Below is a list of things the Colorado Avalanche should address if they want to be serious Stanley Cup contenders for years to come.

Photo courtesy of NHL.com

A pest

It’s debatable whether Nazem Kadri fills this role, but he can’t do that sitting up in a skybox wearing street clothes. It was pretty obvious that when the Knights were down and out during the first two games of the series at Ball Arena that they just wanted to set a mental tone. They wanted to show that despite dropping the first two games on the road, that they were going to be a nightmare to deal with as the series progressed. And guess what, that’s exactly what happened. They never gave up and punished Colorado physically and successfully got in their heads. It was like a different team got off the bus to play games three through six.

Matt Calvert is absolutely the player who had this role until injuries sidelined him for the season. Same with Logan O’Connor who got on the ice and made a noticeable impact, but it was too little too late. The bottom-six forward group needs a makeover in the worst way to give the team a little bit more grit and make the Avs hard to play against. It was rare to see checks finished or turnovers forced against Vegas, but they were sure getting that done against Colorado.

Photo courtesy of TheAthletic.com

A big trade-deadline acquisition

This take may be pretty subjective, but Joe Sakic has to take some blame for not risking it all for his team who was primed to be a Stanley Cup contender. Sure you can say Saad and Toews were solid acquisitions, but they weren’t “all-in” type deals. When your team needs to get by an obstacle, you have to take big swings toward the fences. Every general manager who has won a Stanley Cup at one point or another has known their time to push all of their chips in the middle and that generally includes trading top prospects and picks for rentals.

Sakic may look to recent years where teams traded valuable picks away and it didn’t help the team, but with your goaltender and captain on expiring contracts 2021 seemed like a good year to take a risk. It also depends on the market and assessing if the rental players are a fit for your team. Regardless, the Avs got another year of experience in the postseason, but bringing in more firepower to give the team a boost is never a bad idea.

EDMONTON, ALBERTA – AUGUST 02: Zach Sanford #12 of the St. Louis Blues and Erik Johnson #6 of the Colorado Avalanche collide during the second period in a Round Robin game during the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoff at the Rogers Place on August 02, 2020 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images)

A veteran defenseman

The Avs have a desperate need for a veteran blue-liner to help tutor their group of young, talented defensemen. You could say this is the job of Erik Johnson, but with his recent injuries, it’s hard to rely on just him. You need somebody back there to calm the waters when things are going your way. You need someone to pull your guys out of a scrum when you have a lead or someone to start some trouble after the whistle when you need a jumpstart.

It was evident that key mistakes were made by the defensive core, but there’s not much room for error in the playoffs. It’s about living and learning out there and for someone like Ryan Graves to have so much responsibility, it’s hard to learn on the fly. The Avalanche just need a third-line guy who has been to a Stanley Cup and can tell the Avalanche exactly what they need to do to go deep in the playoffs. Whether that’s playing smart and simple hockey in close games or sacrificing the body in key special teams opportunities, someone needs to be a role model out there for the young Avs.

Photo courtesy of TheScore.com

Stars need to rise to the occasion

In the playoffs, it’s the goal for the other team to shut the opposing team’s top line down. There are no surprises there, and Vegas did a great job limiting Nathan MacKinnon’s opportunities in the series. It took until game six for the Avs stars to come out and start playing playoff hockey, and still, it wasn’t enough. It’s not clear whether there was a level of complacency since the Avs didn’t do much losing in their first six playoff games, but the top-six forward group didn’t act like they were fighting for every inch of ice against Vegas. They didn’t hound the puck or put a lot of pressure on the Vegas defenseman. It just wasn’t there.

It’s hard to tell if this issue is due to players buying into Jared Bednar or just a lack of playoff experience, but Bednar has to be on the hot seat this season. He failed to make the necessary adjustments in four straight games to challenge the Knights. The strategy improved towards the end of the series as Colorado became more desperate, but the Avs were still sent home in embarrassing fashion losing four straight. The Avs looked motivated and they said all the right things, but it never translated on the ice. Their level of competition has to change, especially when they’re playing a talented team like Vegas who refuses to be out-worked.

The post Four things the Colorado Avalanche need to fix next season appeared first on The Rink.

The game was played in front of a full-capacity T-Mobile Center, adding even more electricity to the series. Knights forward Ryan Reaves and Avalanche forward Nazem Kadri were both ruled out with suspensions. Alternately, Colorado Head Coach Jared Bednar made a couple of lineup changes before the game by taking out rookies Alex Newhook and Sampo Ranta and replacing them with Kiefer Sherwood and Carl Soderberg.

First period

Right off the bat, it felt like Vegas was on a mission.  The Knights were forechecking and putting constant pressure on the Avs. In the first couple of minutes, the goaltenders at each end took shots at opposing forwards with their sticks—showing how tense and physical the series had become. The Avalanche somehow got out of the period tied at 0-0, despite minor penalties to Gabriel Landeskog and Patrik Nemeth and being outshot 15-3.

Second Period

The scoring opened in the second period when Vegas’ Alex Pietrangelo fired a shot from the point and William Karlsson buried a Philipp Grubauer rebound.  But just a minute later, Colorado got the equalizer from the 4^th line—with Carl Soderberg scoring off of a juicy rebound from a Pierre-Edoaurd Bellemare snapshot.  The period ended after the Knights killed off a delay of game penalty called on Shea Theodore.

The @Avalanche answer right back! #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/0fQb2PPR5Q

— NHL GIFs (@NHLGIFs) June 5, 2021

Third Period

With the game tied heading into the final period of regulation, it was a shock that the Avs were still in the game. They were either going to steal a game in Vegas—or Phillipp Grubauer’s near-perfect night was going to be spoiled. And Colorado caught a break when Nicolas Roy was called for hooking, putting the Avs on the power play. With Colorado’s first PP unit out, players fought for control along the boards in the Knights zone—until the puck trickled out to an open Mikko Rantanen, who blasted the puck past Marc-Andre Fleury, giving the Avs a 2-1 lead.

WHAT. A. BLAST. Mikko Rantanen, sheesh! #StanleyCup

NHL x @massmutual

: https://t.co/TgHqInayQo @NHLonNBCSports
: https://t.co/f90GskjalD @Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/1RBsCEOiZx

— NHL (@NHL) June 5, 2021

But the game was far from over. The Avs tried to keep the puck deep in Vegas’ end, but the Knights were mounting desperate pressure. With six minutes left in the game, Jonathan Marchessault tied the game by banking the puck of Grubauer from behind the net. Then less than a minute later, Max Pacioretty redirected in the go-ahead goal, giving Vegas a much-needed win on home ice.

What’s next?

The Avs and Knights play game four this Sunday in what should be another great battle between a couple of the best teams in the NHL. It’s just a shame that the series is happening so soon in the playoffs. With Vegas handing Colorado their first loss of the playoffs, that means that the series will go at leastf five games. So, at minimum, action will return to Ball Arena Tuesday for game five.

The post Avalanche crumble in third period, drop Game 3 to Vegas 3-2 appeared first on The Rink.

Colorado’s Nazem Kadri has been suspended for eight games for an Illegal Check to the Head on St. Louis’ Justin Faulk. https://t.co/5rg2ZPVm5P

— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) May 22, 2021

Period one

The first period seemed as though both teams were being a little too careful and not wanting to make any mistakes. The Blues were clearly the more physical team, and the Avalanche tried their best to play a solid road game by keeping things simple. St. Louis had a couple of sequences where they pinned Colorado deep in their own zone, but Philipp Grubauer was able to keep the Avalanche in the contest.

Period two

The second was when all the action started. Just two minutes into the frame, birthday boy Ryan Graves was released from the penalty box and found the puck for a breakaway. Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington misjudged playing the puck and left the net to challenge Graves, who was then able to score the first goal of the game.

Ryan Graves taking full advantage here. #StanleyCup

: https://t.co/NAvBGZ9Yg8 @NHLonNBCSports
: https://t.co/OQ9vAnIFa6 @Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/XZhUV069l9

— NHL (@NHL) May 22, 2021

Later in the second, Alex Newhook carried the puck into the zone on an odd-man rush and centered a pass trying to find Valeri Nichushkin’s stick. The puck missed and ricocheted to JT Compher, who fired a shot off Binnington’s left pad, which rebounded right back to Newhook for his first NHL goal. But Colorado was not done yet. Minutes later, Gabriel Landeskog found Tyson Jost on another opportunity, who capitalized to make it 3–0 Avs.

Out of desperation, the Blues challenged Jost’s goal for goaltender interference, which they lost, thus putting the Avalanche on the power play. But, just before the period ended, Cale Makar lost the puck behind the net to Blues captain Ryan O’Reilly, who set up Tyler Bozak for a shorthanded tally. The Blues would cut the lead to 3–1 heading into the third period.

GETTING YOUR FIRST NHL GOAL IN THE PLAYOFFS, NOTTA BIG DEAL @AlexNewhook_ pic.twitter.com/MslOJfQYv4

— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) May 22, 2021

Period three

St. Louis continued hitting as much as they could and ultimately finished the game with 46 hits as a team. But, it was the Avalanche that kept skating and making the Blues defend high-danger chances. More than halfway through the third, Andre Burakovsky skated into the St. Louis zone and found a streaking Brandon Saad, who scored his 20th career playoff goal to put Colorado ahead 4–1. Then, with a few minutes remaining in the game with Binnington pulled, Compher sealed the game with an empty-net goal.

https://twitter.com/HeresYourReplay/status/1395953528120782851?s=20

What’s next?

The Avalanche have a commanding 3–0 series lead and have the opportunity on Sunday to advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. In NHL history, there have only been four teams to ever come back from a 3–0 deficit in a series, so the numbers are on Colorado’s side. Unfortunately, the Avs will not have Kadri available for some time, but those shoes will have to be filled by Jost, who has been playing very well lately.

The post Avalanche beat Blues 5–1 in Game 3, look to advance Sunday appeared first on The Rink.

• • What do we think of the rookies?
  • Who are our surprise rookies?
  • We talk about our opinions on Jeremy Colliton.
  • What do we think about their very poor 5v5 over the last several years?
  • Gate praises Alex Debrincat.

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Just before the start of Thursday’s game, it was announced that Avs star center Nathan MacKinnon would not play due to an “lower body injury.” Skating in his place would be Tyson Jost who had won over 50% of his face off draws in the last four games. Fans have had their eyes on newcomer Alex Newhook who would skate in his second NHL game.

Period One

The game got off to a quick start when Kings forward Carl Grundstrom shot the puck on net from the left circle that created a big rebound off Philipp Grubauer’s right pad. The puck went right to Brendan Lemieux’s stick and he put the Kings up 1-0 early.

But it wasn’t long before Colorado got the equalizer.  Los Angeles was called for too many men, which put the NHL’s 8th best powerplay on the ice.  One minute into the penalty, defenseman Cale Makar found Mikko Rantanen for a one-timer that beat goaltender Cal Petersen high stick side.  With that goal, Rantanen eclipsed the 30-goal mark for the second time in his career.

That's the big 3 0 for Mikko Rantanen this season. pic.twitter.com/7pAPSQ3nE7

— NHL (@NHL) May 8, 2021

Period Two

In the second period, it was Colorado who got off to the fast start. Forward Tyson Jost got a great pass from defenseman Jacob MacDonald, then he was able to fire the puck on net hoping for a rebound to reach a streaking Mikko Rantanen. However, the low shot somehow got past Cal Petersen and went into the net.

Coast to coast thanks to MacDonald and Jost!#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/pod5Yq9NnH

— x – Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) May 8, 2021

Following the game, head coach Jared Bednar talked about Jost and said, “I thought he was good tonight. He worked hard. He was a little fancy with the puck in the offensive zone a couple of times. When guys start to play with Mikko and Landy, they start to change but he skated, he made plays… He made a good decision to put the puck on net with Mikko going there and it goes in so I thought he was a real good 200 foot player for us tonight.”

The Avs would strike again halfway into the second period when Cale Makar skated through traffic and put the puck past a lunging Cal Petersen. Makar would become the first Avalanche defenseman to reach the 40 point mark in their first two seasons. Rookie Alex Newhook would also receive his first NHL point on the play as he tallied the secondary assist.

During the intermission when asked about the accomplishment, Makar said “I don’t really think about that at all. I don’t know if I would be doing this if I wasn’t around these guys on the team. All the credit goes to them for setting me up or putting the puck in the back of the net. We’re so skilled that for us it comes down to competing. Our compete does all the talking and our skill takes over after that.”

One downside for Colorado during the second period was when defenseman Patrick Nemeth crashed hard into the boards while fighting for a puck. He went straight off the ice and did not return to play.

Cale Makar is so good pic.twitter.com/L2AObsGikE

— Dimitri Filipovic (@DimFilipovic) May 8, 2021

Period Three

The Kings made things interesting with under three minutes to play when Gabe Vilardi put back a Lias Andersson rebound past Grubauer. The Kings capitalized on a turnover by Nazem Kadri in the defensive zone. However the Avs were able to hold on and get two much needed points in the Honda West division.

Gabriel Vilardi picking up the rebound. pic.twitter.com/99ZYcWLTR9

— LA Kings (@LAKings) May 8, 2021

What’s next?

With the the Wild and Knights both winning in overtime, no teams made any ground in the standings on Friday night. The Avs play the Kings again Saturday in LA with both the Wild and Knight in action again as well. With just four games remaining, the Avalanche need to make every point count.

The post Avalanche edge Kings 3-2, continue to chase Vegas in the standings appeared first on The Rink.

Staff writer Craig Jones joins the podcast to discuss Philipp Grubauer’s career season, the success of the defensive group and what could happen before next week’s NHL trade deadline.

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Game two

The game Saturday night started off with a lot of speed from both teams, but there was not much puck possession. The Avs struggled to transition out of their defensive zone cleanly, as the Ducks mucked up the neutral zone as much as possible. Anaheim played a very simple road game, making sure they had fresh legs and continued chipping the puck in deep.

Nichushkin was again noticeable, as he was strong on the forecheck and made a really nice steal later in the game. He has been strong on the puck and been putting a lot of shots on net, even if they are not necessarily quality chances. The Avs were clearly not on their game, as they made poor defensive zone turnovers, notably from Kiefer Sherwood and Ryan Graves. Goaltender Hunter Miska kept Colorado in the game, except for a miscue where Rickard Rakell fired a one-timer right off the faceoff and in.

