Pending first suspension for the 2026-27 season!?

The Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues renewed their rivalry in preseason action on Thursday night, and one heated moment took place before the final buzzer.

Blackhawks prospect AJ Spellacy was ejected from the game after receiving a game misconduct penalty for head-butting.

The incident reportedly escalated beyond the initial infraction. Blues forward Ross Johnston punched Spellacy twice while officials had the young forward tied up. Johnston was assessed two minor penalties for his role in the altercation. However, Spellacy went too far and head-butted his opponent, which resulted in his ejection. This means the incident will be automatically reviewed by the league and further punishment could be assessed, a fine or worse, the first suspension of the 2026-27 season.

The ejection is a rough look for Spellacy, who entered training camp with high hopes. The 20-year-old, selected in the third round of the 2024 draft, was reportedly feeling confident about his chances heading into camp, according to Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times.

While he impressed during camp ahead of the 2024-25 season, Spellacy has yet to make his NHL debut. He spent last year with OHL Windsor, tallying 13 goals, 19 assists, and 63 penalty minutes across 51 regular-season games. His combination of skating ability and physicality has drawn attention, but the penalty minutes hint at a player still learning to walk the line.

Fan reaction online was swift and largely sympathetic toward Spellacy. Several supporters felt the call was questionable, with one commenter arguing that Johnston pulled Spellacy toward him before the contact occurred. Others joked that the officials appeared to be in preseason form themselves.

While the incident is unlikely to derail Spellacy's development path entirely, it certainly was not the kind of impression the young forward was hoping to make as he fights for a spot closer to the NHL roster this season.

UPDATE

On Friday, Spellacy was loaned back to Rockford.