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High On The Hog: A Look At Forward

By Jon Fromi 2124 0

There were many new faces at forward for the Rockford IceHogs in the 2017-18 season. On a roster that went through some changes in the latter half of the campaign, there was a lot to cover in this area.

I’ve previously cast a magnifying glass on the goalies and defensemen in recent posts. For now, let’s move forward with the forwards from Rockford’s big season.

Rookies

Matthew Highmore-64 games, 24 G, 19 A, minus-six

Rockford’s rookie of the year was the big story throughout the first half of the season. Highmore epitomized the fast-paced style Colliton emphasized, with 15 points (9 G, 6 A) in his first 21 games. His nose for the net resulted in Highmore pacing the team in goals.

An appearance at the AHL All-Star Classic, coupled with a spring call-up to the Hawks made for a memorable first-year of pro hockey for the free-agent signing. Highmore is definitely in the mix of prospects who could find themselves in Chicago in the coming years.

Like a lot of the prospects, Highmore’s numbers dipped just a bit with the veteran influx in February. By the playoffs, he was skating on one of the lower lines while still playing solid hockey. In 13 postseason games, he was a plus-eight to go with a pair of goals and seven helpers.

 

Anthony Louis-70 games, 14 G, 30 A, plus-six

Louis was Rockford’s point leader (44) in the regular season, though the addition of the veterans had a big effect on his game down the stretch. To say his role was diminished is probably an understatement.

Skating a little lower in the Hogs lineup, Louis still managed 14 points (5 G, 9 A) in the last two months of action. However, the physical nature of the playoffs seemed to take a toll on his effectiveness. After five assists in 9 games, Colliton sat Louis in favor of Samuelsson three games into the conference final.

Louis is a strong passer and can flourish with linemates who can finish the chances he creates. I think he’ll be a player to watch as he makes the adjustments to raise his game in his sophomore campaign.

 

Alexandre Fortin-53 games, 4 G, 17 A, minus-one

Based on the expectations of a player who had such a strong training camp in 2016 before being sent back to juniors, Fortin was an under-performer in his first season with the IceHogs.

To be fair, he missed a couple weeks in January and three more in March due to injury. His speed was often on display, though there were many instances of Fortin streaking out of control and committing turnovers. A shooting percentage of 4.3 did him no favors; finishing scoring plays and playing under control should be at the top of Fortin’s list of improvements heading into next season.

 

Matheson Iacopelli-50 games, 11 G, 7 A, plus-seven

The real head-scratcher among the piglets. Iacopelli brought offense, scoring 20 goals between Rockford and Indy, where he had nine in ten games for the Fuel. He is arguably the best sniper the IceHogs had this season. So…why couldn’t he find a place in the lineup?

With someone to get him the puck, coupled with a net hound who can convert on rebound opportunities, Iacopelli could be a dangerous AHL forward. He is going to have to improve on his skating as well as find a way to create space for his shot. The question will be if he can do that at age 24.

Iacopelli often found himself on the bottom line with players more suited for checking roles. He’s not that type of player right now. Hopefully he got a list of things to work on this summer. If he can carve out a steady spot on a scoring line, we could see big numbers out of Iacopelli.

 

Graham Knott-70 games, 4 G, 5 A, minus-one

There isn’t much offense to Knott’s game. He had three separate 11-game pointless streaks while skating fourth line minutes and killing penalties. In his final 38 games this past season, he had three goals and no apples.

Knott held down the fourth line through the regular season; he did not appear in the playoffs for Rockford. On the other hand, he was a frequent winner of the Schnucks Grand Prix over speedier teammates Alexandre Fortin and William Pelletier.

Knott is still just 21 and has two more years on his entry deal to develop at both ends of the ice. With most of the new faces coming in on defense, he may still have the spot in the lineup to do so next fall.

Nathan Noel-17 games, 1 G, minus two

Noel really deserves a redo button; his season never really got on track after being injured in training camp.

By the time he was set to return, there was no spot in Rockford to be had. Noel went to Indy, where he played 17 games before getting hurt and missing a couple of months. He was brought up to Rockford in mid-February and had limited chances to develop into the IceHogs agitator.

Until Chris DiDomenico arrived, that job was up for grabs. A healthy Noel might have run with that role. My interest was peaked in the short stint Noel was with the IceHogs.

Finishing the regular season with the Fuel, Noel played well in Indy’s short playoff appearance. If Noel is in game shape to start 2018-19, he may be able to find his niche.

 

Call Ups

Vinnie Hinostroza-23 games, 9 G, 13 A, plus-seven

Tomas Jurco-36 games, 13 G, 12 A, plus-four

David Kampf-33 games, 7 G, 11 A, plus-one

Laurent Dauphin-33 games, 4 G, 10 A, minus-six

These players, Hinostroza in particular, carried Rockford in the first couple of months. Hinostroza was recalled by the Hawks December 8, Kampf on December 27 and Jurco on January 8.