Steeler wins the faceoff right to @RickyRakell93 and he buries it. #FlyTogether pic.twitter.com/ovkHzoEWRa

— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) March 7, 2021

The Ducks led the Avs 1–0 after the first period, which may have been the sloppiest 20 minutes the Avs played all season. There was limited time in the offensive zone, they had issues connecting on passes out of their own end and Ryan Miller did not seem like he was challenged with any of the Avs’ shots. On the bright side, MacDonald continued to impress. Playing with Samuel Girard lets MacDonald play the conservative game that the Avs need right now: No turnovers, make smart plays and help soak up minutes.

The second period was a complete 180. It started off with a beautiful goal from former Denver Pioneer Troy Terry, but after that, it was all Avs. After Colorado did not score on the power play, Nichushkin found a streaking Logan O’Connor, who put the puck past Miller for the first Avalanche goal of the night. You could tell the Avs were on a mission, as they had a little more pep in their step.

You can just hear that one #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/oCBDCq1tBD

— x – Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) March 7, 2021

It seemed like something clicked, because Colorado started getting pucks deep and cycling in the offensive zone. They ended up drawing another penalty, and this time making the Ducks pay when Mikko Rantanen collected a rebound from a Girard shot from the point and shot it off Miller and into the net. It was great seeing the Avs get a creative goal like that. Often times, it seems like they are trying to make things a little too perfect. Following the power play, the Avalanche were still buzzing and shooting from virtually everywhere.

Power play goal #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/t8rR9NZKVn

— x – Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) March 7, 2021

The third period started with the Avs scoring two goals within one minute of each other. Rantanen scored his second of the night on a shot through traffic from the point and Brandon Saad got his driving hard to the net for a nice tip in. At that point, the Avs had scored four straight goals after the Ducks got the first two of the game, but there was plenty of time left in the game.

Terry found the back of the net for his second of the contest, as he shot through bodies in the slot that Miska did not seem to have his eyes on. The Ducks had all the momentum, but the Avalanche were pushing back. Miller had to make a few key desperation saves to keep Anaheim in the game, then Kevin Shattenkirk tied the game on a late Ducks power play goal. The game would head to overtime again, but the Avs would get into trouble early in the extra frame when Rantanen would go off for a tripping minor giving the Ducks a 4-on-3 advantage. The Avalanche started off strong on the penalty kill, but it was Ryan Getzlaf who sealed the overtime win for the Ducks with a tip in past Miska.

What’s next?

It is a positive sign that the Avs came away with three points this weekend, but Saturday’s game definitely got away from them. Hockey returns on Monday with a pair of games with Arizona before the Kings come to Denver over the weekend. It looks like the Avalanche will get some players back from injury too with MacKinnon and Matt Calvert returning to practice. It was also noted in yesterday’s broadcast that Erik Johnson has been placed on long-term injured reserve. The Avs will need to tighten up and get some much needed points this month to separate themselves from the log jam that is the Honda West Division.

The post Avalanche earn point in 5–4 overtime loss, split series with Ducks appeared first on The Rink.

There have been several films made about enforcers and how they are a “dying breed” and analytics played a big role in the evolution of today’s game. The idea is that if there is a player on the ice that is not contributing to the team winning the game, you are at a disadvantage. But, there was a reason these kinds of players have existed for so long in the game of hockey. With 12 forwards, six defensemen and a goalie, not everybody is going to be Wayne Gretzky.

Players have roles on a hockey team and one of those roles is an agitator. These types of players get under the skin of the opposing team to try to shift the momentum in their team’s direction. Those tactics include big hits, roughing after the whistle and chirping the other team’s players.

Just this week, agitator Tom Wilson hit Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo high, forcing his head to crash into the boards. Carlo left the ice on his own feet, but was later transported to the hospital. Wilson has a history of these kinds of plays, the ones the NHL has been trying to weed out the last few years. Back in the day, an enforcer would have fought Wilson or targeted one of the Capitals’ top players in exchange for hitting Carlo. Is an eye for an eye the answer? Probably not, but it makes you at least think twice about hitting another team’s top player.

Tom Wilson hits Brandon Carlo up high.

Carlo needs help getting off the ice. pic.twitter.com/RgACye1H7l

— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) March 6, 2021

So how does this relate to the Colorado Avalanche? Well, the last couple years, the Avs have been Stanley Cup contenders with a very bright future. Their young talent is through the roof with the likes of Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Bowen Byram, Mikko Rantanen and many others. Unfortunately, they have been plagued with injuries, forcing them to go weeks without key players in the lineup.

At one time, former Avalanche forward Cody McLeod was an alternate captain under then-Head Coach Patrick Roy. Now, Roy is probably as old school NHL as it gets, but he knew how important protecting the Avs’ young talent back then was when they had budding players such as Matt Duchene, Paul Stastny, Ryan O’Reilly and then-rookie MacKinnon.

But today is a different story. The Avs are often left doing nothing after an opposing player takes liberties on a Colorado player, or you have top-six forwards taking matters into their own hands like when Nazem Kadri fought Ryan Lindgren after an ugly hit on Joonas Donskoi, who later missed several weeks due to concussion symptoms.

Fast forward to just a few days ago and we saw MacKinnon take a high hit from a Sharks player that looked really bad. These situations continue to happen and they definitely affect the psyche of top players.

With so much invested in your top players and in the future of your organization, it makes sense to me to want to protect those assets. Of course, we have all seen the studies on what head trauma does to players and it is something I do not wish upon anybody. But, there should be a difference between fighting to fight, and fighting to police. It is clear that in the 70s, it was out of control, and maybe today the pendulum has swung to the other extreme with no fighting and players are getting injured too often.

So what is the middle? How can teams like the Avalanche give their top players the confidence to play their game knowing that one or more of their teammates has their back? It is an issue that is intangible that will not show up on a stat sheet, but everybody knows it is there. The question is, who will be the first to bring the enforcer back?

The post Do the Colorado Avalanche need an enforcer? appeared first on The Rink.

Game 2

Hunter Miska gave Philipp Grubauer some much needed rest Friday night, but the Avs went right back to their number one goaltender Saturday night.  We also learned that defenseman Cale Makar is day-to-day with an upper body injury so he would be replaced with Dan Reneouf.  Matt Calvert was out again but this time Logan O’Connor would crack the lineup, along with Jacob MacDonald.

It was clear in the first period that the Coyotes had made some adjustments.  They were getting pucks deep and creating a lot more chances early on.  Nick Schmaltz seemed to pick up where he left off yesterday, trying to take pucks to the net and get in the grill of Avs’ defensemen.  Bowen Byram also continued playing a physical game, laying a big hit on Clayton Keller.

But it was Nathan MacKinnon who broke the ice.  The Avs centerman slipped through a check along the left boards and shot a laser past Coyotes goaltender Antti Raanta top-shelf.

https://twitter.com/Emily_Wade/status/1365852998711209984?s=20

The Coyotes kept it interesting when forward Clayton Keller redirected a shot from the point past Philipp Grubauer with a handful of minutes left in the second period.  Although it seemed like momentum was going towards the Yotes, the Avs answered right back with a nice wrap-around goal from Jacob MacDonald who scored his first NHL goal with Colorado.

After the game, MacDonald said, “You have to savor these moments.  For me proving myself isn’t going to happen in six games, or twenty games, or whatever.  It’s going to be on consistency on a day-in, day-out basis. As long as I can do that, there’s ‘no proving myself in one game.’ It’s about proving myself on a nightly basis for me.”

"Old MacDonald had a goal- E I E I O"@ConorMcGahey with the great goal call on Jacob MacDonald's 1st goal in an @Avalanche sweater!!#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/dwXFueTXxz

— 92.5 FM – Denver's Altitude Sports Radio (@AltitudeSR) February 28, 2021

MacDonald’s go-ahead goal proved to be the first of many Avalanche goals in a much needed blowout game.  Gabe Landeskog got things going in the third period with a net-front powerplay goal.  The Avs seemed to not be able to get set up or move the puck around successfully in previous powerplays.  It was also uncharacteristic for them to get a blue-collar, greasy goal like that.

The Avs would later add third period goals by Donskoi, Jost, and Bellemare which is great for Colorado’s scoring depth.  If they can get production and start rolling all four lines, the Avs could hit their stride this season in March.  The final score Saturday night was 6-2, giving Philipp Grubauer his 10th win of the season.

It’s also noteworthy, head coach Jared Bednar ruled out defenseman Cale Makar for the rest of the road trip as the Avs wait for more information from the medical staff on his day-to-day status.

What’s next?

The Avalanche wrap up the month of February with a record of 5-3 and will continue their short road trip on Monday & Wednesday in San Jose against the Sharks.  Following that series, the Avs play 13 of 15 games at home at Ball Arena in Denver.  If there’s any time to get on a hot streak, March is their time.

The post Avalanche defeat Coyotes 6-2 Saturday for series sweep appeared first on The Rink.

Staff writer Owyn Cooper chats with Juliana Nikac, social media manager for the NWHL’s Connecticut Whale, about her love for the game of hockey, having a career in sports and much more.

• What is your background in hockey and how did you end up in the industry? (2:00)
• What was it like going to school at two colleges with prestigious hockey programs? (7:05)
• What did you know about the NWHL and what about it drew your interest in working for them? (9:40)
• What is the voice of the Connecticut Whale on social media and how did you find your brand? (12:00)
• What was the most difficult part of running social for a sports team during COVID-19? (15:57)
• What the impact been like when the NHL puts a spotlight on the NWHL? (22:23)
• Thoughts on a NWHL team in Colorado? (25:45)
• If you had advice for aspiring young women in the sports industry, what would you tell them? (28:04)
• What is your take on fans with multiple team allegiances? (31:12)
• What are your thoughts on the NHL’s division alignment? (36:48)
• Who is your Stanley Cup pick? (43:15)

Please do us a favor. Subscribe, rate this episode, share with your friends and even write us a review. The best reviews will be read on the air.

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The post Colorado Hockey Rinkcast S1 Ep10 — The Connecticut Whale’s Juliana Nikac appeared first on The Rink.

Host Aaron Goldschmidt chats with College Hockey News senior writer Avash Kalra about the Denver Pioneers and the NCHC conference.

• Is North Dakota the team to beat this year? (5:55)
• What’s going on with Magnus Chrona? (8:43)
• Do the Pioneers not have enough scoring? (13:59)
• Is Carter Savoie one of Denver’s top playmakers of the last decade? (16:15)
• Why haven’t the Pioneers been able to fight back into games this season? (19:15)
• Frozen Faceoff updates (22:00)
• How does the NCHC compete for national championships every year? (28:25)
• Will the NCAA pull off the Frozen Four tournament? (33:12)

Please do us a favor. Subscribe, rate this episode, share with your friends, and even write us a review. The best reviews will be read on the air.

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The post Colorado Hockey Rinkcast S1 Ep9 – College Hockey News senior writer Avash Kalra appeared first on The Rink.

Host Aaron Goldschmidt chats with Locked on Avalanche podcast host Chris Micieli to discuss the Colorado Avalanche season thus far.

• Why can’t the Avalanche stay healthy? (11:35)
• Can the Avs get by without Nathan MacKinnon? (16:00)
• Which player are you excited to see step up with all the injuries? (24:45)
• Is Bowen Byram ready? (30:09)
• Will Cale Makar avoid a sophomore slump? (33:00)
• Is Jared Bednar a long-term solution for the Avalanche? (38:24)
• Can Grubauer finally stay healthy and be the Avs #1? (49:05)
• The Lake Tahoe outdoor game is right around the corner. Boom or bust? (52:42)

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Let’s take a look at how the Avs did this weekend against Minnesota.

Game one

With Matt Calvert already out indefinitely due to concussion issues, the fourth line was already on the mend, as recently acquired Kiefer Sherwood replaced Calvert in the lineup. But, that line took another hit this week when Pierre-Edouard Bellemare went down with an apparent knee injury in the series against the Anaheim Ducks. Following Thursday’s game, Colorado Head Coach Jared Bednar said Bellemare will “miss some time,” leaving fans with the hope that his injury is not season-ending. On Saturday, the University of Denver Pioneer alum Logan O’Connor got the call up and did not waste any time getting involved. In just his first shift, O’Connor scored on a wrist shot from the left circle that ricocheted in off the goaltenders stick. After the game when asked about scoring on his first shift, O’Connor said, “Maybe throughout my career, but it definitely doesn’t happen often.”

Logan O'Connor opens up the scoring early for Colorado!#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/FQFKRhFBkQ

— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) January 31, 2021

The Wild would answer O’Connor’s goal with a great shot from Matt Dumba off Grubauer’s mask, but the Avalanche would regain the lead in the final seconds of the first period with a power play goal from their second line. Andre Burakovsky sent the puck down low to Brandon Saad from the half wall, who then centered the puck to Joonas Donaski in front of the net for a tap-in goal past Kirill Kaprizov. After being called out by Bednar earlier in the week, who demanded more from the second line, Saad responded with six points in his last three games.

In the second period, Mikko Rantanen continued his hot start, scoring his seventh goal of the season on a nice wrist shot, as he carved his way through the slot of Wild defenders. With that goal, Rantanen became the first player in franchise history to score a goal in each of the team’s first five road games. Rantanen is currently tied for second in the NHL for goals scored, only trailing Vancouver Canucks forward Brock Boeser, who has lit the lamp eight times in the young season.

Looks like Mikko Rantanen is feeling it tonight. pic.twitter.com/Pq7xqGFUL8

— NHL (@NHL) January 31, 2021

The Avs would pull away in the third period with goals from Saad and JT Compher, but the big stories from Saturday’s game were the injury to defenseman Erik Johnson and the steady play of Byram. Early in the contest, Johnson skated up the right boards to dump in the puck when he was hit hard by Wild forward Jordan Greenway. Johnson landed hard and gingerly made his way back to the bench, where he proceeded back to the locker room. It is unfortunate that Johnson is injured again after he worked hard to get healthy, as injuries kept him out of the playoffs last season.

Jordan Greenway hammers Erik Johnson pic.twitter.com/40wXNOtz8p

— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) January 31, 2021

Playing with just five defenseman, the Avalanche leaned heavily on their young talent, as Sam Girard, Cale Makar and Ryan Graves all played over 20 minutes each. But it was the play of Byram that turned heads. Byram held his own in his 19:26 of ice time after playing just a handful of NHL games. He was patient with the puck, made clean exit zone passes and most notably was not shy about playing the body. With recent support from leaders like Johnson and Nathan MacKinnon, it seems like Byram will stay up with the Avalanche this season and use up the first year of his entry-level contract. It is great that these young players are able to fill in the gaps and get some great experience at the NHL level, but you have to wonder why this group just cannot seem to shake the injury bug.

https://twitter.com/Emily_Wade/status/1355706897723056130?s=20

Game two

The Avalanche and Wild played their second game just 24 hours later in St. Paul. Getting the start in net for Colorado was Minnesota native Hunter Miska. Jacob MacDonald also drew into the lineup, replacing Johnson. The pace to game two was similar to the previous night, with up and down action without a lot of stoppages. And within four minutes, the Avalanche struck first when MacKinnon found a streaking Donskoi in the slot, who put it past Cam Talbot for a 1–0 advantage. The Wild would even the score at 1–1 late in the first period following a Greenway rebound goal past Miska.

