Landon Slaggert plans to sign with Blackhawks after excellent Notre Dame senior season ends

When Blackhawks forward prospect Landon Slaggert decided last summer to return to Notre Dame for his 2023-24 senior year, it opened the possibility he could wait out the Hawks and become a free agent next summer.

But Slaggert makes it very clear that is not his plan.

“[I’m] definitely hoping to sign with the Hawks,” he told the Sun-Times this week. “It seems like the right organization for me for a number of reasons. I feel comfortable with all the people who have helped me so far. It also feels like the right opportunity and the right spot. I’m excited to see what’s in the cards there.”

Several reasons factored into the 2020 third-round pick’s decision to decline the Hawks’ contract offer and go back for a fourth year of college.

He wanted to cherish his leadership role, and he was excited to play with his younger brother Carter and help show him the ropes around South Bend — much the way his older brother Graham previously did for him.

But, most of all, he believed he could play a lot better this season than last season, when he tallied only 13 points in 35 games — just half of his sophomore total.

“I still had some work to be done,” he said. “I knew that’s not how I wanted to go out. It was always a dream of mine to wear the gold helmet, and I didn’t want it to leave a bad taste in my mouth.”

As hoped, this season has gone dramatically better. He touts 25 points — including 16 goals — in 26 games, leading the Fighting Irish in both categories by wide margins. He has added eight points just over his last five games, including a four-point eruption in a 6-3 win over Penn State last weekend.

Hawks assistant general manager Mark Eaton, who oversees the prospects, has been very impressed — and by more than just the stats.

“He still has all the qualities you’d look for in a third-line player,” Eaton said in December. “But he has shown those first-line qualities this year with his hands, his ability to make plays in the tough areas, along the walls, in front of the net [and] in the neutral zone, absorbing hits and still making skilled plays to his center.

“[Among] our forward prospects, he’s probably the most NHL-ready out of all of them. If you look at the state of the Blackhawks, he’s one that could potentially get an opportunity here pretty soon.”

Indeed, Slaggert said he focused last offseason on his shooting and stick-handling, softening up his hands and becoming a more accurate passer and shooter.

“I had a routine I’d go through that has paid off quite a bit, allowing me to feel more comfortable with the puck on my stick,” he said. “Right around the blue paint is where I get the majority of my chances, and [I’ve been] able to finish off a few more of those chances when they present themselves.”

Translating that ability to penetrate the interior of the offensive zone and score in dirty areas from the college to pro level will be crucial for a guy like him, and the Hawks seem ready to give him the opportunity to do so.

Slaggert is currently, understandably focusing on the final stretch of Notre Dame’s season, but the relieving news for the Hawks is that he, too, sounds fully committed to seizing that opportunity once his college season ends.

“I wanted to take things slow and not rush into anything, but I’m proud of how the [Hawks] organization handled me and gave me my time and space to make my decision, which was awesome on their part,” Slaggert said. “It ended up paying off, and hopefully they get a better product than they otherwise would have if I had gone a year earlier.”