Kampf returned in April to finish up the season and playoffs for the Hogs. In 16 games, he managed just a goal (Game Five vs Texas) and two assists (in Chicago in the last game of the regular season).

Dauphin, who played with a full face shield following a altercation in San Antonio December 15, was traded back to Arizona in the Anthony Duclair deal. Adam Clendening came to Rockford was a key part of the spring resurgence; Dauphin played 17 games for Tuscon (5 G, 10 A) before being recalled to the Coyotes. He was injured blocking a shot March 11 and missed the rest of the season.

 

Reinforcements

Chris DiDomenico-22 games, 8 G, 15 A, plus-three

All this guy did was spark Rockford into its late-season push to the Calder Cup Playoffs. Once there, he was the league’s top point producer (7 G, 11 A in 13 games) until the final games of the Calder Cup Final. If anybody saw this coming, step forward and be called Fibber McGee.

Returning to AHL rinks after several seasons abroad, DiDomenico was obtained for Ville Pokka in a trade with Ottawa in mid-February. Along with a heavy dose of veteran leadership that was injected into the piglets, DiDomenico brought a chippy element to a club that had practically none before he arrived.

By the time the playoffs started, you had skaters of all shapes and sizes finishing checks all over the ice. The motor was still firing, but the Hogs picked up a definite snarl that was a major part of the playoff success.

DiDomenico rides off into the sunset, having signed to play in the Swiss League for two seasons soon after cleaning out his locker at the BMO. One richly deserved stick tap, coming right up.

 

Lance Bouma-20 games, 7 G, 7 A, plus-seven

Chicago sending the physical forward to Rockford in February proved to be good for the IceHogs. Like DiDomenico, Bouma added veteran grit that was in short supply at that point of the campaign. Like DiDomenico, I would not expect to see Bouma in a Hogs sweater next season.

 

Tanner Kero-36 games, 8 G, 12 A, minus-ten

I’m finding out about the Hawks trade with Vancouver just as I was set to ponder Kero’s season for this post. Basically, Kero’s 2017-18 season has produced Michael Chaput.

Kero came to Rockford in December. He was out for about a month after an injury against San Antonio on February 18 and also missed a few games at the close of the regular season.

 

John Hayden-24 games, 5 G, 12 A, even

Arrived January 10 when he was assigned to the Hogs by Chicago, playing through the beginning of March before being recalled. Hayden was also with Rockford once the Blackhawks season ended.

Hayden was physical for sure…but he just didn’t seem to make the impact I imagined when he was sent to Rockford. That goes double in the playoffs; he delivered his share of hits but accounted for just three goals in 13 postseason games.

 

Henrik Samuelsson-25 games, 9 G, 3 A, minus-one

The former first-round selection of the Coyotes was skating in the ECHL for Idaho when Rockford inked him to a PTO in February. The move became a permanent arrangement when the IceHogs signed him through the 2018-19 season.

Samuelsson found the net in each of his first three games with Rockford, including a game-winner against San Antonio February 18. He worked his way onto a power play unit and was a steady presence through the rest of the regular season.

Samuelsson showcased some offensive know-how to go with a strong presence in the corners in his stint with the Hogs. After sitting out the first two rounds of the postseason, he was inserted for the last four games of the conference final with Texas.

 

Viktor Ejdsell-five games, 1 A, minus-three

Ejdsell, of course, made his mark in the postseason, where he totaled 12 points (7 G, 5 A) in 13 games. The lanky forward displayed a nice shot and enough skating ability to keep up with his linemates. He certainly didn’t look out of place in the smaller North American rinks.

The 23-year old Swede had a good sense of timing. Four of his postseason goals were game-winners, the most notable being the one that ended the Game 3 triple-overtime affair with the Wolves. Another came in an elimination game with Texas, where he had a three-point Game 4.

A full season in Rockford could prove to be very interesting, as Ejdsell could probably use a year to hone his skating before hitting NHL ice. Depending on the makeup of the Hawks roster, he could see himself riding the I-90 shuttle for parts of next season.

 

The Vet

Andreas Martinsen-64 games, 12 G, 16 A, plus-seven

So far as early season veteran presence, Martinsen was about it through the first months, save for Jurco and Dauphin. The big Norwegian was key to any physical element to the piglet’s game until the latter part of February when guys like DiDomenico and Bouma showed up.

Obtained for Kyle Baun just before the start of the season, this trade was a definite win for the Blackhawks. Baun wasn’t terrible this season, with 22 points (5 G, 17 A) in Laval and the Toronto Marlies (with whom he won a Calder Cup despite not playing in the playoffs). For the IceHogs, however, Martinsen brought more to the table and was a good fit.

Aside from a spell in Chicago this spring, Martinsen was a mainstay in the lineup, often teaming with Sikura and Alexandre Fortin on what proved to be a very effective group. The 6’4″, 230-pounder re-upped with the Blackhawks for 2018-19. He should be able to skate fourth-line minutes in Chicago if needed and is a nice piece for Colliton to have in Rockford.