Had to get MacKinnon going tape to tape with Donskoi there!#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/50XTn6jwqY

— x – Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) February 1, 2021

Right off the bat in the second period, the Wild attacked the Avs, forcing a turnover from Graves. The puck remained in the Avs’ zone until Wild captain Jared Spurgeon found Victor Rask open on the left circle for the goal. Makar and the Avs answered right back two minutes later, tying the game at 2–2.  Makar said at the intermission that he saw the Wild forwards had over-committed, so he took advantage of the space and the traffic in front of Talbot. The game went into the third period tied 2–2, but the success of the Avs’ penalty kill had been the story. They killed off another two power plays, backing up their first-place ranking in the NHL for penalty kill percentage.

Cale Makar (@Cmakar8) is one special talent… pic.twitter.com/WRkJ28TzdR

— NHL (@NHL) February 1, 2021

The Avalanche and Wild would continue to exchange blows in the third. Saad would give Colorado the lead, but the Wild would come back again with another goal by Rask. The game was destined for overtime, to which it went. But, with their first offensive possession, the Wild got the puck to Jonas Brodin in the high slot, who beat Miska for the game-winning goal. Although it was a disappointing loss, seven points in the last four games is pretty darn good, especially with a lot of players banged up. One of the most notable being MacKinnon, who did not return in the third period.

MacKinnon has lower body injury, will not return

— Lauren Jbara (@laurenjbara) February 1, 2021

What’s next?

These teams are not done with each other just yet. Both teams will travel back to Denver for another two games at Ball Arena on Tuesday and Thursday. The Avs are in another tough spot with so many players out with injuries, but hopefully Devon Toews can come back to help the defensive unit. Hopefully MacKinnon is okay as well, because that would be a colossal loss.

The post RECAP: Avalanche split first two games with the Wild appeared first on The Rink.

The Rink staff members John Jaeckel, Jeff Osborn, Sean Fitzgerald, and Aaron (Goldschmidt) Goldstein to talk about the Blackhawks announcement today that Stan Bowman has been promoted, while Jaime Faulkner takes President of Business Ops, and Danny Witz becomes CEO.

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The-Rink.com co-host Jeff Osborn , Rink prospect writer Ray Napientek and The Rink Colorado‘s Aaron Goldschmidt wrap up the Blackhawks first day of the NHL draft.

• • The Stan Bowman and the Blackhawks took a “safe” pick selected Lukas Reichel
  • What we might expect from tomorrow’s rounds 2-7
  • A couple of surprise moves from other teams.

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https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/colorado-hockey-rinkcast/id1531527924

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What that being said, let’s take a look at how the bottom six performed.

Photo courtesy of NHL.com

Matt Calvert (12G, 13A, +13)

Grade:  B

It’s difficult to say what could have been if the Colorado Avalanche were 100% healthy when they played the Dallas Stars in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season.  Sure, the Avs took the Stars to seven games after being doing 3-1 in the series, but they were missing several key contributors in their lineup including forward Matt Calvert.  Known for his gritty playing style and ability to get to hard areas, Calvert brings a kind of tenacity to the Avalanche that they were lacking against Dallas.  Calvert was declared unfit to play following the Avs’ series against the Arizona Coyotes and his injury hasn’t officially been disclosed.

Injuries were surprisingly a theme this year for Calvert who had played all 82 games last season.  He missed several games this season due to a concussion he received after blocking a shot to the head against the Vancouver Canucks back in November.  The play was very controversial and received national attention as many criticized officials for not blowing the play dead as a player lay seriously injured.

Despite his injury problems, Calvert had another productive season adding some much needed depth scoring for the Avalanche and finished with a career high plus/minus of 13.  His goals reflect his ability to not just be a presence in front of the net, but also on the rush.  As Calvert enters his third and final year of his contract with Colorado it’s difficult to say if there is an extension in the works, but it’s evident the Avs need more players like Calvert in the lineup if they want to go deeper in the playoffs next season.

Photo courtesy of NHL.com

Valeri Nichushkin (13G, 14A, +13)

Grade:  A-

Joe Sakic has been able to find value-add pieces for the Avalanche in more ways than just the draft.  His acquisitions of Ryan Graves, Andre Burakovsky, and Nazem Kadri via trade have been significant as well as his free agent signings of Joonas Donskoi and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare.  But Val Nichushkin seems like Sakic’s diamond in the rough.  The former 10th overall pick in the 2013 NHL draft never found his way in the Dallas system, but something clicked this season when Nichushkin shined scoring 27 points for the Avalanche and finishing 2nd on the team in plus/minus with 26.

Nichushkin is the perfect combination of size and skill that the Avs need on their roster, especially since he proved he was able to play anywhere in the lineup.  And for being one of the biggest guys on the team, he showed some breakaway speed and the ability to capitalize.  Nichushkin played a lot on the third line and accepted his role as a checking forward.  But when he is in the offensive zone, it’s difficult to take him off the puck and stop him through the neutral zone.

With a few players like Martin Kaut, Shane Bowers, and Logan O’Connor knocking at the door for roster spots, there are some difficult decisions to be made in the bottom six for next season.  But hopefully, the Avs can come to an agreement for a least a one-year deal so Nichushkin can have an encore to prove he’s worth the long term investment.

Photo courtesy of NHL.com

Matt Nieto (8G, 13A, +7)

Grade: B-

There were only two players that played in all 70 games in the 2019-20 modified regular season and they were Sam Girard and Matt Nieto.  Nieto has been a solid add for Colorado the past few seasons providing valuable minutes on the penalty kill and recently some great depth scoring in the playoffs.  Last season he had two shorthanded playoff goals and seemed to be always buzzing around the puck, but this year that wasn’t the same situation.

Playing a bottom six role means you’re accepting limited ice time and have you to find different ways to contribute to your team winning games.  For some, it’s blocking shots, being reliable, or great defense, but a lot of the time it’s hard to distinguish yourself from the pack.  Has Matt Nieto done enough to earn him a spot on the roster next season?  Maybe.  I know a lot of people respect him and his work promoting hockey in the Hispanic community around Denver so that will be missed if he moves on.

Photo courtesy of reviewjournal.com

Pierre-Edouard Bellemare (9G, 13A, +2)

Grade:  B

You can look at Pierre-Edouard Bellemare on paper and say that he’s overpaid for a 4th line player and he needs to be the first guy out to clear cap space, blah blah.  But in reality, you’re getting a lot of intangibles from Bellemare that are invisible to the naked eye.  He exemplifies a veteran who is a great locker room guy.  He has a great sense of humor and knows how to keep it light, especially during the grind of a long regular season.  Plus he can skate pretty well for being 35 and can still produce in the NHL, not to mention he’s also 50%+ in the faceoff circle.

Off the ice, Bellemare represented the Avalanche and minorities of color in the NHL when the players came together during the Black Lives Matter movement and spoke about the importance of equality not just in all levels of hockey, but everywhere.  Bellemare’s combination of value on and off the ice makes him a vital piece for the roster next season, but who is to say what happens beyond then.

Photo courtesy of sportsnet.ca

JT Compher (11G, 20A, +9)

Grade:  B+

It’s hard to believe that the trade that sent Ryan O’Reilly to the Sabres five years ago is still bearing fruit on the Avalanche today with Nikita Zadorov and JT Compher continuing to be key contributors.  Compher inked his four-year deal last summer with Colorado and has done a good job giving them over 30 points the last couple years, not including his eight points in 13 playoff games this season.

Compher is fine.  He isn’t a shutdown, checking center that you can lean on for some top defensive assignments.  He can play the middle, or the wing and gives you some versatility, but dare we ask for more?  The conversation following the playoff loss to the Stars was “do we need bigger guys?”  And you have to ask yourself, is JT Compher the right fit for that role?  The Avalanche top six is loaded with offensive talent, but they somehow keep falling behind in games.  I understand that Colorado has committed to Compher, but they could look at him as a chip that a lot of teams would come to the table for.  He’s a young centerman who can play in the NHL with some offensive upside, and what the Avs really need is a grizzly vet who wants to dig pucks out from corners and mix it up every once in a while.  But for now, Compher gets the job done.

Photo courtesy of tsn.ca

Tyson Jost (8G, 15A, +11)

Grade:  C+

The best way you can describe Tyson Jost’s time with the Avalanche thus far is a mixed bag.  Drafted 10th overall in 2016, the former North Dakota Fighting Hawk hasn’t developed into the point-per-game machine that he was in college.  His ability to lose defenders behind the net with his shiftiness made him lethal with the puck, especially on a powerplay with Brock Boeser.  But today as Jost’s entry-level contract is behind him, the Avalanche will have to make a decision on Jost’s future.

There is no question that Jost has shown glimpses of high potential as he did when he scored a hat-trick back in October.  But to score just one point in 12 playoff games this year showed that it’s possible his game disappears when there’s less room to skate.  Jost could be a fantastic commodity for another team who could potentially trade for his rights this offseason, but the truth of the matter is that the Avs simply may need a different kind of player.

The post Colorado Avalanche 2019-20 Season Review: The Bottom Six appeared first on The Rink.

Similar to Game Five, the Avalanche chose to play goaltender Michael Hutchinson who was backed up again by Hunter Miska.  Conor Timmins drew into the lineup once again but unfortunately Matt Calvert was still held out.  In goal for the Stars was Anton Khudobin, backed up by young Jake Oettinger as Ben Bishop was deemed unfit to play again.

Here’s how the game shook out.

First period

While it took awhile for both teams to loosen up, the story in the first period was faceoff wins and blocked shots.  The Stars won 67% of the draws and had 11 blocked shots in the first 20 minutes of the game.  The first big opportunity for the Avs came when Pierre Edouard-Bellemare took a high stick from Blake Comeau and drew blood so Colorado had four minutes of powerplay time.  Unfortunately, the Stars killed off all four minutes and limited Colorado to just a couple shots on goal.  The Avalanche had another minor penalty after Mikko Rantanen was taken down going to the net, but Dallas killed that penalty off, too.

On the defensive side, goaltender Michael Hutchinson made a huge save on Stars forward Radek Faksa as he was forced to slide from left to right to make sure a rebound didn’t go in.  But it was only a few minutes later when Miro Heiskanen scored on what should’ve been a routine save for Hutchinson.

Michael Hutchinson gets across to deny Radek Faksa. #NHLonSN pic.twitter.com/SqfaJANQwQ

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) September 3, 2020

But the Avs weren’t ready to end the period on that note.  With under a minute to go, Colorado defenseman Nikita Zadorov took a shot from the point through traffic and it found its way into the net past Anton Khudobin.  With the score tied at one, both teams headed into the locker room with shots also tied at 13 each.

During the intermission, Anson Carter talked about there being fewer scrums after the whistle.  Both teams were trying to be conservative and not commit any dumb penalties that would put their teams shorthanded.

Zadorov ties it up at 1 after 1 #GoStars v #GoAvsGo

LIVE on @SiriusXMNHL
- https://t.co/F3l2nu3fHT pic.twitter.com/wmIPJb3JZY

— SiriusXM NHL Network Radio (@SiriusXMNHL) September 3, 2020

Second Period

It was more of the same in the second period as the Stars still couldn’t stay out of the box, and the Avs still couldn’t score on the powerplay.  Jamie Benn and Corey Perry were called for minor penalties in the period, but Colorado struggled going 0-for-5 for the game.  Eight minutes in, Cale Makar found a rebound in the slot and put it high past Anton Khudobin, giving the Avs a 2-1 lead.  But more bad news would follow.  Conor Timmins would leave the game, leaving Colorado with just five defenseman to finish the game and captain Gabriel Landeskog left at the end of the period with an apparent leg injury.

It's Cale Makar!

The ROOKIE puts the #GoAvsGo on TOP.

Presented by @NewAmsterdam pic.twitter.com/9sDGNeLaXJ

— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) September 3, 2020

Third Period

The Avs got to work early in the third period and provided goaltender Michael Hutchinson with some insurance with a goal by Mikko Rantanen.  The assist came from Nathan MacKinnon who extended his playoff point streak to 14 games.  After that goal, Dallas started turning up the heat finishing every check and putting tons of pressure on the puck.  But the Avalanche held on to their lead and got back the captain Gabe Landeskog who returned from the locker room.

With under ten minutes to play, the Avs went to the penalty kill after Stars forward Jason Dickinson received a high stick.  They did a great job blocking shots and making sure the Stars didn’t have any open lanes.  As time dwindled down to three minutes left, Dallas pulled their goalie but that didn’t end well.  Nathan MacKinnon recovered a loose puck and sent it down for the empty net goal, sealing the game for the Avs at 4-1.

MacKinnon and Rantanen are just so disgusting together pic.twitter.com/5mGyC4ktsW

— Dimitri Filipovic (@DimFilipovic) September 3, 2020

What’s next?

Holy cow, that’s all I can say.  It’s been quite the series and will be remembered as an instant classic, but this is far from over.  Friday night, the Avalanche and Stars play each other one last time in a win or go home game to advance to the Western Conference Finals.  The stage is getting bigger each game and although Colorado keeps getting setbacks with injuries, they keep moving forward.  Hold onto your hats folks, we’ve got a game seven coming our way!

The post Avalanche force game seven after pivotal 4-1 win over Dallas appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts Jeff Osborn , John Jaeckel and surprise guest Aaron Goldschmidt of The Rink Colorado wrap up the Blackhawks season and start to contemplate the draft and free agency.

• • After making the Oilers look silly, the Vegas Golden Knights return the favor to the Blackhawks
  • Kirby Dach and Dominik Kubalik continued to play well
  • Alex DeBrincat, Dylan Strome and Alex Nylander did not
  • The irrational hate for Olli Maatta
  • Corey Crawford and goalie talk
  • Discussion about the lack of player development

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First period

Just when you thought the Avalanche would come with the energy they had in game three, they sleepwalk through the whole first period of game four.  The game started with the Avs on the powerplay but it was lethargic and they could not even get through the neutral zone.  The Avs did not register a shot on that powerplay and they would not get one until the 18 minute mark of the period.  Yes, you read that right.  Pavel Francouz did not have his best period either, allowing three goals on 10 shots.  Two of them were on the Dallas powerplay, one scored by Radek Faksa on a rebound in front of Francouz and the other on a Jamie Benn redirect.  The period concluded with Dallas up 3–0 and leading in shots 10–5.

