RALEIGH, N.C. — At 23 years old, Blake Biondi found himself as the grizzled veteran at Carolina Hurricanes development camp earlier this month. The forward prospect was at least one full year older than everyone else on the ice, and almost five years older than some of the campers.
On the final day of camp, Biondi had something to celebrate after he signed his first professional contract, an American Hockey League deal with Chicago, the Hurricanes’ affiliate. It’s a respectable start, but not the professional debut many prospects anticipate.
“Everyone’s path is going to be different,” Biondi said. “The only ones who are going straight to the top are the one-percenters: the (Connor) McDavids, the (Auston) Matthewses. At the end of the day, it’s the guys who can put their head down and go to work, be a great teammate and keep your character.”
Perspective is often hard-won, and Biondi is proof. After he was selected by the Montreal Canadiens in the fourth round (No. 109) of the 2020 NHL Draft, he headed to the University of Minnesota-Duluth. He led the team with 17 goals as a sophomore and had 28 points (11 assists) in 42 games. But after establishing himself as a scoring threat, Biondi tore the labrum in his left shoulder late in the season. He rehabbed during the summer and began his junior season, but the joint was unstable.
“I compensated so bad for the left one that the right (shoulder) slipped out,” he said. “I had bilateral shoulder surgery in the span of two months.”
At the same time, he was dealing with emotional pain.
“Both of my grandpas died in between both of my surgeries,” he said. “Mentally and physically, it was very demanding and I was going through a lot of pain. Shoulders are one thing, but both of my grandfathers passing at the same time while my body was trying to heal, it was a dagger for me. It was hard being around my family because they were struggling so bad.”
He called his junior year “just average,” with six points (three goals, three assists) in 17 games, followed by a 19-point senior season (eight goals, 11 assists in 34 games). He graduated on time, but Montreal did not sign Biondi.
“When your back is up against the wall,” Biondi said, “that’s really your true character, who can keep on swinging.”
With an extra season of NCAA eligibility left to use, Biondi enrolled at the University of Notre Dame, a decision that put his career back on track.
“I got my speed and strength back,” he said. “Just that edge and determination that I play with.”
The result was Biondi (6-foot-1, 215 pounds) surging to a bounce-back season, with 27 points (12 goals, 15 assists) in 38 games. His identity — a rugged game, winning pucks in the corners and going to the net — began to return.
As the season progressed, Hurricanes assistant general manager Darren Yorke kept tabs, often checking in with Notre Dame coach Brock Sheahan.
“He spoke very highly of Blake and his development path, dealing with the injuries, him persevering,” Yorke said.
When Notre Dame’s season ended, Biondi turned his attention to finishing his graduate degree, a master’s in nonprofit business adminisration.
Though free agency after college isn’t ideal, the status offers a silver lining, as NHL teams can offer players a late-season evaluation in professional hockey. When Carolina gave Biondi a seven-game audition in the AHL last season, he jumped at the chance. And even though he had no points in those seven games, he was still able to open some eyes.
“He got the opportunity to step in the lineup based on everything that he’s earned, and he made a great impression on myself and the coaching staff,” Yorke said. “And now he’s earned the next step, getting himself a contract for the upcoming season.”
And with the AHL contract, suddenly all of that adversity is just part of Biondi’s hockey history.
“That’s a hockey career, right?” he said. “Up and down. But it’s the ones who can just stay levelheaded and keep going through.”
That’s how he will approach his first full professional season in the AHL. Most of his Chicago teammates will be under contract to Carolina and further along the professional development curve. Biondi will not be property of the Hurricanes, but he will still be under the watchful eye of the Carolina staff.
“That’s not going to prevent somebody like Blake from earning a spot,” Yorke said. “There’s peaks and valleys. Whether you are a first-round draft pick or you are a college free agent, it comes through hard work. When he’s on his game, it suits [Carolina’s] game to a T.”
That’s all Biondi needs to hear. He knows he’s not a one-percenter, so he plans to rely on all the other attributes that might get him to the NHL.
“Coming to Chicago, I want to be a great teammate,” he says. “I want to be a great locker-room guy and do everything I can to find a role on the Wolves next year and stick there. I think it’s a good thing. It’s a great path for me, a path back.
“It might be the hard way in some eyes, but thank God I’ve got a chance to play in the American League next year and do something special.”