Taking the next step: Landon Slaggert’s journey from Notre Dame star to next NHL hopeful

Credit: Apr 6, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Blackhawks left winger Landon Slaggert (84) during a break in the action against the Dallas Stars during the first period at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Seeger Gray-USA TODAY Sports

This article was written by Andrew McGuinness, who is part of the Professional Hockey Writers Association x To Hockey With Love Mentorship Program. This program pairs aspiring writers with established members of the association across North America to create opportunities for marginalized people that do not traditionally get published on larger platforms covering hockey.

To Hockey With Love is a weekly newsletter covering a range of topics in hockey – from the scandals of the week to providing a critical analysis of the sport.

_____

It’s the beginning of March, and for Landon Slaggert, the end and the beginning are both near.

For the former, that means the conclusion of a four-year career at the University of Notre Dame, the school Slaggert grew up near, a stone’s throw away from Compton Family Ice Arena. The same school his older brother Graham, now a veteran of 109 AHL games, graduated from. The same school younger brother Carter, a freshman during the 2023-24 season, now attends. The same school his dad Andy has coached at for 31 years.

“Growing up, Notre Dame was always home,” Slaggert said. “We bled blue and gold growing up, playing mini sticks in the basement. We wanted to be like the Notre Dame hockey guys one day and luckily, all three of my siblings, me and my two brothers were able to make that dream a reality.”

But it wasn’t the ultimate dream. And with Slaggert’s senior season winding down, his biggest hope – becoming an NHL player – was about to become reality.

***

The timeline of every college prospect looks different. Elite talents may only spend a single season there before moving on. After scoring 22 and 26 points in his first two seasons, Slaggert was growing steadily. A third-round pick of the Chicago Blackhawks in 2020, a short two-hour drive from Notre Dame’s rink, Slaggert’s NHL future was quickly coming onto the horizon. There was a chance, maybe even a good one, that his junior season would be his last in college.

But then Slaggert hit a speed bump. Through 12 games, he had just two assists. After 25 games, he had only two goals. Not only did he not turn pro, but he had work to do to get his game back on track.

“I think I learned a lot about myself last year, obviously, facing some adversity, not producing the way that I wanted to but I wasn’t really focused on my numbers, [it was] more about the way it was planned,” Slaggert said about his disappointing junior season, in which he scored nine fewer points than any of his other collegiate seasons. “It was obviously a tough year offensively. But I was really proud of how I responded and always just kind of stayed strong through the whole process. I’m not gonna lie and say that it was easy, but I definitely learned a lot.”

He continued learning, working with Blackhawks player development coaches Kendall Coyne Schofield (a 2018 Olympic goal medalist) and Erik Condra (a veteran of 372 NHL games), studying video and identifying specific areas to improve. Playing under decorated Notre Dame head coach Jeff Jackson, a two-time National Champion at Lake Superior State who has produced more than 25 NHLers during his time in South Bend, including Condra and New York Islanders captain Anders Lee, also helped.

All that hard work paid off in a big way this year. His 20 goals were tied for 17th in the NCAA. He was consistently one of Notre Dame’s best players at 5-on-5, the power play and the penalty kill. Slaggert has always been a well-rounded, 200-foot player – as he said himself, scoring isn’t necessarily the game for him. When Slaggert is playing his best, he knows the points will come – and both truths were the case throughout the year.

“It was just more on me to handle it and to address areas that I saw that I needed to improve and I think that really came around, that not finishing off some of those [net] front chances and in tight scoring. So there was definitely emphasis going into this season and I’ve been kind of seeing the benefits from that work,” Slaggert said.

***

The handshakes at Yost Ice Arena were earnest but emotional. What was a stellar season for Slaggert was a middling one for the Irish, who finished the regular season 15-17-2 and fifth in the Big Ten. Their odds of going deep in the postseason were never that high, but that didn’t dampen the wave of finality that washed over Slaggert and the Irish when the Michigan Wolverines swept them out of the first round of the Big Ten tournament.