Patrick Sharp of NBC Sports said it best after the period ended.  “The Dallas Stars came out angry and there was no response from the Avalanche.”  Anson Carter elaborated saying that “the Stars wanted to drag Colorado into a street fight,” and they did.

Power. Play. Precision. #GoStars strike AGAIN on the man advantage. #StanleyCup | @DallasStars pic.twitter.com/sCriMXk5lc

— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) August 30, 2020

Second Period

The Avalanche woke up in the second and quickly came back to get even with the Stars in shots on goal with 14 early in the period.  Both teams were checking hard and seemed to trade minor penalties throughout the period.  At times, Avs coach Jared Bednar was double-shifting Nathan MacKinnon to ignite some sort of spark while they still trailed the Stars 3–0.  Thirteen minutes into the second, it was Val Nichushkin who got the Avs on the board first, cleaning up a shot from the point by Cale Makar.

Nichushkin getting this train rolling #GoAvsGo https://t.co/MnwxMoh8cU

— x – Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) August 30, 2020

And after a pivotal penalty kill that sent Nathan MacKinnon to the box on an interference call on the Stars’ Corey Perry, the Avs found themselves on a 5-on-3 with under a minute left in the 2nd period.  Colorado called a timeout which followed a powerplay goal by Cale Makar, drawing the Avs within one goal of tying the game.

BACK IN IT!

Cale Makar makes it a ONE-GOAL game. #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/KrBDC4HfMl

— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) August 30, 2020

Third Period

There was energy from both teams to start the third, but it was the Avalanche who would have a couple of miscues that would cost the.  The first was a tripping penalty that led to a Roope Hintz goal, giving the Stars another two goal lead.  Moments after, Cale Makar collected the puck behind the net, but somehow he lost it in front of Francouz who was scored on easily by Denis Gurianov making it again a three goal lead.

With under ten minutes in the period, Val Nichushkin scored his second goal of the game on a deflected wrist shot, but it was not enough for the Avs to complete the comeback.  Even with a late goal by Vlad Namestnikov, the Avalanche fell to the Stars 5–4 and now trail Dallas 3–1 in the series.

The @Avalanche get one back on a bit of a weird one. #NHLonSN pic.twitter.com/gw14ygZ5YM

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) August 31, 2020

What’s next?

It will be a quick turnaround for this series as game five is on Monday at 7:45 pm MT.  The Avalanche, who were one of the favorites all year to compete for the Stanley Cup, now face elimination in the second round.  You can look at the key injuries to Philipp Grubauer, Erik Johnson, and Matt Calvert, but this should not be an excuse.  The Avs had to play a gritter playoff-style game to match Dallas, but they failed.  They have one more chance to fight for pucks, or else they will have to wait until next season.

The post Avalanche fall to the Stars 5-4, face elimination Monday appeared first on The Rink.

Before the game started, lineups showed that Vladislav Namestnikov was back in the lineup after sitting a few games under concussion protocol, but Matt Calvert was a scratch.  Calvert is a big part of the Avs’ bottom six forward group and provides a certain “sandpaper” that gives the team a lot of energy.  He was even in a scrap with Stars captain Jamie Benn earlier this year.

Make sure you check out our series preview of the Avalanche vs Stars in the second round series of the Stanley Cup Playoffs!

First period

The Avs didn’t get off to the start that they wanted to with the Stars, as Dallas took control in the first few minutes.  They had a plan to take Colorado’s strength out of the game, which is their great skating ability.  The Stars dumped the puck in behind Philipp Grubauer and began to cycle, wearing out the Avalanche defenseman.  After just four minutes, the Stars scored their first goal on a pass from behind the net from Benn to Tyler Seguin.  Within a minute of the Stars’ first goal, Nathan MacKinnon answered back, striking on a wrist shot through some traffic that Dallas goaltender Anton Khudobin never saw.

We just don't have anymore words for Nathan MacKinnon (@Mackinnon9). #StanleyCup

: https://t.co/GDNbGpS3tW @NHLonNBCSports
: https://t.co/Uu61IdqCuU @Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/v9s05SXM9h

— NHL (@NHL) August 23, 2020

Some bad new came in the middle of the period when Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson blocked a shot and fell awkwardly in front of the net.  He made it back to his feet but opted to skate to the bench gingerly, knowing it wasn’t just a bruise.  The Stars continued putting on pressure and the puck eventually found it way to the back of the Avs net on a redirected shot from Blake Comeau at the point.

But the Avs weren’t going away.  MacKinnon made a nice pass to Gabriel Landeskog on what should’ve been the Avs’ 2nd goal of the game, but Khudobin made a great post-to-post save.

We call that Dobbery #GoStars pic.twitter.com/ve6NEc01bu

— X – Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) August 23, 2020

The Avs didn’t look great the rest of the period as they continued to turn over the puck in the neutral zone and simply didn’t have an answer for Dallas’ offensive game.  Within the final minutes of the first period, Samuel Girard dumped the puck in and chased it into the Dallas zone, which resulted in a Dallas odd-man rush.  Benn found Alexander Radulov right in front of Grubauer, who then put the Stars up 3-1.  The period ended with Colorado leading Dallas in shots 13-7, but Dallas seemed to have the advantage so far in all phases.

Second Period

To start the second period, it was nice to see Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson back on the bench, who had left the game in the first due to an apparent leg injury.  Unfortunately for the Avs, another player would leave the game in the second period.  Going for a pad save, Grubauer looked to over-extend and went down in agonizing pain.  Play stopped as he had to be helped off the ice, with Pavel Francouz coming on the ice in relief.

Scary moment as @Avalanche' Philipp Grubauer goes down in pain and is helped to the locker room. Pavel Francouz is now in net. pic.twitter.com/GfV0jc51z0

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) August 23, 2020

The Avalanche looked like they got some extra motivation after Grubauer went down as they were skating hard and putting a lot of pressure on the defense.  After a long shift in the Dallas zone, MacKinnon shot the puck from the point and the puck found Landeskog, who scored his first goal of the postseason.

Landeskog makes it a one goal game! It's 3-2 !!#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/WzbJ1RSLBj

— SiriusXM NHL Network Radio (@SiriusXMNHL) August 23, 2020

The goals continued to pour in, as it was Dallas’ turn.  Seguin carried the puck through the Avs’ zone on a two-on-one and fired the puck low on Francouz.  The rebound came to Radulov, who put home his second of the game, giving the Stars another two goal lead.  Later in the period, Johnson took another spill and left to the tunnel again.  And just before the end of the second period, both teams took minors and it was four-on-four for two minutes.  The Avalanche got possession in the Dallas zone and MacKinnon redirected his second goal of the game off of a Girard shot.

What would @BrianBoitano do? @Mackinnon9 with a triple toe loop double redirection. pic.twitter.com/fryksQ9VAc

— BucciOT.Com (@Buccigross) August 23, 2020

Third Period

It was back and forth action for the first ten minutes of the third period as the Avs tried to even the game at four.  But it was Roope Hintz that broke the ice, giving the Stars a 5-3 lead.  Dallas continued to cycle in the Avalanche zone, grinding away at the game clock.  They finished all their checks and were always in on the forecheck.

In the final five minutes, the Avalanche pulled their goalie but the Stars held them until the final buzzer.  The game ended with the Avalanche leading in shots 31-30.

What’s next?

Game two will be on Monday at 7:45 PM MT and, if the Avalanche want to even up the series, they will need to find another level.  The Dallas Stars aren’t the Arizona Coyotes.  They’ve shown that they can score seven goals in a game too, plus they play a heavy style game.  If you’re Colorado, you have to watch the tape and see how you can come out and adjust.  It’s clear the Stars are taking away the neutral zone from the Avs so they can’t penetrate on the rush.  They Avs may also have to find a replacement for Erik Johnson if he’s unable to go for game two.

The post Philipp Grubauer injured in Avalanche 5-3 loss to Dallas appeared first on The Rink.

With a couple of players listed as gametime decisions for Game Three, the Avalanche had some choices to make as far as the forward group, but they also made a change in net.  Making his Stanley Cup Playoff debut was Pavel Francouz, who played well in the qualifying round.  Joonas Donskoi returned to the lineup, while Vlad Namestnikov was sidelined for concussion protocol after a collision with Nathan MacKinnon in game two.

First period

Similarly to game two, it looked like the Coyotes wanted to come out strong and try to skate with the Avs.  Just three minutes into the game, the Avs were sent to the penalty kill on a Tyson Jost high-sticking minor.  Colorado killed it off after allowing just one shot to the Coyotes, making them 0/7 on the powerplay in the series.  A few minutes later, in the Avs zone, Nazem Kadri turned the puck over to Arizona and Clayton Keller fed Derek Stepan in the slot for the game’s first goal, beating Francouz who appeared to not have his stick.  It was the first time in the series that the Coyotes have led.

Great setup, great goal. pic.twitter.com/9BpZ20r7Fh

— Arizona Coyotes (@ArizonaCoyotes) August 15, 2020

Later in the period, the Avs went to the powerplay on a Carl Soderberg goaltender interference minor.  Colorado was moving the puck really well and getting great chances, but Kuemper stopped them all.  The period ended with the Avs leading the Yotes 20-12 in shots, and there was a little skirmish after the horn sounded.  In the middle of it all was Matt Calvert.

Second period

The first ten minutes of the second period weren’t as exciting as the last ten minutes, but there were some highlights.  MacKinnon took a hooking minor.  It was his second penalty of the game, which is uncharacteristic for the Avalanche.  The Coyotes didn’t convert and, after two periods, each team was 0/3 on the powerplay.  Just after the Avs third powerplay that was awarded following an Oliver Ekman-Larsson tripping call, Andre Burakovsky finally found the back of the net on a deflected puck past Kuemper that tied the game at one.

It took 30 shots for the Avalanche to beat Darcy Kuemper.

Andre Burakovsky ties the game #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/AlC8nNnSzc

— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) August 15, 2020

Another story was the play of Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson.  He has been great in the NHL bubble so far making great plays but today he made two big blocks and stayed in the game.

Erik Johnson with a Superman shift.

Gets in front of Hjalmarsson and Kessel's shot #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/phJskTkDFg

— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) August 15, 2020

And with just 34 seconds left in the second period, the Coyotes’ Conor Garland found Brad Richardson in the left circle who fired a wrist shot that beat Francouz, giving the Yotes a 2-1 lead going in to the third period.  Arizona had just four shots that period compared to Colorado’s 16.  The story continued to be the play of Coyotes goaltender Kuemper, who didn’t give up many second-chance opportunities.

Third period

The Avalanche had the Coyotes under siege in the third period, firing shot after shot at Kuemper and the Arizona defense.  The Avs defenseman were very active, jumping into rushes and into deep into the offensive zone to keep pucks in.  But the Coyotes were committed to holding onto their 2-1 lead.  They got big shot blocks from Lawson Crouse, Niklas Hjalmarsson, and Stepan, trying to keep as many pucks away from Kuemper as possible.

In the final minutes, the Avs kept the pressure up, but it wasn’t enough.  With the Colorado goalie pulled, Taylor Hall scored an empty net goal to make the score 3-1.  The Avs pulled the goalie again and this time scored on a Mikko Rantanen shot that got redirected.  But, with under a minute left, the Coyotes’ Crouse scored their second empty-net goal of the period, icing the game at 4-2. Kuemper stopped 49 of 51 shots and helped carry Arizona to their first win of the series.

What’s next?

The Avalanche and Coyotes meet again on Monday at 3:30 MT on NBCSN.  It’s very possible that head coach Jared Bednar goes back to goaltender Philipp Grubauer, but the story is really the Avs running into a hot goaltender.  If they want to beat Kuemper, they’ll have to keep pucks low and get traffic in front of the net.  Like the Columbus Blue Jackets, this Coyotes team is committed to team defense and they don’t need much of a lead to win the game.  The Avs have shown they can beat Kuemper, it’s just going to have to come in a grittier way than they’re used to.

The post Coyotes steal game 3 from the Avalanche after 49-save effort from Kuemper appeared first on The Rink.

Make sure to check out our in-depth preview of this series against the Coyotes on The-Rink.com.

Playoff hockey. Is. Here.#GoAvsGo https://t.co/sfZN2vvstK

— x – Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) August 12, 2020

I absolutely love the intensity and physicality the @Avalanche are playing with right now.

— Orlando Franklin (@OFranklin74) August 12, 2020

First period

Now that the games truly count, it was pretty obvious that the Colorado Avalanche flipped a switch and started playing playoff hockey.  They were forechecking hard and finishing all their checks on the Coyotes players.  Even skill players like Mikko Rantanen were laying the body.  The result of the physical play was that it was almost all Avs in the first period.  Arizona had the puck in their zone almost the entire period.  One player who stood out was centerman Nazem Kadri who got some quality shots on goal.  The Avs did get one powerplay from a holding minor on Jason Demers, but it was killed off by the Yotes despite several good looks by the Avs.  The period ended with no score but a lopsided shot total with the Avs leading 13-3.

The moose is LOOSE!#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/XNg0CV3BSB

— x – Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) August 12, 2020

Second Period

The pace picked up a little bit in the second period as both teams began to really feel each other out.  The Yotes clearly wanted more than just three shots on goal in the next period so they were noticeably more aggressive, but the story continued to be Arizona goaltender Darcy Kuemper.  Adding 15 more saves to his total, Kuemper made it look pretty easy on his side of the ice, making saves without much traffic in front of the net.  Arizona was again outshot heavily in the second and couldn’t really get their possession game going, however, Avs goaltender Philip Grubauer made a few good saves of his own. The Avs defense then locked down in the final ten minutes of the period where they didn’t allow a single shot on goal.

Here are the second period highlights!

Keep firing those shots @Avalanche! #GoAvsGo https://t.co/pCMUdnh8zB

— AltitudeTV (@AltitudeTV) August 12, 2020

Third Period

Noticeably frustrated with not scoring through the first 40 minutes of play, the Avs turned it on late in the third period and broke the ice.  With seven minutes left in the game and the score still tied, Kadri cleaned up a rebound and finally got the Avalanche on the board.  The adrenaline was running through the Avs lineup as it took just 15 seconds for the Avs to score again.  This time it was forward J.T. Compher who found a loose puck again in front of Kuemper and scored on a nice backhand shot.  But the Avs weren’t even done yet!  They generated a three-on-two rush that resulted in a really nice tic-tac-toe goal scored by Rantanen.  All three goals were scored in just 1:23, putting the game out of reach for Arizona.  Grubauer got the 14-save shutout as the Avs take a 1-0 lead on the Coyotes in the series.

