MacKenzie Entwistle makes NHL debut with Chicago Blackhawks
Former Storm forward and 18-19 OHL Champion MacKenzie Entwistle has made his NHL debut with the Chicago Blackhawks. The 21 year old recorded two shots on goal and three hits playing 6:03 last night in a 3-2 victory over the Florida Panthers. He is the second player from the Championship team to play in the NHL. Nick Suzuki is currently playing for the Montreal Canadiens.
MacKenzie Entwistle also made his NHL debut as the Hawks held on in the third period to secure a much-needed win.
After a disheartening road trip, the Blackhawks desperately needed the kind of night they enjoyed Tuesday.
Patrick Kane was honored on home ice for his 1,000th game earlier this month, Kevin Lankinen broke out of his slump with 33 saves and the Hawks ended their four-game losing streak with a 3-2 win over the Panthers.
The Hawks showed improvement in several key areas. Their passes were much crisper, including on a two-on-one rush where Brandon Hagel fed Dominik Kubalik to open the scoring and a power-play cycle that led to Carl Soderberg extending the lead to 3-0.
Entwistle debuts
When jettisoning Marian Hossa’s contract to the Coyotes in 2018, Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman elected to make the exchange more than a pure salary dump. As a result, the Hawks gave up a lot to get rid of Hossa’s cap hit but also got some assets back.
On Tuesday, that decision started paying dividends as prospect MacKenzie Entwistle, the Coyotes’ 2017 third-round pick, made his Hawks debut.
Entwistle, a sturdy 6-3 forward, played 6:03 with two shots on goal. He became the seventh Hawks rookie to debut in 2021.
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