DENVER — Blackhawks forward prospect Josiah Slavin did a double take when he received a Cameo request one day to film a video inviting a random fan’s friends to his poker night.
Was that an indication he’d made it big-time?
“Yeah, you could say so,” he said with a laugh.
Options on Cameo — the popular website (coincidentally headquartered in Chicago) on which anyone can request a personalized video from a long list of celebrities of all types, at a price — are rather limited for Hawks fans.
Plenty of Hawks-adjacent off-ice personalities have accounts, as do a few former stars such as Denis Savard and Jeremy Roenick. But only two players on the 2022-23 roster do: Slavin and new goaltender Petr Mrazek. And they both have mildly interesting stories that explain how they joined.
Two years ago, Mrazek teamed up with “Saves Help,” a charitable organization founded and run by Czech goalie Simon Hrubec that fundraises for children in need in the Czech Republic.
A massive group of other Czech goalies playing in leagues spanning the globe — including Mrazek, Karel Vejmelka, Vitek Vanecek, Pavel Francouz and Dan Vladar within the NHL — donate a predetermined amount per save they make over the course of the season, although one doesn’t necessarily have to be a professional goalie (or a hockey player at all) to donate.
Over the last two seasons, Saves Help has raised about 933,000 Czech Koruna — equivalent to about $37,000 — including 8,570 Koruna from Mrazek on account of his 857 saves.
But Mrazek wanted to find a way to contribute even more, and that’s where his Cameo comes in. He sends all proceeds from the videos, which cost $99 each, to Saves Help.
“Those are the things [that] sometimes you want to help,” he said. “It’s interesting, some [of the] requests. But it has been fun. That’s how you keep close with the fans. It’s a busy schedule in the year, so it’s hard to keep up with fans on social media or after the games, so this is the kind of thing that makes it easier.”
Slavin, meanwhile, was encouraged by his brother, Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin, to set up an account. Their U-16 hockey coach with the Colorado Thunderbirds had a connection to someone working for Cameo, and he had told them about it.
In the time since, Slavin — whose videos cost only $15 — has been tracked down by Hawks fans with all sorts of requests. Wishing someone a happy birthday? He has done it. Congratulating someone for graduating from high school? He has done it. Encouraging someone recovering from surgery? He has done it.
“It comes in waves,” he said. “Once I get one, I’ll normally get a couple in that week. But it’s good to be able to connect with fans and get my name out there a little bit.”
There are also weeks in which Slavin doesn’t receive any requests, to be fair, but every time he does is a small honor for the 2018 seventh-round pick. He just made his first 15 career NHL appearances last season, and even those were unexpected, he said.
After working in particular on his skating explosiveness — his first few strides — this summer, Slavin will be back in the mix for Hawks call-ups this season, and he conceivably could grow into a solid bottom-six forward down the road. But while he grinds to make the NHL full-time, he’s perhaps already the Hawks’ leader in this one corner of the internet.
“I get to be myself,” he said. “It’s pretty cool to just share my story with them.”