The @Avalanche just scored three goals in 1:23.

Here's the opener from @43_Kadri!#NHLonSN pic.twitter.com/kheV7eLprs

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) August 12, 2020

JT Compher
2-0 #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/i4U59yiIDE

— Fuck Dave Portnoy (@TheReplayGuy) August 12, 2020

MacKinnon, Rantanen, and Landeskog are pretty good at hockey pic.twitter.com/JVOFCcPLVg

— Dimitri Filipovic (@DimFilipovic) August 13, 2020

What’s next?

The Avs and Yotes will meet again on Friday for game two and will drop the puck at 12:00 PM MST.  Colorado will most likely see some adjustments from Arizona and will have to be prepared, but, in the meantime, it looks like Grubauer will stay in net.  Backup Pavel Francouz has been very good this season and beyond, which is great insurance in case Grubauer falters.  The game did have some physicality, especially with the star players, but it’s unclear how Arizona will find an edge against this Avs team.  With the Avalanche limiting their opponent to just 14 shots in a playoff game and exploding for three goals in under two minutes, they have to feel good going into game two.

The post Avalanche solve Kuemper late, take Game 1 from the Coyotes 3-0 appeared first on The Rink.

First period

The first period started off with a good pace, but things tilted in the Avs’ favor when Stars defenseman Esa Lindell went off for interference just three minutes into the game.  Colorado didn’t waste any time on the powerplay when Cale Makar scored on a one-timer from the point that got by Stars’ goaltender Anton Khudobin, who was starting in place of Ben Bishop, currently unfit to play.  The Stars continued to give up several odd-man rushes throughout the period, but had a good chance of their own when Avs goaltender Pavel Francouz had to cover up a puck deep in his net that was reviewed as a no-goal.

Haven't had your daily serving of veggies today?

Cale Makar's got you covered with this incredible one-timer @Avalanche | #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/lh1LwjjavK

— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) August 5, 2020

The Avs returned to the powerplay when Mikko Rantanen drove the net on another rush and was tripped by Seguin.  Dallas killed the minor penalty, but the Avalanche scored just a couple seconds later when Joonas Donskoi cleaned up a shot by Sam Girard, putting Colorado up 2-0.  Donskoi got good net-front position on Stars’ defenseman Miro Heiskanen and was able to easily put back the rebound.  The whole play started with a clean faceoff win from J.T. Compher in what seemed like a set play in the offensive zone.  The period ended with a minor penalty to Girard that was killed off, but the damage was done.  The Avs went into the tunnel up two goals and had 14 shots on goal.

Easy, breezy, beautiful backhand.#GoAvsGo https://t.co/Y738cA3IUg

— x – Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) August 5, 2020

Second Period

One minute into the second period, the Avs drew their third penalty of the night when Valeri Nichushkin was tripped by Roope Hintz.  The Stars killed it off, but the Avalanche continued to keep up the intensity.  Francouz was brilliant, making all eight saves in the middle frame while the Stars were making it difficult for him with a lot of traffic in front of the net.  The Avs seem to be on a mission this year as they finished every check in a game that technically doesn’t count.

The Stars caught up to the Avs in shots towards the middle of the period, but Francouz kept them off the board.  After a sloppy play through the neutral zone where everyone seemed to lose track of the puck, Nathan MacKinnon ended up with it on his stick and took a hard wrist shot in the slot.  The puck found Vladislav Namestnikov, who scored, putting the Avs up 3-0.  The period ended with Rantanen drawing another tripping penalty, this time on Stars forward Mattias Janmark.

The @Avalanche can't be stopped!

Vladislav Namestnikov makes it a 3-0 lead for the Avs. #NHLonSN pic.twitter.com/0kPauGHqgv

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) August 6, 2020

Third Period

To start the period, Avs forward Andre Burakovsky made the Stars pay when he ripped a shot bar-down, making it 4-0.  The Avs were then 2/4 on the powerplay and, moments later, MacKinnon was tripped up by Alexander Radulov, sending Colorado to their fifth powerplay of the night. Thankfully for the Stars, Colorado was unsuccessful.  You could tell the 4-0 score let the wind out of the Stars’ sails, as they were sloppy with the puck and turned it over several times in their own zone.

Burakovsky goes bar down and off Khudobin.

DAL 0 – 4 COL // P3 pic.twitter.com/Xo10ustGdO

— Dylan Nadwodny (@dnadders) August 6, 2020

Halfway through the period, the Avs took their second penalty when captain Gabriel Landeskog went off for cross-checking.  Colorado looked good again on the penalty kill, breaking up passes and sending the puck all the way down for the Stars to collect.  Dallas forward Corey Perry was sprung loose on a breakaway, but was denied by Francouz, who remained brilliant.  Frankie ended the game making all 27 saves against Dallas.

What’s next?

The Avs play their third and final round-robin game on Saturday against the Vegas Golden Knights, who came back in the third period to beat the Stars 5-3 on Monday.  Vegas will play their second round-robin game against the Blues on Thursday and could be competing with the Avalanche for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.  Until then, it looks like the Avs could be in the driver’s seat entering the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The post Avalanche, Francouz shut out the Stars 4-0 in second round-robin game appeared first on The Rink.

As the Avs are finally back to playing hockey and we’re back in the playoffs, we wanted to know if Colorado would get the good Kadri or the bad Kadri.  With a reputation of being a wildcard with history of suspensions, Kadri could be one of the final pieces the Avs needed to get them to the Stanley Cup, or something that holds them back.

To get more insight on Kadri, we asked Cris Caruso from The-Rink Toronto a few questions about the former Leafs centerman.

What should Colorado fans expect from Kadri in the playoffs?

During his time in Toronto, when on his game, he played a physical game, staying on the right side of the line. However, as seen in the last two years’ playoffs, it was easy for him to slip up. As some Leaf fans called it, he saw “red mist”. That is what led to his suspensions.

Kadri has had history with questionable hits and penalties that have cost his team.  Do you think he will have more trouble towing the line between being competitive and dirty, or do you think he’s matured from this?

If anything is going to get Kadri to grow up, it was this trade. He had previously been suspended by both his team and the league, yet he didn’t seem to mature. Honestly, trading him was the last option on the table. I obviously don’t have a definite answer, but in my opinion it is likely to have worked. It will definitely be interesting to see how it plays out.

Kadri has reached the 30 goal plateau a couple of times in his career.  Do you see him more as a scoring or playmaking centerman?

Kadri is a lethal playmaking centre. He is excellent at closing down the opposition. In fact, Kadri had his most successful years in Toronto (in terms of points and play in general) when he was acting as a shutdown centre.

What is something that Kadri excels at in big games, and what is something he struggles with?

Kadri excels at, for lack of better terminology, being a pest.  He will antagonize his opponents and get under their skin.  What he struggles with, or has struggled with in the past, is staying on the right side of the line.

A year from the trade, how do the Leafs feel about the Kadri / Barrie trade now?

Barrie has become an important piece to the team.  He has taken some of the weight off of Morgan Rielly’s back in terms of powerplay time and offense, and was extremely important with all the Leafs’ injuries early in the season. Kerfoot is a key part of the Leafs now. When he is going, he can get the team going. He has also been excellent at killing penalties, a real bad part of the Leafs’ season in 2018-19.

Who do you expect to go deeper in the playoffs this year, the Leafs or the Avs?

In my opinion, that depends on which version of the Toronto Maple Leafs shows up. One thing they’ve battled with all year is consistency. Another thing to watch is where Andersen is at. When he is at his best, he can steal games for the team, but he too has struggled with being consistent. However, basing my answer solely on how the season ended, I would say the Avs.

You can follow Cris on Twitter at @cmcaruso13 and read all her work for The-Rink Toronto here.

The post What will the Avalanche get out of Nazem Kadri in the playoffs? appeared first on The Rink.

This week, Nathan MacKinnon was nominated for the Ted Lindsay Award and Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, while the Avalanche star rookie defenseman Cale Makar was nominated for the Calder Trophy.  Both players are well deserving of those nominations but seem to have bigger plans in mind.

Eyes on the prize @Avalanche | #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/kMLAkp9gdS

— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) July 15, 2020

Before the Avalanche officially get into playoff hockey, we wanted to take a look at a few questions surrounding the team.  Our experts JJ Seaward, Lucas Rozell, and Marie Sexton discuss everything Avalanche hockey and some general NHL topics.  We’re all really excited to be back and providing you excellent coverage of our favorite team the Colorado Avalanche!

Photo courtesy of NHL.com

Which player who is returning from injury will make the biggest impact in the playoffs?

JJ:  While there are plenty of good options, I believe the return of Mikko Rantanen will bring the biggest impact for the Avs in this year’s playoffs. His return marks the return of the big three headed monster of Rantanen, Nathan MacKinnon, and Gabriel Landeskog, but he also adds to the overall depth for the Avs as he can fit anywhere in the lineup. No matter where he plays, he will make an impact for the Avalanche.

Lucas:  This one is difficult because I think a few players are going to have a strong impact. Obviously, the return of the first liners Rantanen and MacKinnon is going to impact the team greatly, as MacKinnon carried the team on his back for most of the season.  Other than the stars, the first name that springs to mind is Kadri – he’s been a really consistent force this season and I think he’s good at tying a line together. Burakovsky has also been a pleasant surprise this season and I’m hoping to see him make a big impact on his return, preferably on a line with MacKinnon.

Marie: I’d like to preface my first answer by saying I’m an AHL girl. I watch the Avalanche when they don’t overlap with the Eagles, but I don’t know the ins and outs of the team the way I do with the Eagles. But of the guys who were injured, I think Kadri will have the biggest impact.

How much of Timmins, Byram, and Bowers will we actually see?  And will any Eagles see any ice time?

JJ:  I think it will all really depend on how they perform in the summer camp leading up to the Avs exhibition showdown against the Minnesota Wild on July 26th. There is no doubt that all of them could make an impact, but it will depend on if Bednar believes they are ready. From what I have heard, Byram has been making a solid impression so far. I do believe some Eagles will definitely see at least some ice time, but only time will tell on how much exactly.

Lucas:  I think this will depend on both training camp and the series go for the Avalanche. The safer bet is to go with the squad that’s already had a really good year. While the newcomers had good seasons of their own, throwing them into these unusual playoffs would be an interesting move, unless they really impress during camp.  I could realistically see Bowers slotting in the easiest, especially if some of the other fourth line forwards fail to impress.

Marie: I doubt we’ll see much of the forwards. The Avs are just too deep up front. Maybe Logan O’Connor gets a bit of time on the fourth line, but unless somebody gets hurt (let’s hope not!), I don’t see the Eagles forwards getting any ice time.  Defense is another story. Zadorov is a wild card who appeared to be in Bednar’s doghouse before the break. Sometimes Cole is on fire, but other times, he’s a bit of a liability. And Barberio just isn’t that strong of a player, in my opinion. On the other hand, Timmins improved immensely this year. He and MacDonald are easily as good Barberio, and less likely to commit a costly penalty than either Cole or Zadorov. Connauton and Lindholm aren’t flashy, but they’re strong, reliable players. I think any one of these guys could find themselves part of the third defensive pairing.  As for Byram, I’ve seen all the hype, but I’ve also learned not to trust the hype because 99% of the time, it’s completely overblown. Yes, Makar managed to step into the playoffs last year and did great, but he’s an anomaly. In my experience, guys coming out of college at the end of the season are never as ready for the pros as people think. Those players almost always struggle being thrown into the AHL playoffs and don’t make much of an impact until the following season, Shane Bowers being a perfect example. So unless Byram is really as good as Makar (which I doubt), then I wouldn’t expect him to play.

What level of competition do you predict the round robin will have?

JJ:  I am a firm believer that every stage of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs will be help to the highest possible levels of competition. With teams being completely healthy, we will be in for some extremely good hockey games. In order for teams to advance past any stage, they will need to perform at their fullest potential to come away with the series victory — this will all start at the round robin games.

Lucas:  I believe there’s going to be a fair amount of competition. The teams were prepared to fight until the end to be at the top of the standings before the pause, so I definitely think that level of competitiveness is going to continue here. It’s a pride thing and it’s also a matter of getting into the right mindset for playoffs after the break.

Marie: The first time I really paid attention to hockey was the year the Avalanche won their last Stanley Cup. We watched the Finals, and it was undeniably exciting. I reluctantly conceded that maybe my husband was right and we should start watching hockey more often. I was psyched.  Right up until the new season started in the fall and my husband turned on a game.  Being early in the season, it was nothing like the intensity I remembered from the playoffs. “Why are they all skating at half speed?” I asked my husband. “Is this a preseason game or something?” Of course, I understand now that a) it’s a long season, and b) it takes some time to work up to playoff level intensity.  That’s all a very long-winded way of saying, I expect them to take it more seriously than a preseason game, but I think it’ll look more like early-season hockey than postseason hockey.

Photo courtesy of The Denver Post

Will the Avs have a goaltender controversy?

JJ:  Like Avalanche goaltender Pavel Francouz mentioned to Ryan Clark the other day in a post skate interview, it appears as if Phillip Grubauer and Francouz are ready to do whatever they have to do in order to win the third Stanley Cup in Avalanche history. While this is obviously exactly what fans want to hear heading into the playoffs, anything is obviously possible during the playoffs.

Lucas:  Ideally, the goaltending situation plays out like it did during the season – ride the hot goalie. The best option is always going to be the goalie that’s the most likely to succeed, but who’s to say who that’s going to be after such a long time away.  I like Francouz and Grubauer as a tandem and I think the fact that they can each step up when the other struggles that played a role in the success the Avalanche enjoyed this year.

Marie:  Well, if by “controversy” you mean, will everybody on Twitter be arguing over it, then yes.  I expect Grubauer and Francouz to get roughly even time in the first couple of rounds, but I think Francouz emerges as the stronger (and more consistent) of the two.

Could we see Zadorov benched at some point in the playoffs?

JJ:  I would hope not, but it will all depend on a few different variables. We have seen Zadarov be an imposing and intimidating factor in games throughout the year, but we have also seen times where he had a lack of judgment. Whether it be from missing assignments leading to goals against, or not playing physical, there have been a few common errors in his game that have led to him being benched. With these specific playoffs being all about wearing the opposition down, I am going to take a stand and say that no, we will not see him benched. He knows how he needs to play, and will do whatever he can to help the Avs win.