 

AHL Standouts

Tyler Sikura-74 games, 23 G, 16 A, plus-24

Sikura failed to stick in three AHL cities following his college career at Dartmouth. Before signing with Rockford, he was still looking for his first AHL point. This season, he earned the team MVP award and an NHL entry contract to boot.

Sikura was a hard worker in the first two months of the season, but it wasn’t showing up on the scoreboard. Through November, he had three goals in 19 contests. In fact, it wasn’t until the post-Christmas part of the schedule that Sikura started seeing the fruits of his efforts.

Starting on December 28 until signing his NHL contract for next season March 6, Sikura put up 13 goals and six helpers in 29 games. To celebrate his new ink, he had 14 points (7 G, 7 A) to close out the last 17 games of the regular season.

Sikura proved to be quite the redirection artist throughout the season. By the spring, not only was he killing penalties but was on the red-hot first power play unit. Sikura also showed that he can create scoring chances on occasion when away from the net.

This was by far the most productive season by a Hogs AHL-signing in the history of the franchise, eclipsing P.C. Labrie’s 2015-16 34-point explosion. Labrie, however, was between NHL deals at the time. Sikura truly announced his presence with authority in his rookie season.

What lies ahead for the elder Sikura brother? I don’t know if he can match last season’s 18.3 shooting percentage, but he’s welcome to try. It will be interesting to see how he follows up such a remarkable performance.

 

William Pelletier-69 games, 14 G, 15 A, plus-13

Another AHL rookie that kept several Hawks prospects out of the lineup was Pelletier, who came out of Division III Norwich looking to prove he could skate at this level. He did.

Pelletier’s wheels allowed the Hogs to send pucks way down the ice, knowing the 5’7″ forward could negate icing and chase down the biscuit. His fore check was tenacious all season and as the playoffs got underway, he started bringing the action to his opponents along the boards.

This was good to see, because Pelletier was a guy opposing teams loved to target on the ice with big hits. Dishing back a little physical business didn’t hurt his effectiveness. Pelletier earned an extension of his AHL deal with Rockford for his efforts and should yet again be a fun player to watch zooming up and down the ice.

 

Luke Johnson

Luke Johnson-73 games, 13 G, 17 A, minus-four

I’m giving Johnson his own category in this review. On a roster of first-year prospects and veteran additions, Johnson perhaps had the most to prove out of any of the returning players.

In last year’s season recap, I suggested that Johnson needed to step up his game from a 17-point rookie campaign in 2016-17 to avoid being pushed to the bench by all the new faces in Rockford. I’d say that Johnson took that step and then some.

Johnson was a steady producer at both ends of the ice for Rockford. He also was a player who took on some big dance partners when circumstances dictated. Four of the IceHogs league-low 11 fighting majors were attributed to Johnson.

In a very quiet manner, Johnson raised his position within the organization. He drew praise from NHL veteran Cody Franson as well as with coach Jeremy Colliton. John Dietz of the Daily Herald got both men to open up about Johnson’s game during the playoffs.

If Colliton names a captain for the 2018-19 IceHogs (after not doing so this past season), don’t be surprised if the C is slapped on Johnson’s sweater.

 

Coffee Cups

Alex Wideman

Tommy Olczyk

Kyle Maksimovich

These three players produced a grand total of zero points for the IceHogs this season. Wideman (13 games in Rockford) did have another good season with the ECHL’s Indy Fuel, with 16 goals and 32 assists. Most of his time in town came in January and February.

Olczyk saw action once for the Hogs, skating in Grand Rapids January 20. Maksimovich was signed to an ATO in March after scoring 31 goals in the OHL for Erie. He got into four games late in the season and was inactive once the playoffs got underway.

 

Unlike a year ago, there should be lots of returning faces up front for the Hogs. Depending on what kind of veteran skaters Rockford is afforded, there could be several players who could make big strides in their games. Like last season, it should be exciting to watch.

I’m sure there will be some activity worth shouting about in the coming weeks. Follow me @JonFromi on twitter just in case I think of something. I’ll be back in a couple of weeks to sort through the summer.

 

 

Everything Else

That’s One Way

By Sam Fels 2312 0

As with everything, how you judge last night’s first round is whether or not you take the Blackhawks at their word. And that’s not really something we do around here.

As Fifth Feather pointed out on Twitter, the Hawks for the past two years have come out and said their performance is unacceptable and that changes will be made and safe is death and all that. Except…there haven’t really been changes. A couple trades, which sure, fine, that counts but those had cap considerations to them as well.

So if the Hawks were truly hellbent on change and shaking things up and lunging desperately for one more run, you probably don’t take the biggest project available at #8. In reality, you don’t use that #8 at all and you try and find a trade for something that helps now. Let’s be clear, there was on player the Hawks could have taken, once Zadina didn’t quite slip to them, that would have made this team in the upcoming season. But there were players that might have helped in ’19-’20.

