3 things we learned from Chicago Blackhawks practice, including the newcomer who ‘has a mean streak to him’

DENVER — Something was definitely different about Chicago Blackhawks practice Monday.

The glass at Fifth Third Arena’s rinks certainly bears the scars of many practices, but nothing compared with the patchwork of black scuff marks dotting the glass at Joy Burns Arena.

The Hawks had an audience of young faces practically pressing against the glass — the University of Denver hockey team practices there too.

In the hallways, Hawks players decked out in black and red walked by their younger counterparts in Pioneers crimson and gold.

The Hawks were in Denver two days early to get acclimated to the altitude ahead of Wednesday’s season opener against the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena.

[ [Don’t miss] How the top 11 Blackhawks prospects fared at training camp, from Nolan Allan to Samuel Savoie ]

The question is who will be playing in black and red come puck drop. The Hawks made several moves in recent days to shore up the roster.

Here are three things we learned Monday.

The Hawks have accumulated a lot of size on defense, but they needed some size at forward too.

On Friday they traded defenseman Riley Stillman to the Vancouver Canucks and received 6-foot-2, 200-pound forward Dickinson as well as a 2024 second-round pick.

Dickinson, 27, had five goals and six assists in 62 games for the Canucks last season. His 101 hits were second-most among the team’s forwards.

“He’s a big guy that can skate,” Hawks coach Luke Richardson said.

Dickinson spent all or parts of six seasons with the Dallas Stars and one with the Canucks.

“He might not have fit well in Vancouver, but he was always memorable in Dallas, so we’re looking forward to seeing what he can do,” Richardson said.

When exactly that will be is up in the air: Dickinson ran into visa issues.

“He’s unable to get here for sure for the first two games,” Richardson said, “so we’re hoping for the third game (Saturday against the San Jose Sharks). And if not, it’ll be home.”

[ [Don’t miss] Jake McCabe and Connor Murphy are on the mend for the Blackhawks, but will either be ready for the season opener? ]

Defenseman Connor Murphy saw Stillman after he heard the news of Friday’s trade.

“It was the next day, he was packing up his stuff,” Murphy said. “I think he was shocked, as we all were.”

Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin said of Stillman, according to sportsnet.ca: “We see him as a third-pairing defenseman. He’s a character player, hard to play against and will help us with our depth.”

Murphy said he’s happy Stillman will have a chance to keep building on his career. Hawks training camp illustrated that it was getting crowded at the lower end of the depth chart, and the team’s priority on developing youth paved the way for a deal.

“Dickinson was available and (the Canucks) needed help with defense with the announcement of (Tyler) Myers going down (with a lower-body injury),” Richardson said. “There’s some pressure there to win, so they wanted to get some veteran guys that have played for that position.”

On Monday the Hawks claimed former New York Rangers defenseman Tinordi, 30, off waivers.

The 6-6, 231-pounder had an assist in seven games for the Rangers last season and played 32 games for the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack.

“Big guy, definitely has a mean streak to him and can give our team a bit of an edge” said Richardson, who has seen Tinordi play at both pro levels. “Everybody feels a little bigger when a guy like that’s on the ice or on the bench.

Chicago Tribune Sports

Weekdays

A daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.

“We talked about playing big in front of our crease, and you add Connor Murphy (back tightness) coming back in, (Jake) McCabe (neck) soon and now Tinordi — those are big guys that have played in the league and are going to be very helpful in front of our net.”

[ [Don’t miss] Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane are reunited on the same Blackhawks line: ‘We’ll be like a grumpy old couple’ ]

Murphy again practiced with full contact Monday after shedding the white noncontact jersey Friday in Chicago. He’s hoping to put his bout with back tightness behind him.

“I feel good to go for the opener,” he told the Tribune.

“It’s been feeling good. There wasn’t really anything I was dealing with. I felt really good all summer. And then that first preseason game (against the St. Louis Blues), I felt something a bit and we just decided to be cautious.”

Murphy said he wasn’t sure how the injury occured: “It was kind of confusing, but we have good trainers that give us good treatment.”

He also wasn’t sure Monday who his defensive partner will be against the Avalanche. He was paired with McCabe at times in camp, but McCabe’s likely best-case scenario for returning is the home opener Oct. 21 against the Detroit Red Wings.

“I love Jake McCabe,” Murphy said. “I feel like we both think the same, and we played together before and had the same mindset: We want to be able to shut guys down. … So I’d love to play with him when he’s healthy.”