Ben Pope

@BenPopeCST

Chicago Blackhawks beat reporter for the @Suntimes. Northwestern alum. Raleigh native. @ThePHWA member. Email: [email protected]

Chicago, IL

Joined October 2015

706Following

24KFollowers

Ben Pope@BenPopeCST · 4 h

Connor Bedard is impatient for Blackhawks hockey. He wishes it was September already. But he also believes this long offseason is paying dividends for him, training-wise. "I feel like I’ve definitely increased [my speed]." New story: chicago.suntimes.com/blackhawks/202…

BenPopeCST's tweet card. Bedard has worked on increasing his speed and adjusting to a 75-flex stick this summer at home in Vancouver.

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Ben Pope@BenPopeCST · Jul 26

Blackhawks goalie Arvid Soderblom took a step forward last season and then, today, got rewarded with a 2-year contract. "No matter what happened — win, loss, bad goal, big save — I was even-keel." Story: chicago.suntimes.com/blackhawks/202…

BenPopeCST's tweet card. Blackhawks re-sign goalie Arvid Soderblom to two-year contract

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Ben Pope Retweeted

Elliotte Friedman@FriedgeHNIC · Jul 26

Chicago and Arvid Soderblom avoid arbitration 2 x $2.75M

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Chicago Sun-Times@Suntimes · Jul 25

It’s time for this week’s “Polling Place.” Let us hear from you! Selected comments will appear in Sunday's paper. Poll No. 1: Over the years, where have Cubs vs. White Sox games been more fun to attend?

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Ben Pope@BenPopeCST · Jul 24

Want to learn more about each of the Blackhawks’ three 2025 first-round picks? I’ve written feature stories on all three now: Anton Frondell: chicago.suntimes.com/blackhawks/202… Vaclav Nestrasil: chicago.suntimes.com/blackhawks/202… Mason West: chicago.suntimes.com/blackhawks/202…

BenPopeCST's tweet card. The 18-year-old power forward became the NHL's No. 3 overall pick after the Hawks gathered intel from former players Johnny Oduya and Marcus Kruger and watched Frondell transform his skating.

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Chicago Blackhawks@NHLBlackhawks · Jul 24

new season, new numbers👏

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PuckPedia@PuckPedia · Jul 22

🔥Arbitration Hearing Dates Kakko #SeaKraken July 25 Soderblom #Blackhawks July 28 Tsyplakov #Isles July 29 Samberg #NHLJets July 30 Timmins #Sabres Aug 2 Robertson #LeafsForever Aug 3 Struble #GoHabsGo Aug 3 Cases can be settled until hearing begins puckpedia.com/news/11-player…

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Ben Pope@BenPopeCST · Jul 21

Mason West drew football interest from 26 Division 1 schools before committing to Michigan State for hockey, but he has promised the Blackhawks he'll stick with this route. The story of his unique path so far: chicago.suntimes.com/blackhawks/202…

BenPopeCST's tweet card. One of the many fascinating things about West, the No. 29 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, is how his football skills also make him a better player on the ice.

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Ben Pope@BenPopeCST · Jul 20

Mason West's dual-sport stardom makes him a fascinating Blackhawks prospect. He sees hockey from a quarterback's perspective. "I think about it like, '1, 2, 3, 4,' as I’m looking at my reads. But he’s doing that instantaneously." New feature story: chicago.suntimes.com/blackhawks/202…

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Ben Pope@BenPopeCST · Jul 18

Relatively newsy mid-July week for the Blackhawks. Schedule release: chicago.suntimes.com/blackhawks/202… Frondell signs but returning to Djurgarden: chicago.suntimes.com/blackhawks/202… Crevier re-signs, plus Berezhnoy added to prospect pool: chicago.suntimes.com/blackhawks/202…

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Ben Pope Retweeted

Chicago Sun-Times@Suntimes · Jul 17

It’s time for this week’s “Polling Place.” Let us hear from you! Selected comments will appear in Sunday's paper. Poll No. 1: What’s the biggest key for the Cubs in the second half of the season?

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Ben Pope@BenPopeCST · Jul 16

Blackhawks have signed Russian goaltender Stanislav Berezhnoy to a 2-year ELC. 22-year-old put up excellent numbers in the Russian lower league last season.

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Ben Pope@BenPopeCST · Jul 16

Blackhawks’ home opener is Oct 11 vs Canadiens. Full schedule releases at noon CT today

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Ben Pope@BenPopeCST · Jul 15

Update: Anton Frondell will indeed play one more season with Djurgarden, according to his agent, JP Barry. The signing of his Blackhawks ELC today hasn't changed the plan: chicago.suntimes.com/blackhawks/202…

BenPopeCST's tweet card. Frondell inked his first NHL deal Tuesday with a $975,000 salary-cap hit, but he'll spend one more season with Djurgarden before making the North American jump.

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