.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":15692,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15691","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chicago-blackhawks"],"yoast_head":"\nBREAKING: Can Landon Slaggert become another Brandon Hagel for the Blackhawks? - Breaking News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=15691\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"BREAKING: Can Landon Slaggert become another Brandon Hagel for the Blackhawks? 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