Lucas:  This one comes down to attitude. We’ve seen Zadorov with some splendid performances this season and I think he’s had moments of brilliance as a shutdown defenseman. If that slips, though, or if he continues to have issues with Bednar, we might see an appearance from one of the younger defensemen that are looking to earn a roster spot.

Marie:  Yes. There are too many other hot defensemen available. Admittedly, none of them play the same style of game as Zadorov, but that also means they’re less likely to be called for costly penalties

Do you think the Avs will be at an advantage as a skating team coming out of the break?

JJ:  If everything goes smoothly, and there are no injuries for the Avalanche heading into the official first round, then I definitely see the Avalanche having an advantage. The Avs will be playing against some of the tougher competition battling for the top spot in the Western Conference, and with a healthy lineup, the overall depth of the Avalanche could prove to be too much for any team.

Lucas:  Absolutely. The Avs have a lot of talent in one roster and they look to be working hard during this training camp period. With everyone back from injury, I see this team going back to their basics, running a very fast and skilled game.

Marie:  It’s good to have injured players back in the lineup, but I don’t necessarily think that gives them some huge advantage because all the other teams are in the same boat.

How much pressure is on the Avalanche right now to win the Stanley Cup?

JJ:  This is by far the most amount of pressure the Avalanche have had to win the Stanley Cup since probably the 2000-01 season. The Avalanche have all of the pieces to come away with the Cup this season. Coupled with depth throughout the lineup, and MacKinnon with a clear goal in mind, this is the best possible shot the Avs have of capturing Lord Stanley. Anything short would be a failure.

Lucas:  I think the pressure is high, both from the fanbase and within the team itself. This team has improved over the past few years and had themselves a great regular season, even though it was cut short. The guys in that locker room definitely want to win.  The fanbase wants them to win, too, as they always do. I think, as a fan, you look at the depth this team has and you want to see them go all the way. I’m not sure if we’re going to see this assembly of talent again soon for this team and it’s easy to get into a “now or never” mindset.

Marie:  Obviously everybody wants them to win it, but I don’t feel like it’s now or never for them. They’re a team on the cusp of becoming absolutely exceptional. If it’s not this year, it’ll be next.

Photo courtesy of NHL.com

Who is the biggest threat to the Avs in the Western Conference right now and why?

JJ:  I believe the biggest threat towards the Avalanche in the Western Conference has to be the Dallas Stars. Going 0-2-2 against the Stars this season, they are the one team who has had the Avs number during the regular season. However, if last year’s playoffs have told us anything, playoffs are a completely different beast and anything can happen. I would not count the Avs out in a best of seven series against the Stars.

Lucas: I think the Stars are going to be an issue for the Avalanche. They didn’t win a game against the Stars this year, which can’t be said of the other Western Conference teams. Unless something clicked over the break, I think the Avalanche style of play and the Stars style of play are going to continue to clash.

Marie:  While the Blues may be the better team, the Avs have struggled a lot more against the Stars this season. So yeah, I’ll go with the Stars.

Matt Nieto stepped up last year in the playoffs.  Who could be this year’s dark horse?

JJ:  While there are plenty of dark horses on the Avs roster, I believe big Valeri Nichushkin will continue to surprise people. Built as a true workhorse, Nichushkin has made a resurgence in his career after recording 27 points in the regular season. Due to his playing style, he is exactly who fans could see playing the role of difference-maker for the Avs.

Lucas:  I’m seeing Kadri or Nichushkin as important players this year. I think Kadri’s game is consistent and skilled and he’s been a force to contend with on the ice when he’s been healthy.
Nichushkin emerged as an interesting player on the team this year, finally breaking his scoring drought and starting to contribute a lot. I think the way he contributes to the play is a key in overcoming some styles of defense the top line can’t contend with.

Marie:  I’m going to go out on a limb here and say Jacob MacDonald. I know, it’s a long shot, but MacDonald scored 16 goals and 26 assists this season in the AHL, finishing first in goals and fourth in points amongst AHL defensemen. Granted, he scored a lot of those points while playing forward rather than defense. But he’s a versatile player with a strong shot, and I think he could emerge as this year’s dark horse. (Conor Timmins may be the safer bet. But “safe bet” and “dark horse” don’t really go together.)

Will the return to play Stanley Cup plan work or will we see issues with COVID impacting it?

JJ:  I would say that there will be no issues, but it is definitely difficult to make a statement in regards to how events will go nowadays, so let’s just all cross our fingers that everything goes as planned and enjoy playoff hockey. 2020 is an unpredictable boogeyman.

Lucas:  I should be up-front and say that I don’t really agree with the return to play. I love hockey, but the plan hasn’t been well thought-out, with players getting sick and ignoring regulations. That said, I think issues with COVID will impact it, certainly. I think the staff is being put at risk, which will impact arena flow. I also think that at least one player is going to get very sick, at which point we’re going to need to reevaluate if we’re willing to put the players at risk to this extent.

Marie:  I’m going to throw some positive vibes into the universe and say of course the plan will work! (In reality, I give it about a 50/50 chance).

The post Questions surrounding the Colorado Avalanche heading into the Stanley Cup Playoffs appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com writers led by RHL (Rink Hockey League) Commissioner Mario Tirabassi and RHL General Managers Jeff Osborn (1st overall), Ron Luce (2nd), Eric Andrews (3rd), Aaron Goldschmidt (4th), John Jaeckel (5th), Ray Napientek (6th), and Mr. Irrelevent Sean Fitzgerald (7th) get together to have a little fun and draft their own RHL franchises comprised only of Blackhawks players since the ’05 lockout.

• • Draft finished like this but worth listening/watching to this one

The-Rink.com Blackhawks fantasy draft results.

Watch the entire replay of the ZOOM draft on Facebook live right here:

Please do us a favor. Subscribe, rate this episode, share with your friends, and even write us a review. The best reviews will be read on the air.

Also, please help spread the word to more #RinkRats and visit our sponsor www.PUCKHCKY.com. Use the discount code “THERINK” for 10% off all orders.

Are you a RinkRat who also owns a business? Our data shows RinkCast listeners are (like you) affluent, discerning, and want to patronize like-minded brands. As part of our growth, we’re looking for an exclusive advertiser, at a VERY low cost.  Email podcast@the-rink.com for more details

The post Blackhawks Rinkcast – Season 3, Episode 19 – Blackhawks Fantasy Draft-a-palooza appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts Jeff Osborn, John Jaeckel, are joined by staff writer Aaron Goldschmidt, and friend of the site Christian Deme aka StacheESQ on Facebook live to talk about the firing of John McDonough.

• John McDonough surprisingly fired by Rocky Wirtz
• Danny Wirtz takes over in the interim
• What does this mean going forward?
• Does Stan stay or go?
• We get in-depth with some wishlists
• If you are interested in writing for The Rink for any division, email writefor@the-rink.com

Please subscribe, rate this episode, and even write us a review. Reviews will be read on the air. Follow and listen on these platforms:

Also, please help spread the word to more #RinkRats and visit our sponsor www.PUCKHCKY.com. Use the discount code “THERINK” for 10% off all orders.

Watch the entire Facebook live here!!!!

Are you a RinkRat who also owns a business? Our data shows RinkCast listeners are (like you) affluent, discerning, and want to patronize like-minded brands. As part of our growth, we’re looking for an exclusive advertiser, at a VERY low cost.  Email podcast@the-rink.com for more details

The post Blackhawks Rinkcast – Season 3, Episode 18 – McDonough Down! appeared first on The Rink.

• Aaron gives us a rundown of the Avalanche.
• The news that Dylan Strome could be available.
• The Blackhawks goaltending uncertainty.
• What do we think of Jeremy Colliton?
• Some prospect names to look forward to.
• If you are interested in writing for The Rink for any division, email writefor@the-rink.com

Please subscribe, rate this episode, and even write us a review. Reviews will be read on the air.

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The post Blackhawks Rinkcast – Season 3, Episode 16 – Video Roundtable appeared first on The Rink.

Ian Mitchell could have signed a professional contract last season with the Hawks, but he made the decision to play his junior year at the University of Denver, noting that he wanted to dominate at the collegiate level; and that he did.  The Calahoo, Alberta native came into the Pioneers program as a freshman with high expectations.  Mitchell was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2017 NHL draft by Chicago and was committed to Denver, a team that had just won a national championship.  Mitchell was slated to take over for senior Will Butcher who had just won the Hobey Baker Award for the NCAA’s top men’s hockey player.

That year, the Pioneers were surprised to have a couple of their top players stick around for an extra year and try for another national title.  Now Sharks forward Dylan Gambrell, Ducks forward Troy Terry, and Panthers forward Henrik Borgstrom were a trio that made the Pioneers one of the most potent offenses in college hockey, and Mitchell had the keys to the powerplay.  Just like any freshman would do, Mitchell deferred to many of the upperclassmen but that didn’t mean he didn’t have the skills to be out there with them.  Mitchell often walked the blue line and created open lanes for his forwards to work their magic, knowing that one day it would be his turn to work his.  In his freshman year, Mitchell registered two goals and 28 assists, landing him a spot on the NCHC’s All-Rookie team.  The Pioneers ultimately fell to the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Frozen Four regionals.

In Mitchell’s sophomore season, many thought Denver would take a step back with many of their top players departing for the pros, but a fresh crop of recruits helped the Pioneers get to their 17th Frozen Four appearance in school history.  The 2018-19 Denver team had one of the best defenses in the league and received great goaltending from freshman Filip Larsson.  They got significant contributions from Emilio Pettersen and Cole Guttman, two freshman who played the entire season together on the first line with senior Jarid Lukosevicious.  And to top it off, Denver had just lost head coach Jim Montgomery to the NHL and were led by rookie head coach David Carle.  Mitchell had another solid season with six goals and 21 assists.  The Pioneers fell just short of getting to the national championship game, losing in overtime to Cale Makar’s UMass Minutemen in Buffalo.

In that same year, Mitchell represented Team Canada in the World Junior Championships as an alternate captain.  He played alongside several NHL prospects selected in the first round such as Edmonton’s Evan Bouchard, New York’s Noah Dobson, and New Jersey’s Ty Smith.  Unfortunately, Canada lost to Finland in overtime in the quarterfinals.

Ian Mitchell (@DU_Hockey) scores his first of the tournament to put up by one early in the second! #CANvsFIN #REPRESENT #WorldJuniors pic.twitter.com/IDXLJQFlAs

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) January 3, 2019

Entering his junior year at Denver, Mitchell was voted team captain and was on a mission to be Denver’s go-to guy.  In his first seven games, Mitchell had three goals and seven assists.  He went on to have seven multi-point games and score a career-high 32 points.  Mitchell also helped Team Canada win gold at the 2019 Spengler Cup.  The Pioneers had their ups and downs in the 2019-20 season, but it seemed like they were turning a corner.  Winners of four of their last six games, Denver concluded the season with a sweep of rivals Colorado College and were set to host Omaha in the first round of the NCHC playoffs.  It’s unfortunate that the NCAA tournament was canceled due to public health concerns, but there’s no doubt that Mitchell and his Pioneers would have been center stage in another chase for college hockey stardom.

So this leads us to the original question of the article of what are the Chicago Blackhawks getting in Ian Mitchell.  Now that you know the background story, here’s my take.

I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Ian’s father and younger brother at a couple Pioneers games and they are definitely a hockey family.  Hockey is in his blood, as his uncle also played professional hockey.  Ian’s father Bill said to me that he spent countless hours with Ian teaching him the art of power skating, giving him the ability to jump into plays and also to keep up with some of the fastest forwards in his age group.  I know that there were significant changes to Ian’s game between his sophomore and junior seasons.

Knowing that professional hockey was on the horizon for him, Mitchell started training and changing his diet to be in the best hockey shape possible.  Not only did he take good care of his body, he took care of the people around him.  He is very well liked by his teammates and coaches, and is a natural-born leader.  Ian would always make time to say hello and shake my hand following post-game press scrums and was always a good quote.  The Blackhawks are getting a very high-character individual which is probably why they are so excited.  This is a player who is a big communicator on the ice and is highly competitive.

As for on-ice qualities, there is a lot to look forward to.  There has been a lot of growth in Mitchell’s game since his first Blackhawks prospect camp.  He’s bigger, stronger, faster, and comes with three years experience in one of college hockey’s toughest conferences in the NCHC.  Going against Minnesota-Duluth, North Dakota, and St. Cloud is no small feat, yet Mitchell and the Pioneers found success annually.

On the offensive side, Mitchell likes to compare his game to Tyson Barrie of the Maple Leafs.  He doesn’t have game-breaking speed, but he can get up the ice into the rush like Barrie and be just as dangerous as a forward.  His ability to get pucks through traffic using fakes and dekes has created a lot of chances for his forwards.  Mitchell also has an underrated slapshot.  A lot of the time, he will take a hard wrist shot if he has time from the top of the circle, but he can also rip it from the point and the puck gets to the net in a hurry.  I would say that Mitchell is the definition of a powerplay quarterback.  He is a triple-threat player from the point where he can shoot, pass, or skate at any time.  His scoring ability is just as good as anybody in college hockey, but he’s a natural playmaker.  Mitchell’s at his best when he’s setting up his teammates for layup goals after he does all the heavy lifting.

#Blackhawks prospect Ian Mitchell with a beautiful assist pic.twitter.com/3PEfXI8yd8

— Blackhawks Nation (@BlkHwkNationCHI) November 3, 2018

On the defensive side, it’s his hockey IQ that will wow you.  Mitchell plays with an active stick and can escape high-danger situations surprisingly without getting hit too often.  He can spin out of big checks and is phenomenal at breaking the puck out of the zone.  He can beat you with the stretch pass or he can skate it through the zone himself.  I will say that he has one of the best first passes out of the zone that I’ve seen the last few years in the conference.  Mitchell isn’t the overly aggressive type in front of the net, but he also won’t get pushed around.  I’ve seen him get into it after the whistle a few times, but he’s never put his team in a bad spot because of it.

Overall, the Blackhawks are getting a defenseman who can give fans some peace of mind, much like Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, and Niklas Hjalmarsson have done in years past.  Those three got the Blackhawks through multiple Stanley Cup Playoffs playing over 25 minutes a night, being trusted in every situation.  I’m not saying Mitchell is ready for that, but with the right development, he can rise to a top-four blueliner that Chicago can lean on in the future.  The Hawks have drafted a handful of top defensive prospects the last few years hoping to solidify their defensive core.  Those prospects have come and gone like a game of musical chairs, and it’s no surprise Mitchell is one of the few guys left with a seat at the table.

