Blackhawks General Manager Dale Tallon announced that the team will host its Annual Prospects Camp at the Edge Ice Arena in Bensenville beginning on August 28th and running through September 3rd.

In its inaugural year (2001) the Blackhawks Prospect Camp featured the 2001-02 AHL Rookie of the Year, Tyler Arnason, who also was named to the NHL's All-Rookie Team in his first full season with the Blackhawks. This year's camp will feature six of the Blackhawks' recent 2005 draft choices as well as ten players selected during the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.

The camp will include both on-ice and off-ice sessions as well as opportunities for the players to get to know the great city of Chicago. The on-ice sessions will take place at the Edge Ice Arena in Bensenville while off-ice training will take place both at the Edge and at the United Center. Players will participate in game action from 11:00am - 12:30pm Tuesday thru Friday and from 10:20am - 12:20pm on Saturday. These sessions will be open to the public.

An addition to this year's camp has been the hiring of skating coach Dan Jansen. An Olympic Speed Skating Gold Medalist in the 1994 Winter Games, Jansen joined the Blackhawks as their skating coach on August 15th. Jansen was a member of four United States Olympic Teams (1984, 1988, 1992, and 1994) and was inducted into the United States Olympic Hall of Fame in 2004. Jansen will work with the players on ice on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

Since NHL rules preclude any player under contract that has played in a game as a professional from coming to this camp, the camp will be made up of Blackhawk draft choices from the 2002, 2004, and 2005 NHL Entry Drafts and tryouts. As of today the following 24 players will be attending the camp:

2005 Draft Class
Jack Skille LW 1st round (7th overall)
Michael Blunden RW 2nd round (43rd overall)
Daniel Bertram RW 2nd round (54th overall)
Evan Brophey C/LW 3rd round (67th overall)
David Kuchejda RW 7th round (202nd overall)
Adam Hobson C 7th round (203rd overall)

2004 Draft Class
David Bolland C 2nd round (32nd overall)
Bryan Bickell LW 2nd round (41st overall)
Ryan Garlock C 2nd round (45th overall)
Adam Berti LW 3rd round (68th overall)
Mitch Maunu D 4th round (120th overall)
Karel Hromas LW 4th round (123rd overall)
Trevor Kell RW 5th round (131st overall)
Jake Dowell C 5th round (140th overall)
Troy Brouwer RW 7th round (214th overall)
Matt Ford RW 8th round (256th overall)

2002 Draft Class
Adam Burish C 9th round (282nd overall)

Tryouts
Andrew Andricopoulos D
Danny Battochio G
Bryan Bridges G
Steven Goulet R
Francis Guerette-Charland RW
Matt Laatsch D
Michael Ouzas G