Adam Boqvist is not that.

That doesn’t mean Boqvist won’t turn out to be the best d-man in this draft, besides from Dahlin. He very well may be. The skating is other worldly as is the other creativity. It’s heartening to see the Hawks not bewitched by size and just deciding to take the most skill they can find, and bodes well for how they will play in the coming years. If Boqvist can flower and Jokiharju and Mitchell are what they’ve promised, that’s a pretty mobile and dynamic blue line you’re going to be rocking in three years.

Still, Wahlstrom was there and would have helped sooner. Dobson might have as well, though we’ve been over what d-men out of the Q turn out to be. Ty Smith would have been a reach but given how the picks ahead of them went maybe they could have traded down and gotten an extra pick? Who knows?

While the theme was that the Hawks concentrated on defense, when talking about a draft where no one is going to help in the next season and after the first round probably not the next two, it’s a better plan to just draft the best available. If the Hawks felt that Boqvist and then Nicolas Beaudin were the best players there, fine. If they think they’re drafting for a need, and they’re looking three years down the road, what does that mean for this year? In three years Keith will be toast, Toews will be close, and Seabrook very well might look like Senator Kelly post mutation. Sure, you have to start planning for that, but you also better have a plan for how you’re going to maximize the interim. Otherwise, are you telling your “core” that the rest of their careers in Chicago aren’t going to be for much?

I also got a kick of Joel Quenneville being interviewed about Boqvist, because there’s a good chance he’ll never coach him. But we’ll have that talk another day.

So we’re past the draft, and the Hawks plan for this year still hasn’t presented itself. There’s time, as the negotiation window begins Sunday. But that’s basically only Tavares or JVR. The clock is ticking louder.

Everything Else

Burn The Pages Of Unwritten Memoirs – Draft Preview: Noah Dobson

By Sam Fels 1713 0

Moving back to looking at actual possible draftees tonight, it would seem if the Hawks want a mobile, offensively-inclined, mobile defenseman, they can have one. There’s plenty out there. And here’s another one, Noah Dobson from Acadie-Bathurst in the QMJHL.

The problem with players from the Q is the desire is to throw out their production with a wave and a dismissal of, “A drunken goat can rack up a point per game in that league. ” Also a drunken goat represents a couple of different sections of Quebec in Parliament. And it’s true, the Q is by far the highest scoring league of the three junior leagues. So Dobson racking up 69 points in 62 games is as impressive on the sheet as say Ty Smith’s total in the WHL, Smith’s are probably more hard-earned.

Still, Dobson has a lot of things that are going to make NHL teams’ eyes widen. One, he’s big. 6-3, 180 now and can probably fill out to near or at 200 pounds one day. And that doesn’t take away from his speed, because he’s probably the fastest d-man in the draft, non-Dahlin Division. As far as physical package goes, there are few more enticing than Dobson. And considering the different priorities of all the voices in the Hawks’ war room, he should have something for everyone.

Statistically, Dobson has some things that make you take notice and some that give you pause. 11 of his 17 goals and 29 of his 69 points were on the power play, where he has a boomstick of a one-timer, on par with Wahlstrom’s. And hey, power play points count the same. Secondly, Dobson bombed 4.2 shots per game at all strengths on net, which is basically insane for a d-man at any level. So he gets into the play and he makes things happen there. All good.

The concern with Dobson is while he did pile up points, he doesn’t have great vision or hands. He’s the guy who gets the puck to the guy who gets the puck to the guy, or people are cashing in on his rebounds. He also might not be able to weave out of traffic with only ok hands, though his speed might keep him out of traffic more than most.

There’s also concern about his defensive reactions and instincts, and the Hawks are big on closing gaps and stepping up. But you can be taught that, if the Hawks were patient. Though that’s not been a strong-suit for them either.

Still, the Q just doesn’t produce that many good d-men. In the past five years, of all the leading scorers on the blue line in the league the only one to have any sort of impact at the NHL level is Samuel Girard, and that’s really only as a trade piece in the Duchene/Turris deal. Going back all the way to 2010, the only d-men who scored a ton there who had any sort of time in The Show are Barbeiro, Beaulieu, and David Savard. Compare that with the leaderboard in the OHL just two years ago where Sergachev, Dunn and Chychrun have all made something at the top level.

Dobson figures to be around for the Hawks when they pick. He’s been slotted anywhere from 7th to the mid-teens, and really only if there’s a run on d-men would the Hawks feel pressured to take him. He checks a lot of boxes, but I’d worry about the path he’s taken to get here.

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It Ain’t Easy To Get To Heaven When You’re Going Down

By Sam Fels 2108 0

Perhaps it’s a good thing, at least for him, that Stan Bowman has become a master in saying nothing. Because if he were honest or forthcoming about the position he finds himself in, we all might understand just what a difficult spot he’s in at the moment.