Stan Bowman likes what he sees out of Ian Mitchell, who is returning to Denver for his junior year. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/xTiFXmVcdj

— Eric Lear (@EricLear312) July 17, 2019

The post What are the Chicago Blackhawks getting in Ian Mitchell? appeared first on The Rink.

In one of the biggest games of the year, the seniors came up big.  The Pioneers were also under some pressure from Western Michigan who swept Miami and drew pretty close to leapfrogging Denver.

Thank you, Seniors #PioneerTogether pic.twitter.com/ANeMCX1aQ7

— Denver Hockey (@DU_Hockey) March 8, 2020

Here’s how things played out:

Game 1

Friday night the Pioneers traveled to Colorado College with hopes of bringing home the Gold Pan.  It was senior night for the Tigers and they definitely made it exciting for the fans.  The Pioneers were dominant in the faceoff circle, winning 44 of 64 draws, and possessed the puck well.  Although there was no score in the first period, Denver tallied twice in the second with an Ian Mitchell shot that went off a defender and a Tyler Ward rebound goal.   But, with five minutes left in the game, CC wasn’t ready to call it quits.

The Tigers went on a four-on-three powerplay, desperate to get back into the game.  They cycled the puck low to high and Grant Cruikshank took a shot from the right circle.  Magnus Chrona made the save, but the rebound went right to Tigers senior Chris Wilke who scored the first goal of the game for CC.  Then with less than ten seconds left in the game, Wilke got a pass in the high slot and nailed the game-tying goal.  Overtime wasn’t enough so the game went to a shootout where Brett Stapley won it for the Pioneers.

ICYMI – @CWilkie44 scored two goals late in the third period as CC rallied to a 2-2 tie against 6th-ranked Denver. pic.twitter.com/jXWeQ0Dw3v

— CC Hockey (@CCTigerHKY) March 7, 2020

Game 2

There was no doubt that Saturday night’s season finale against CC was going to be big, but the crowd seemed to take it to another level.  The student section was constantly chanting and banging on the glass, making it a difficult environment for the Tigers.  Nick Halloran scored first for the Tigers on a breakaway, beating Chrona, but it was all Pioneers after that.  Denver would score five straight goals to beat CC 5-1.  Emilio Pettersen would score his 13th goal of the season, but Michael Davies stole the show with this backhand beauty over Matt Vernon.

What a pretty goal.

Michael Davies gives @DU_Hockey a 2-1 lead in the 2nd period. pic.twitter.com/exEOYeh7Dt

— CBS Sports Network (@CBSSportsNet) March 8, 2020

What’s next?

Denver begins their road to the Frozen Faceoff this weekend against No. 6 Omaha.  The Mavs are 3-7 in their last ten games, but they do have some impressive wins this season against North Dakota, Arizona State, and Wisconsin.  Omaha and DU only met twice this season in Denver back in January, where they tied both games.  The Pioneers will have to strike first and not let the Mavs hang around or they could steal a game.

Tickets are on sale now for this weekend’s best-of-three series vs Omaha.

The post Pioneers secure No. 3 seed in NCHC playoffs after Colorado College sweep appeared first on The Rink.

With just a home-and-home series with Colorado College left in the regular season, the Pioneers will need to finish strong, as Western Michigan and St. Cloud are just two and four points behind Denver in the NCHC standings, respectively.  Let’s recap what happened with St. Cloud.

Game 1

Friday night’s game was very competitive until the second period when St. Cloud decided to open things up.  After Emilio Pettersen scored his 11th goal on the season on the powerplay, the Huskies scored three straight in a span of ten minutes and that’s all St. Cloud needed to earn three points on Friday.  Shots for the Huskies, by period, were 5, 20, and 3, having clearly moved into preventative defense in the third period.

Huskies goaltender David Hrenak was phenomenal, allowing just one goal on 32 shots.  St. Cloud improved to an impressive 9-0-2 when leading their opponent after the second period. Illinois native Kevin Fitzgerald led the Huskies with two goals and an assist in a much-needed win for St. Cloud, who are also fighting for their playoff position.

Here are a few observations from Friday’s game:

• For the first time in nine starts this season, Devin Cooley was pulled after giving up four goals on 19 shots.
• After registering 11 shots on goal in the series with Miami, captain Ian Mitchell was limited to just one shot Friday night.
• Freshman forward Bobby Brink was held out again after sustaining a lower-body injury in the North Dakota series.

Power play, POWER GOAL!@DU_Hockey ties this baby up. pic.twitter.com/kbpTjWYlBp

— CBS Sports Network (@CBSSportsNet) February 29, 2020

Game 2

Saturday night’s game was a different story.  After head coach David Carle emphasized the Pioneers refocusing their efforts and staying out of the penalty box, the team turned in one of their best games of the season, defeating the Huskies 5-2.  Despite going 0-6 on the powerplay, the Pioneers had five different goal scorers with Liam Finlay, Jake Durflinger, Kohen Olischefski, Mitchell, and Pettersen all lighting the lamp.  After starting Friday’s game on different lines, Cole Guttman and Pettersen were reunited Saturday and combined for eight shots on goal.

As expected, this game was very physical with several roughing minors.  For the St. Cloud seniors, this was the last time they would skate for the Huskies at home and they weren’t about to go down easily.  If anything, St. Cloud sent a message that this wouldn’t be the last time both teams crossed paths.  It’s possible that in just a few weeks this could be a playoff matchup.

Pettersen extended his scoring streak to three games and has officially doubled his goals from last year with 12.  Finlay has his own point streak of four games, and Mitchell tied his career-high in points with 30.

Bullseye @IanMitch15 #PioneerTogether pic.twitter.com/WLb00bKLeR

— Denver Hockey (@DU_Hockey) March 1, 2020

What’s next?

The Pioneers face off against their bitter rivals, the Colorado College Tigers, as they wrap up the Battle for the Gold Pan.  Denver swept the Tigers back in December, winning 3-0 and 3-1.  Colorado College is currently 8th in the NCHC and coming off two losses at home against Minnesota-Duluth.  The Tigers wouldn’t like anything better than to play spoiler for the Pioneers.  You can catch Saturday night’s game at Magness Arena on CBS Sports Network at 8:07 mountain time.

The post Pioneers eyeing playoff home-ice after split with St. Cloud appeared first on The Rink.

The crowd of over 40,000 people did not have much to cheer about, in fact it was the opposite.  Reports on Twitter of logistics complications made the night worse for the fans, who paid a pretty penny to watch their team out in the cold.

I was shocked last night when I received a text from a friend saying he was leaving after the second period ended. At the time, the game was tied 1–1, so I knew something was wrong. He told me that getting into the game, going to the bathroom and buying merchandise was a hassle and took upwards of 45 minutes each. He and his friends wisely anticipated the chaos that would ensue after the game, so they took off after their poor experience.

Apparently this #StadiumSeries game was a disaster. People waiting 30min for the bathroom, 45min for merch, and it took over an hour to get in. Can anyone there validate? #GoAvsGo

— The Rink — Colorado Avalanche (@TheRinkColorado) February 16, 2020

We reached out on Twitter to see if anybody else was having the same experience and we got a lot of feedback. Everything from running out of toilet paper, food, beer and a lot of people missing the game because of traffic. And to put a cherry on top of it, when the game ended, fans were waiting over two hours to get off the base. ESPN’s Greg Wyshynbski reported late last night that fans were demanding their tickets be refunded because of the awful traffic jam.

In a way, the Avalanche got bailed out by some poor event planning, because if things ran smoothly at the event, people would only be talking about how the Avalanche got beat on national television by a last-place Kings team. Maybe if the Avs got their act together a found a way to squeak out a win, this whole debacle would not have been so bad. Maybe people would have been partying in the streets waiting for traffic to clear. But, a lack of effort and discipline by the Avs caused an already poor experience to get worse.

Looking forward, Colorado General Manager Joe Sakic has to take a hard look at the depth of his team and decide whether they are ready to take the next step. On paper, they might be a contender, but it does not look like they are mentally there. It obviously has not been easy with so many injuries, but the Avalanche need players on the ice who want to make a play, yet there was not a whole lot of that Saturday night. Additionally, Colorado goaltender Philipp Grubauer left the game early in the third period with an injury and his status moving forward is in question. Sakic may need to consider adding a net minder prior to the trade deadline.

Can validate. Absolute nightmare

— Tim Preston (@TimmyTebrows) February 16, 2020

It was absolutely terrible. Left loveland at 215, didnt get there and sat until 10 min left in the second. They ran out of beer i guess. There was throw up everywhere. Very very very poorly planned and very very shitty experience

— Nissa Rose (@NissaRose13) February 16, 2020

https://twitter.com/CarlsonDavidM/status/1229041786078674946?s=20

It was a disaster. Shouldn’t have these events in locations that clearly can’t handle it. We got there late and left after watching the last ten minutes of period 2 so we wouldn’t have to deal with the issues on the way out too.

— Courtney Jensen (@courtneyjensen_) February 16, 2020

https://twitter.com/BrianKinger87/status/1229095789034602497?s=20

Yes I can validate. More than half the crowd missed the first period, and no one could use the bathrooms as the lines were too long.

— Liam Hopkins (@svw_303) February 16, 2020

True story… I live normally 10 mins from stadium, took me 1:35 to get to my seats. Ran out of beer midway through first period. Lines absolutely ridiculous… and drunk people puking everywhere to top it off. You couldnt even walk around near bathrooms or concessions.

— Sean M Kennedy (@COHockeyTurf) February 16, 2020

We live 6 miles away & it took us 3 hours to get there from leaving our house to parking. Wasted money on a parking pass bc they stopped charging since it was such a mess. They weren’t prepared at all. AFA games are better planned out, so frustrating that an NHL game wouldn’t be

— taylor (@taylorspalloni) February 16, 2020

The post Avalanche downed by Kings 3–1 in chaotic Stadium Series game for fans appeared first on The Rink.

Last weekend was my first trip up to Loveland to see the Eagles play and I will admit I did have my reservations.  I’ve been to a few AHL games before and, at the time, it seemed like they were trying too hard to keep fans interested.  There were pyrotechnics, over-the-top fan contests, and carnival food, all things that don’t really scream hockey.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not above cheap beer and dollar hot dogs, but the experience never wowed me.

We left Denver on Friday around 4:30 PM to head up to Loveland.  I told a coworker I was going north on I-25 after work and he immediately laughed and said, “Good luck with that.”  He went to college in Fort Collins at Colorado State University so I figured there was some truth to why he scoffed.  The traffic wasn’t so bad, but it still took us about an hour to get there.

As we pulled off exit 259, there were a handful of restaurants and bars that we were desperate to check out.  To our surprise, every place was packed with Eagles fans.  I knew right away that there was a strong following for this hockey club.

After we found something to eat, we drove towards the Budweiser Event Center.  I knew the Eagles games could seat just under six thousand people so I was excited to see the inside.  Walking through the front doors, you were greeted by security and ticket takers who were moving at a decent pace.  Eagles cheerleaders were handing fans the giveaway of the night, which was a poster of Logan O’Connor, the former Denver Pioneer.

Well, hi there #EaglesCountry

Ready to do that hockey? pic.twitter.com/StJsSRmX2a

— The Rink — Colorado Avalanche (@TheRinkColorado) January 25, 2020

I sat down in my seat in section L and noticed something right away.  I heard the sound of cowbells, a tradition that I’ve seen at other AHL arenas.  I looked around and didn’t see a bad seat in the house.  You really felt like you were on top of the players when they came out for warmups.  Fans ranged from kids all the way to seniors, many of whom I was told have been season ticket holders since the inaugural season 16 years ago!  As I looked up, banners lined the rafters featured by two Kelly Cup Championships in 2017 and 2018.  Some really special hockey has been played on the ice at the Budweiser Events Center and you could really feel it.

The game got started and I immediately felt nostalgic.  It wasn’t because of the old-time hockey vibes either.  It was because of the heckling!  Right from the start fans laid into San Antonio Rampage goaltender Adam Wilcox who didn’t have a great night in net, so the insults came pretty easily.  Going to games in Chicago as a kid, I always felt at home sitting in the cheap seats barking at the opposing team’s players.  The jokes never crossed the casual “you suck,” however there were some creative ones.

Overall the game was exciting.  The Eagles were well-coached and very disciplined.  There was a solid pace too as both teams got up and down the ice lightning fast.  I assumed there would be more roughhousing since it was the AHL, but it seemed like that kind of behavior is being cleaned up outside of the NHL too.  I think my favorite part was getting to see guys like T.J. Tynan and Jason Megna perform so well.  A lot of people want to hear about Conor Timmins and Shane Bowers, but there are other players providing a spark for the Eagles too.  It was a pleasure getting to see Logan O’Connor play at the next level, yet still doing all the things that made him successful in college.

If someone asked me about my experience in Loveland with the Colorado Eagles, I’d probably tell them to definitely give it a try.  They check all the boxes of having a good time, plus the team is playing well.  They don’t try to reinvent the wheel, but what they do offer they seem to get right.  And when all you want is a cold beer and a great view of some good hockey, you couldn’t ask for more from the Eagles.

The post Colorado Eagles: True hockey culture evident in Loveland appeared first on The Rink.

In a league where coaches are being relieved of their duties more often in the middle of the season, some are suggesting that fate for Jared Bednar.  Although there are some quality head coaches in the market, there is something to be said about a guy who helped lift the franchise from the basement of the NHL to a Stanley Cup contender.  Bednar also seems to really believe in his team, finding many positives despite the final score.

All good teams go through growing pains and this challenge isn’t unique to the Avalanche.  They are no longer going under the radar.  With the amount of press the Avs got from national media who picked Colorado as one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup, it’s not surprising the Avs have tough competition every night.  Much like a team that just won the Stanley Cup, a target is on the Avs’ back as the league’s most up-and-coming team that everyone can use as a benchmark.

With some flexibility, Joe Sakic may make a trade to add some depth to the Avalanche but I wouldn’t expect anything drastic.  His changes may even come in the form of more call-ups from the Eagles.  It’s bizarre that now the team is 100% healthy and they’re playing worse than they were short-handed.  But those Eagles players brought youth and excitement.  Forwards Shane Bowers and Logan O’Connor are playing some really good hockey and could help the Avs down the stretch.

It’s important to note the importance of veteran leadership on the team.  There are a few players that know what it takes to win a Stanley Cup on the Avs and that goes a long way.  They understand that the season is long and that it’s a marathon and not a sprint.  But that doesn’t mean that trends like these still don’t bother them.  Captain Gabe Landeskog was visibly upset after Tuesday’s overtime loss to the Stars after he stressed that divisional games this time of year are like playoff games.  Hopefully the Avs can make the necessary changes coming out of the break.

