Blackhawks prospect Samuel Savoie has more knowledge, same 'pop' after recovering from broken leg

Lying in a hospital bed in Minnesota on Oct. 1, having just undergone surgery on his broken right femur after a gruesome preseason injury, Blackhawks forward prospect Samuel Savoie figured his 2023-24 season was toast.

“The doctor told me . . . my body was going to decide when I’d play,” Savoie said. “I looked stuff up on my phone and talked to guys and heard the recovery can take six to eight months, so I wasn’t putting any high hopes.”

It turned out, however, that Savoie’s body had other ideas. The fact the injury happened while technically playing for the Hawks proved fortunate, too, as it meant Savoie had to stay in Chicago and work with Hawks trainers and doctors throughout his recovery.

By mid-January, the scrappy New Brunswick native had begun skating again, and on Feb. 1 — four months to the day after his surgery — he made his season debut for the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, the junior team that acquired his QMJHL rights from Gatineau during his recovery.

“Obviously, you never want to see an injury like that, but with hindsight, looking at it now, a lot of positives came out of it,” Hawks assistant general manager Mark Eaton said. “[After] his time in Chicago, spending time around NHL players, you notice a maturation to his daily approach and his mentality.”

Savoie, who turns 20 on Monday, shares that perspective.

“I was lucky and unlucky to be in Chicago during that time,” he said. “It’s just the details. It’s completely different from juniors. Those guys, there’s a reason why they made it to that level and do that for a job.”

His return to the ice happened to coincide with Nick Foligno’s recovery period from his broken finger in January, so they skated together quite a bit. Savoie can be added to the long list of young players whom Foligno has helped mentor this season.

Savoie also worked closely with Patrick Becker, the Hawks’ assistant strength and conditioning coach, from whom he learned more about his leg anatomy and how to strengthen it.

“The trainers . . . know your body probably better than you know it,” Savoie said. “They explain to you what’s happening there [and] why you’re sore there. All those questions that you ask, they answer, and they’re right on. And they also have exercises for you. You take what they tell you and bring it upstairs in the gym.”

With Rouyn-Noranda, Savoie gave himself 10 games “with no expectations” to scrape off the rust and find his game again. He had 22 points in 21 games in the regular season, which ended Saturday — basically matching his point-per-game pace of 59 points in 60 games last season.

“At the start, I thought my skating was not at my best — like it was before — but now it’s gotten a lot better,” Savoie said. “[I’m] just working on getting to the right spots at the right times to be more efficient.”

Said Eaton: “He still has that pop to his stride . . . [and] he’s not playing with any hesitation. Like you’d expect being out for that long, it’s just a matter of getting the game timing back — winning battles along the wall and realizing you have a little bit more time when you do.”

Savoie’s pesky style gives him a penchant for racking up penalty minutes, and his junior coaches have talked to him about being smarter and walking the line between feisty and dangerous. But the Hawks aren’t worried about it.

After all, his competitiveness and ability to irritate opponents are two major reasons why they drafted him. And in the AHL next season, he’ll need to fight hard to keep up with pros — and will be able to get away with more, too.

“You’ve got to let the mustangs run,” Eaton said.