Obviously, everything hinges on Corey Crawford, and there isn’t much Stan can do about that. But if he were to come out and say publicly they don’t have any idea when and if Crawford is going to play again, then whatever calls he’s making for even a backup goalie suddenly get a lot tougher. Whether that’s Darling, or maybe a call on Grubauer, or whatever other idea he might have, everyone is going to know that he’s looking for someone who can step in as a starter if need be, not just a backup.

But it runs deeper than that. A theme of Stan’s press conference yesterday was that he wasn’t going all-in on this season, wanting to build for as much down the road as this season. That hasn’t stopped us from pointing out that if the Hawks don’t massively rebound this year, the long-term isn’t going to matter for him because Stan’s not going to have a job, at least not here.

But there’s a two-pronged problem with that. One, even if Stan went all-in on this season, where does that leave him? What’s a successful season for the Hawks next year? Second round of the playoffs? When you’ve won three playoff games in three years that’s a pretty big step, but is it enough for McD and Rocky? A valiant defeat to Nashville or Winnipeg there? Because it’s unlikely there’s any amount of moves the Hawks can make this summer where you’d go into next season saying they’d be favored over either of those teams. The Hawks can overhaul Minnesota, St. Louis, Colorado and Dallas, but those two remain ahead of the rest of the pack.

So say you do all that, but in the process you lose…oh I don’t know, Jokiharju and/or Sikura and maybe one or two others in pursuit of the defenseman and forward you need and more, without giving up anything major on the NHL roster. Where are you for ’19-’20? Is it likely with “THE CORE” another year older that you can improve without a pipeline of kids aiding them? Would you have to keep being active in free agency after you’ve used all the powder in your system? Would you have just put off your firing one season? Any free agent you sign is likely to skew older as well. Justin Faulk is a good age, but he’s not turning it around on his own.

Secondly, Stan might be gun-shy on any “win now” moves, considering how his coach has handled them in the recent past. Go back all the way to the Vermette trade. It took until Game 4 of the conference final before Q bought into Vermette, who cost a pretty penny. The following season, Stan brought in Ladd, Weise, and Fleischmann. The latter two were discarded essentially by the time the playoffs rolled around, and Ladd didn’t have much to offer. Those trades cost picks and Phillip Danault, and man would Danault look nice about now.

Connor Murphy was a move for now and later, and spent most of the season having his coach shit on him like he was Roman Reigns (WRESTLING REFERENCE). Alex DeBrincat, certainly one for the future but definitely a help now, spent way too much of the season on a third line and on the right side.

So if you’re Stan, are you truly confident any big move you make is going to be deployed properly? Because if they aren’t, then you have to fire the coach in the middle of the season. Does Stan draw enough water to do that? Who’s more important to the higher-ups, Stan or Q? Does he already know he doesn’t? Do we know? Does Stan have a Plan B in case he does get to make that move? Would Jeremy Colliton be ready? And as a GM if you pull the trigger on a coaching change, your neck is now exposed. If it doesn’t turn things around, you and the coach you hired are out on your ass come the summer.

It seems Stan knows that whatever moves he makes specifically for next season, he can’t completely lose what’s after that, even if he’s not around for it. Because this roster is going to need to be augmented, fed, freshened by kids through the system each of the next two, three, four years to maintain and eventually replace THE CORE.

With Tavares looking likely to stay put, the one-and-done answer in free agency isn’t there. Anything else is subject to usage, which hasn’t always gone Stan’s way. We’ve said it wouldn’t make sense to fire a GM and not a coach midseason, because an interim GM can’t change much midseason. But not everything with the Hawks management has made sense, despite what their success says. They apparently gave the reins fully to Stan last summer, and then they missed the playoffs. Is he still as trusted? Or are Q and his allies getting their influence back?

We’ll know soon enough.

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Stan Bowman Meets The Media, Staring Contest Ensues

By Sam Fels 2139 0

Though I’m not sure you can have a staring contest via conference call, if anyone could it would be Stan Bowman.

We know that Bowman hates talking to the media, and even if he did it the only thing he’s good at is saying nothing. His update on a Marian Hossa injury years ago of, “Well he’s on schedule, but there’s no timetable,” being pretty much the perfect example of what we get when Bowman gets a microphone in his face. At best, he’s a master at saying exactly nothing. It was more of it today.

So we’ll get to the top of it, which is that the situation on Corey Crawford is exactly the same. Or more to the point, ain’t nobody sayin’ shit. There’s no update, and if there’s a key quote it’s, “We have no reason to believe that Corey won’t be ready for training camp.”

It’s interesting wording there, because there’s also no reason to believe he will be either. He hasn’t been on the ice, no one’s talked to him, and the Hawks can’t tell us where he is. At least not until the convention they can’t. And at this point it sounds like they’re going to dump this on Crow himself, which is how that phrase plays out.