It was the second straight year Notre Dame’s season ended in the opening round of its conference tournament after qualifying for the NCAA Tournament five of the prior six seasons. This ending was different for Slaggert, though. In some ways, it was harder. He’d seen the pageantry of senior day before, going through it with Graham two years earlier. Going through it himself a few weeks before the end of his college career meant more.

“I think not just that weekend but I think the whole week leading up is definitely an emotional few days,” Slaggert said, “Obviously had some family and I think it was definitely hardest on my mom and my dad – my mom describes it as, when you hit some of those milestone moments, you think back to all the time leading up to that, the long, long hours in the car, driving to tournaments. It definitely all adds up and makes you look back and just, I think, gratitude is kind of the way we view that.”

Slaggert’s college career ended late at night on March 9, and the next day, he put his signature on a two-year, entry-level contract. The Blackhawks had a game that day but gave Slaggert some time to get acclimated to his new surroundings. The anticipation built until, five days later, Slaggert stepped onto the United Center ice for the first time.

Slaggert stared at the timer in the Blackhawks dressing room, it slowly ticking down until warm-ups began. Beyond the doors, over 19,000 fans, including some of his closest family and friends, were waiting, thinking of those long car rides as a kid or the stories they shared from South Bend. Then, the horn sounded, and they saw him come through the tunnel and step into a dream – minus one notable accessory.

“I wasn’t sure if I have to wear my helmet out there,” Slaggert said. “But the guys made the decision for me – they hid it right before I went out there so I had no choice but to go without a helmet for the rookie lap. So, pretty funny joke they played on me but it’s definitely an awesome experience. I’m glad they did it.”

The 16-game audition this spring will not make or break Slaggert’s future, but it certainly is valuable. He’s a smart player who can win battles along the boards more than you’d expect from a slightly undersized player. His first few weeks in the NHL included a fairly steady role on the penalty kill, a job not many rookies are cut out for. The points didn’t come right away – none through five games, before finishing with four (a goal and three assists) in his last 11 – but Slaggert was making his mark from the start.

***

Watching Slaggert from afar in the rafters of the United Center is a treat. The little details of his game can be tough to spot at first glance – the subtle maneuvers on forechecks and crafty work along the boards – but they make a big difference.

It’s also an indication of how much bigger the stage has gotten. The United Center seats about four times as many fans as Compton Family Ice Arena in South Bend. Even though Slaggert’s college games were regularly sold out, no NCAA atmosphere can compare to one of the NHL’s grandest arenas, one that’s nearly filled to the brim even though the Blackhawks are miles away from playoff contention.

Slaggert may not be a star, but his well-rounded skill set could make him the perfect support piece on any line. Near the end of the season, he earned a look on Chicago’s top line alongside 2023 No. 1 overall pick Connor Bedard. Slaggert has the skillset to play up and down a lineup, and his new head coach Luke Richardson had a very glowing comparable for him.

“There’s gonna be a lot goals coming for him around the net, kind of like a [Zach] Hyman, good hands, but tenacious around the net, learning that physicality and getting body position and getting rebounds,” Richardson said, comparing him with the 54-goal scorer who has made a living playing alongside arguably the game’s two biggest stars in Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid.

The same night as his top-line trial, Slaggert looked on as another rookie lap took place. Twenty-year-old Ethan Del Mastro was in the same shoes Slaggert had filled less than a month prior. The middle of April looked a lot different for Slaggert than his life just six weeks before. The NHL is always full of hungry young men trying to realize a dream. Sometimes, all of their stories can seem to blend together. But each is its own unique tale of triumph and tenacity. This is Landon Slaggert’s – so far. Where it goes is up to him.

_____

Taking the next step: Landon Slaggert’s journey from Notre Dame star to next NHL hopeful

More from the PHWA x To Hockey With Love Mentorship Program