It wouldn’t be the first time the Hawks have made a face at someone recovering from a head injury, if indeed that is what’s going on here. Jeremy Morin’s career stalled out here partly because the Hawks thought he took too long to come back from a head injury, and thus he wanted to fight everyone when he came back. They started whispering that Dave Bolland was taking too long to come back from a concussion as well, though we all later found out Bolland didn’t have a brain to bruise.

But of course, it might not be just a head injury, as those are the whispers that keep popping up more and more with all this idleness. Which, and we’re just speculating because it’s all we can do, if it is the recovery is entirely up to Crawford. You can’t put a timeframe on something that isn’t a physical injury, one would think, if that’s what we’re dealing with. And again, the “we have no reason to believe” kind of absolves the Hawks of doing anything, not that anyone thinks they’ve done anything wrong here.

It could not be a murkier situation, and maybe the Hawks are counting on everyone counting on it being cleared up at the Convention where Crawford is slated to appear. Except he could come out for his ovation at the opening ceremonies, and then basically not speak to the media from there on out and that would be very Hawks.

At this point, I’m not going to believe that Crawford is going to be at training camp on time, or even the regular season, until there’s reason to. If he were working out, you’d think they’d tell us. If he’s skated, you’d think they’d tell us. Or he has and had to stop. Really any conclusion you draw is not a good one, and we may find out more if the Hawks go out and get not just a credible backup but someone who might be a 1B.

-Other than that, Bowman’s call was a masterclass of being a mushmouth. They may move up in the draft, they may not. They like a lot of guys at #8. They’re trying to improve short-term and long-term. They may trade, they may not. They may sign guys, they may not. If I didn’t know any better I’d swear he was a GM.

With the rumblings of John Tavares staying put the odds of the Hawks making a huge splash went down, because there’s really only one or two other things to make a big splash with. John Carlson really doesn’t make that much sense for how expensive he’s going to be, and James van Riemsdyk probably does. Past that I can’t help you.

Sadly, Stan didn’t take the opportunity to completely rule out signing Slava Voynov, because if you’re an organization that has greatly welcomed and put up a statue of pieces of shit in your past, really why would you? He gave it the boilerplate “we can’t talk about anyone right now” instead of, “God no, I don’t want that fucking scumbag anywhere near the scumbag I already have” but then again no NHL GM has.

#EndHockey

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Burn The Pages of Unwritten Memoirs – Draft Preview: Adam Boqvist

By Adam Hess 2254 0

As Sam said yesterday about Ty Smith, and because this is the direction the game and league is really headed with the position, you could probably just copy and paste Quinn Hughes draft preview (or Smith’s from yesterday) to get this preview of Adam Boqvist out of Sweden done. Though not necessarily small at 5’11” and 170 lbs, he could probably benefit from adding some size in the form of muscle and weight, and his offensive game is incredibly advanced. In fact, reading some scouting reports on him makes him sound more like a dynamo forward than a blue liner.

His shot has been heralded as one of the best in the draft – not just among defensemen – and one scouting report said he might even have the quickest release of any player in the draft in that regard. That’s a major plus and definitely an indicator that he’s a future power play point man.

The movement is where he gets the most praise, though, both of himself and the puck. His vision and passing ability is top level, and he has drawn comparison’s to Erik Karlsson, which is maybe a combination of hyperbole and lazy player comparison, but also could be an absolutely huge boon for whoever ends up drafting him. It’s certainly a possibility that he has the offensive capability to match up to EK65, and even if he does that is not necessarily the kind of thing that would make him a certified top-3 pick.

That’s because his defensive game does still need some work. He’s got a bit of early Nick Leddy in him, where he’s quick to flee the zone and try to jump into rushes even at times he shouldn’t be. Some reports mentioned him looking to get up the ice before his team even retrieved the puck, causing some breakdowns in the zone. He still needs some work on positioning in the d-zone as well, though his active stick and ability to use his speed to keep up with opposing forwards helps him in that regard.

Boqvist also brings an added advantage that almost no other prospects in the draft does other than number one pick Rasmus Dahlin, and that is experience playing against actual grown men in a professional league. Although, in Boqvist’s case it significantly less – he played in just 15 games in the SHL last year and registered only one point in that time – but it’s still a valuable experience to build on. He also dominated the SuperElit league with Brynas IF’s U20 team before getting the call to the main squad, notching 14 goals and 10 assists for a 24 point total in 25 games.

There’s a decent chance Boqvist doesn’t even end up being available to the Hawks at 8, but if he is there he seems like a sensible pick. There’s a slight chance he could prove to be NHL ready next year, though most scouting reports say he’s a year away (but when you’re picking at 8, everyone is) while others say he’s at least “a few” years away. There’s some projection to Boqvist but his ceiling is high and his game is tailored to today’s NHL, and he’d be another high-level right shot blue line prospect for the Hawks to add to the system.

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Burn The Pages Of Unwritten Memoirs – Draft Preview: Ty Smith

By Sam Fels 1517 0

Essentially, what we wrote here about Quinton Hughes at Michigan we could copy and paste for Smith out of the WHL. A tad undersized, but a dynamic offensive force from the blue line who exploded in his second year in the Western Hockey League.

After a 32-point season in his debut with Spokane, Smith went nuclear last year with 73 points in 69 games. That made him the second leading scorer as a d-man in the league, behind David Quenneville and ahead of one Henri Jokiharju. I suppose if I’m advocating having Jokiharju go straight to the NHL, then you could make the same case for Smith.

Smith doesn’t have the international experience that Jokiharju does, and hey, it’s a bitch being Canadian that way. Smith is also going to have to overcome the stigma of his size. He’s listed at 5-10 and 176, and that’s probably being generous. While the NHL is skewing smaller and faster, there are times when d-men have to be sturdy and strong and Smith is going to have to prove he can do so in those moments.

What Smith has that you can’t teach is being a plus-plus skater and instincts. Smith’s vision is already at a higher level than he plays according to scouting reports, and projects as a #1 power play QB in the not too distant future. He already has a great sense of when we can skate himself out of trouble, which is most times given his grace, and when he has to make a pass. He’s also not afraid to step up into the rush, or above his blue line to break up play quickly, which is a skill the Hawks prioritize heavily.

Unlike some others we’ve previewed, Smith is likely to be around when the Hawks pick. He’s been projected as low as #17 in some mock drafts and as high as #7 in others. The Hawks could conceivably drop down a few spots and get him and gobble up another pick if one team was desperate to move up. Again, the Hawks are basically short everywhere in the pipeline with only Jokiharju and Mitchell as d-men they’re counting on to make an impact at the NHL-level. Smith looks like he could be another.

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What are we supposed to do with this?

By Adam Hess 2217 0

One of the stranger themes that is constantly present with the Hawks year in and year out is the Trade Guy. It seems like each offseason – or at least every other year – there has been at least one player whose combination of play, contract, and being surpassed by other players just proving to be better, leads to him being an extremely obvious trade candidate both from the sensibility standpoint and the fan outrage standpoint.

First it was Nick Leddy, then it was Patrick Sharp, followed by Bryan Bickell, and now it’s Artem Anisimov. Wide Dick proved to be the prize of the first Brandon Saad trade, and he really has been perfectly fine for the Hawks in the three years he’s been here. He’s netted at 20 goals in each of his three seasons in Chicago, a feat he had only achieved once prior to landing here. A good chunk of those are probably a direct result of playing with Patrick Kane for three years (and Artemi Panarin for two of those), but it’s still a decent selling point if your trying to build value on the trade market, which we are.

The analytically minded are not going to be as bullish on Anismov, and for good reason – he has only broken 50% shot share at 5v5 once in three years in Chicago, but he’s also never dipped below 49% so it’s not like he’s getting skulled out there. It’s basically a back and forth when he’s out there, which isn’t exactly ideal but is still adequate enough to not be maddening. Again folks, we’re going full on used car sales pitch here.

Anisimov does have some obvious shortcomings that are definitely less than ideal for a center, like the fact that is really slow and also terrible on the dot. He’s a perfectly fine player and one that might truly be able to contribute to a good team if used properly, or eat top six minutes for a middling or bad team and do a pretty good job. Basically, if Stan Bowman is worth his salt (and I think he is), he should be able to build a market for Anisimov. The question, though, is how good that market would be.

Back at the trade deadline, the Hawks were rumored to be considering trading him, but the best offer they got was a third round pick from Columbus. But the trade deadline doesn’t always bring out the full market because it seems like teams are always hesitant to players that aren’t the “biggest” names on the market at that time. The NHL Draft and free agency season has become the big event for major moves as teams try to restructure themselves for the new seasons by plugging holes or adding new elements, so Anismov’s market is probably going to have at least a few takers. But the market isn’t your only obstacle.

Anisimov has a full NMC that runs until July 1, so that throws a major wrench in any plans that Stan may have had to try and move him at Friday’s draft. And this is where it gets murky, because if you’re Anisimov you might be smarter to waive that NMC this week and give yourself a bit more control over where you play next year rather than handing in a 10-team list on June 30 only to have a 1-in-1o shot at your preferred location come July. Not that Stan would ask Wide Dick where he wants to go and then only try to make it work there, but if Stan gets a deal put together on Friday and calls up Anisimov’s agent, maybe it makes more sense to just say “yes” then and know you’re wanted where you’re headed rather than go into the new league year with only an inkling of an idea of where you’ll be come October.

I think the Hawks might be able to sell a team like Carolina on taking Anisimov as part of a package for Justin Faulk, and I genuinely think Carolina would be a nice landing spot for Wide Dick while also striking me as a nice place to play. Is that more attractive than trying to sort through which third of this league is desirable enough to play in to include them on an “okay” list?

Given that the Hawks are pretty much set at their top two center spots at this point with Toews and Schmaltz, while also being rumored to have interest in John Tavares, it’s starting to feel more like “when” Anisimov gets traded rather than “if” he gets traded. It doesn’t feel particularly likely that it happens this week, but stranger things have happened, and it’s all going to come down to what level of control Wide Dick wants on his future. It’s at least something to keep an eye on come Friday.

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Burn The Pages Of Unwritten Memoirs – Draft Preview: Oliver Wahlstrom

By Sam Fels 1492 0

After two of the dream picks yesterday, we move to the likelier draftees for the Hawks. And even Oliver Wahlstrom might be a stretch. But some mock drafts have him getting to #8, and some even have him falling farther than that.

There are some who will tell you that Wahlstrom is the best offensive talent, or potential to be, in this draft. He might be the best American in the draft, ahead of Tkachuk and Hughes as well. There’s certainly a lot to work with here.

Wahlstrom was significantly the youngest player invited to last summer’s US Junior camp, which is what makes everyone take notice. Some will tell you he already has a professional-level shot, especially one-timer, which Wahlstrom himself has already boasted about. Whenever Wahlstrom gets to an NHL team he’ll already have a weapon that can contribute even if every other part of his game has to be brought along.  You could plug him on the left side of your power play and probably get 8-10 power play goals from jump street.

Wahlstrom isn’t just a sniper, though that’s the main feature of his game. He’s got good enough hands and vision that some have suggested he can play center, but wing appears to be where he will star. He’s also not small at 6-1, but is more than an average skater. Other than Svechnikov, there might not a better offensive force in the draft.

What’s even more intriguing about Wahlstrom is what he might spend next year doing. He was slated to go to Harvard, but considering that no one ever leaves Harvard early he’s now slated to attend Boston College. Wahlstrom holds dual-citizenship in Sweden, and it might make the most sense for him to play in Sweden in a professional league for a year. But given BC’s prowess and rep for building talents to be ready for the NHL, that’s where you’d likely find him.

And Wahlstrom is only going to need a season either in Europe or college. He’s already got NHL-level skills in one area, which means any team would get production from the first year of an ELC without wasting it by having him do anything the AHL. For the Hawks, they are short on top six talent in their pipeline, now that DeBrincat and Schmaltz have become part of the NHL roster and important ones. Sikura and Ejdsell are basically what they have bubbling underneath the surface. So adding someone of Wahlstrom’s quality would immediately make him the best forward prospect they have.

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Burn The Pages Of Unwritten Memoirs – Draft Preview: Quinton Hughes

By Sam Fels 1517 0

We’ll continue our look at possible Hawks picks with another son of a former player, and one who probably isn’t going to make it to the Hawks at #8 but would be a boon if he did. And that’s Quinton Hughes from Michigan.

Whatever team takes him had better realize that what Hughes does is kind of the future of the position. Not that he’s going to revolutionize the game or anything, but as more and more teams replicate what has made the Penguins successful the past three years, the Knights successful this one, and a handful of others, no longer are teams going to be content with having just one or two mobile d-men and filling out the rest of the blue line with atom-smashers. That’s going to get you beat in this league. The first team that basically throws out five or six puck-movers is probably the next one to have sustained success. Your d-men have to get themselves out of trouble, they have to be good with the puck to dodge aggressive forecheckers, and they have to then get up in the play. As the game speeds up it’s going to be harder and harder to pass your way through trouble. And to do that teams might have to forgive undersized d-men.

Hughes fits the bill. He’s only 5-10, so if teams are going to count on him to clear the crease or wrestle with guys continuously down low, that’s not going to fly. What he is is extremely graceful already for his age, and racking up 29 points in 34 games for the Wolverines in his first year there is nothing to sneeze at. He’s a gifted passer as well, so he can spring breaks from his own end when his feet won’t get him there. He’s basically going to a be a high-end Jared Spurgeon, and if you follow analytics at all you know that Spurgeon is actually one of the more effective d-men in the game and moving the play the right way.

Some teams are going to be scared off by his size, and I fear that the Hawks are one of them. And they can use all the help on the blue line they can get, even if Hughes is a year or two away. What are the sure things for three years from now? Keith will not be? Jokiharju? Ian Mitchell? Gustafsson and Forsling are definite questions still. The pipeline doesn’t have much more, and Hughes would certainly add to that.

Yes, Hughes might have a rough adjustment period figuring out angles and plays to compensate for his size. He’ll probably need to bulk up a bit to at least be a solid frame. But hey, Duncan Keith in reality is no more than 5-10 or 5-11 and figured it out, and you can be hard to play against in the corners with quick and smart hands, which Hughes already has.

While there are some real moronic teams ahead of the Hawks, it’s hard to see the Red Wings at six skipping on him, given his connections to the state through going to Michigan and having lived there now for a couple years. But hey, a boy can dream.