A few words from Landeskog heading into the game!#GoAvsGo https://t.co/M0Csgzl7ii

— AltitudeTV (@AltitudeTV) January 15, 2020

The post Changes must come from within despite growing pains for the Avalanche appeared first on The Rink.

With that being said, we thought it would be a good idea to do a round table article with our predictions for the next year featuring JJ Seaward and our newest contributor Lucas Rozell.  2020 is going to be a big year for Colorado hockey with the future looking bright for the next decade.  Let’s get started!

Photo courtesy of 1043thefan.com

Will Cale Makar win the Calder Trophy, and will Nathan MacKinnon win the Hart Trophy?

JS:  I would say that Makar is a shoe in for the Calder trophy, if he can continue to contribute on a daily basis. Nothing against Hughes, but Makar is just the complete package, and is just a stronger player overall. As for MacKinnon, I definitely do think he deserves the Hart trophy, and he proved that when we kept the Avs in winning form with injuries to Rantanen and Landeskog.

LR: Cale Makar should be a clear favorite for the Calder after the season he’s already had, even more so if he can continue to produce at the level we’ve been seeing him at. His excellent games have far outweighed his poor ones and the period during his injury showed just how integral to the defense he is. Other rookies this year have been impressive, but Makar has decided to take the NHL by storm this year and I think he’s definitely the most deserving. 

I think MacKinnon should win the Hart just based on how he put the team on his back during the injury bug. He doesn’t lead the league in points, but if the NHL decided he didn’t deserve the Hart after the 2017-18 season due to his excellent linemates, the same can absolutely be said for the McDavid and Draisaitl duo this season. 

AG:  If Makar can stay healthy, he should have the Calder locked up.  Even in his first game in the NHL he was an immediate contributor.  It shows that with that extra year at UMass, Makar was able to better prepare himself physically and mentally for the NHL grind.  And already quarterbacking the first unit powerplay, Makar has already established himself as trustworthy and not afraid to take a shot when it’s there.

I think people are finally seeing Nathan MacKinnon for who he is.  This season with all the injuries the Avs have had, MacKinnon has been the only constant and Colorado has been able to weather the storm.  The Avs are finally seeing success and MacKinnon is a big part in leading that effort.  It would be a shame if he didn’t get the Hart this year but this may be his best chance yet.

Photo courtesy of NHL.com

Is the tandem of Philipp Grubauer and Pavel Francouz good enough to win in the playoffs?

JS:  I believe that they are. Although Grubauer was not the main guy in net during the Caps cup winning postseason run, he was very important. He only gained more experience last season, and once he gets back to feeling like his old self, he will be solid. It is a little bit more difficult to say for Francouz, as he hasn’t had that experience yet, but seeing how he has been able to elevate his game so far, fans should not worry about him.  

LR:  The goalie question is complicated by the defensive struggles the Avalanche have seen this year, but I do think we need to see more out of Grubauer and Francouz in this next stretch if the Avalanche are serious about being cup contenders. While both goalies have had some incredible highlight-reel worthy saves this year, they’ve also both let in some soft goals and Francouz was downright leaky during the December 27th game against the Wild. Our offense has bailed them out on some of their worst nights, but it isn’t realistic to expect the offense to continue with these high scoring games. 

AG:  This is an interesting one.  Grubauer has had his moments but is also having a hard time staying healthy.  Luckily for the Avalanche, Joe Sakic rolled the dice on Francouz and he seems to be playing pretty well in the NHL.  There are also a few goalies in the system that will be options in the future, but the Avs need help now.  For the moment, I think the Avs stand pat, but if the goaltender position is an issue in the playoffs, this will be addressed in the offseason.

Photo courtesy of sportsnet.ca

What position could be stronger for the playoff push?  Will Joe Sakic add any rentals at the trade deadline?

JS:  He might, but I don’t think it is a necessary option. Most of this season the Avs have not had a fully healthy squad. Once everyone gets on the same page, things will start clicking once again — no need for a meaningless rental that will only mess up the chemistry.

LR:  Our defense could be stronger in many areas, though that isn’t as easy a fix. Arguably we have the talent for a strong blue line, but the play has been disjointed and the team struggles with a five-man defense. I don’t see Sakic as likely to add a rental around the deadline, given the previous discussions the team has had on high-profile rentals. I think the playoff push is more a matter of tightening up the game than adding new players into the mix. 

AG:  Sakic did a lot during the offseason including importing an entire second line.  It’s possible he adds some more depth in the bottom six and on defense, but I don’t think it will be anything significant.  The Avs have about $6 million in cap space and they do have some draft capital.  The time is now to take advantage if they feel they are a true cup contender this season.

Photo courtesy of 9NEWS.com

Is Ryan Graves for real?  What kind of contract will he command if so?

JS:  Leading the league in plus-minus is impressive, and he just seems to be doing everything right. He is physical, elusive, and has been very good this season. I can see him getting a three-year contract if he resigns.

LR: I’m a big Ryan Graves fan. I love how he’s been playing this season, especially for a guy we didn’t know would have a roster spot coming into the year. He obviously has room for improvement in some areas, but he only has 63 NHL games under his belt, and he’s shown an ability to adapt his game in response to his weaknesses. He’s definitely producing, as he and Makar have combined for the vast majority of the defense scoring this year. I like his penalty kill presence as well. He’s not afraid to get into shooting lanes to break up plays and he’s equally as willing to join the rush at the other end of the ice. Add on to that the fact that Bednar says he’s earned the trust of the coaching staff and you have a recipe for a guy with a future with the Avs.

If he can continue playing like he has, and maybe tighten up a few aspects of his game going forward, I can easily see an extension in his future. He’s on a one year “prove it” deal at the moment, and I’m inclined to say he’s proven his worth. He’s definitely going to be more budget-friendly than other options going into next season and I think that’s going to be appealing given the number of players that are going to end up as RFAs in 2020.

AG:  Ryan Graves is having a fantastic season and a lot of that development has to do with the core group he’s playing with.  With a healthy mix of veterans and elite young players, Graves has been able to succeed playing his game.  He likes to jump into the rush, he can play the body, and has been reliable in his own end.  As an RFA, Graves will command a significant raise, but the question is if Sakic believes Graves can be part of the core long term. 

Photo courtesy of Coloradoan.com

Where will the Avalanche finish in the Central Division?

JS:  Not being able to beat the Blues, I can see the Avs finishing second or even third in the Central division with 98 or so points.

LR:  Assuming the Avalanche aren’t on the verge of a total breakdown, I can see them comfortably sitting in second place in the Central, probably sitting around 100 points. If the Blues decide to tank, the Avs might jump into first, but I wouldn’t put money on it as of right now. However, I think the Avalanche should be safe this season from having their playoffs position decided by the second to last game in the season, which is a nice change. 

AG:  I’m not sure what to think of where the Avs would benefit most finishing in the central.  They had so much success being an underdog and I’m not sure how they would do coming out as a favorite.  There have been high expectations for this team all year and it’s easy to get complacent.  I believe if the Avs want to get to the Stanley Cup, the road will have to go through St. Louis who has always been a bad matchup for the Avs.  It will be a true test.

Photo courtesy of NHL.com

Will Mikko Rantanen, Gabriel Landeskog, and Nathan MacKinnon play together during the playoffs?

JS:  I can see them being split up for a little bit and then maybe being put back together for certain situations. The line has regressed from last season, and I honestly would like to see MacKinnon play more with Donskoi and Burakovsky some more. 

LR:  Our top line has been underwhelming lately. They’re far from the dominating force they were last year, with most of our recent point production from depth players and the defense. I wouldn’t be against splitting them up again – Maybe slotting Donskoi back in on MacKinnon’s wing, as that combination worked well during the injury bug. What I don’t want to see is Bednar going back to the salad spinner method of picking lines. It hasn’t done the job this year.  

AG:  I think they do play together.  Yes, they do get some powerplay time together but what has made this team so good the last couple years is their ability to strike quickly and change a game.  This top line gives you that along with more depth this season.  There is a lot of chemistry there and the Avs have to lean on their best players to get the job done when it matters most. 

Photo courtesy of nytimes.com 

Will the Avalanche make it past the second round?

JS:  Why not? The Avs were only one goal away last year, and they seem to get stronger each time they make the playoffs. With a young squad that is hungry, and now has that second round experience, I can see them advancing. With a talented, speedy squad, and MacKinnon and Makar both raising their games to the next level, the Avs will be a tough second round exit.

LR:  The Avs are capable of playing absolutely insane, blow the competition out of the water, dominating hockey. If they play to their strengths and play a full 60 minutes, they’re very difficult to beat. The question, of course, is if they’re going to bring the right energy into the playoffs. They fell apart in the second round last season after dominating the Flames in the first round and it was a difficult loss to swallow. I think this team has the ability to make it past the second round, especially if they can tighten up some of the flaws in their game before the start of the postseason. 

AG:  Denver was absolutely electric last season during the playoffs.  And with another opportunity for the Avs and Nuggets to be deep in the playoffs, Colorado will again be rocking.  The Avalanche are building to be a perennial contender for a long time and it wouldn’t surprise me if that started this season.  They continue to takes steps each year and this is the logical next step.  We saw a lot of depth players contribute last year in the playoffs and they will need heroes like Matt Calvert and Matt Nieto to come through again.

Photo courtesy of MSN.com

Will Bowen Byram make the 2020-21 roster?

JS:  Yes.

LR:  It’s possible. It’s also possible that the Avs want him to develop further before pushing him into the defense core. He’s put up decent numbers in the WHL this season, though his recent performance in the U20 has been underwhelming. In contrast, Timmins has been playing very well in the AHL this season, so he may be a more appealing choice to pull up to the NHL for the 2020-21 roster. The Avs might want Byram to develop at the AHL level before they call him up for good – The Eagles tend to do great things for player development and confidence, especially with their younger players. 

AG:  It won’t matter.  Joe Sakic knows that Byram is a key piece to this Avalanche team moving forward and he will be as patient as he needs to be to make sure Byram excels at every level before advancing to the pros.

Photo courtesy of NHL.com

Will Comcast finally get the Avalanche back on TV?

JS:  Highly doubtful. Streaming is your friend, people.

LR:  I’ve tried to stay out of the Altitude debate, but it’s disappointing to see the argument continuing on both sides. I’d like to see Avs back on all cable networks because not having hockey on TV is the worst way to grow a fanbase. Avalanche fans deserve to watch the team, especially with how exciting it’s been to watch them play lately. 

AG:  This is a very sad situation for the Avalanche and all of their fans.  When the team is finally doing well, a lot of people can’t even watch them.  At this point, I hope other options are available to watch the games because it’s sad how the customers have become the biggest losers in this. 

Photo courtesy of NHL.com

Will Colorado win the Stanley Cup?

The post Round Table: 2020 Colorado Avalanche Predictions appeared first on The Rink.

The Avs would continue to be short handed Saturday as it was announced that forward Nazim Kadri would be out of the lineup after suffering a lower-body injury against Montreal.  He is considered day-to-day.

Congrats to Cale Makar @Cmakar16 and Umass Hockey @UmassHockey on a fantastic ceremony last night #hobeybaker. pic.twitter.com/60G4vXz4SS

— Hobey Baker Award (@HobeyBakerAward) December 7, 2019

First Period

The first 15 minutes of the first period were pretty uneventful besides both team’s top lines trading quality chances.  The Avs controlled the pace initially with the first handful of shots but the B’s answered back by getting on the board first.

With 6:46 left in the first period, forward Chris Wagner redirected a shot from the blue line by John Moore for the first goal of the night.  The Avs had a group of tired players on the ice as they just finished a long shift of their own in the Bruins zone.

Chris Wagner tips home a shot from John Moore. 1-0 Bruins. pic.twitter.com/q96kY0aZkC

— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) December 8, 2019

Minutes later, Brett Ritchie sprung loose for a breakaway and missed the net, but Colorado goalie Philipp Grubauer looked to be injured on the play.  He stayed on the ice until eventually Val Nichushkin scored a goal to tie the game, but Grubauer came off right after slamming his stick in frustration.  The period included big hits from Nikita Zadorov, Vlad Kamenev, and Ian Cole when eventually the Bruins started taking shots of their own.

Valeri Nichushkin, goal-scoring machine.#GoAvsGo https://t.co/V2vnfTit42

— x – Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) December 8, 2019

Just before the period ended, Nathan MacKinnon, Gabe Landeskog, and Mikko Rantanen got into a little cross-checking match with some of the Bruins including Zdeno Chara.  At the end of the period, Colorado led Boston in shots 9-4.

Second Period 

The second period continued with more chances for the Avalanche.  Mikko Rantanen found himself all alone in front of Jaro Halak but he ended up hitting the crossbar on a backhand shot.  About five minutes later, Cole took a nice slap shot from the left side and beat Halak glove side for his first goal of the season and put the Avs up 2-1.  This game was Cole’s 500th of his NHL career.

The best way to celebrate your 500th career NHL game: an absolute LASER.

We see you, Ian Cole!#GoAvsGo https://t.co/iQByxo1wGl

— x – Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) December 8, 2019

Towards the second half of the period, the Bruins had a few more very long shifts that continued to keep the Avs on the ice.  But at the end of one of those long shifts, Joonas Donskoi transitioned the puck out of the zone to Nathan MacKinnon but the puck somehow made its way to Andre Burakovsky’s stick in behind the Bruins defense.  Burakovsky put the puck right past Halak putting the Avs up 3-1 with under two minutes left in the period.

Now that’s just pretty, Andre Burakovsky.#GoAvsGo https://t.co/8qf6ICQJlo

— x – Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) December 8, 2019

Third Period

There was a lot of pressure coming from the Bruins in the third period but the Avalanche continued to forecheck hard and keep pucks away from Pavel Francouz, who came in relief for Grubauer.  Nikita Zadorov had one of his best games defensively shutting down Bruins sharpshooter David Pastrnak all night.

The first penalty of the night came five minutes into the period when Avalanche defenseman Ryan Graves went off for a high sticking call.  Colorado killed the penalty and hit Graves with a pass as he was leaving the penalty box.  Graves drove the net but wasn’t able to score as he drew a hooking penalty on Bruins.  The Avs then went to 4-on-4 hockey when Donskoi went off for his own high sticking minor but there was no score after both teams returned to full strength.

Early into the third period, Avalanche rookie defenseman Cale Makar went off to the dressing room after he was hit awkwardly by Bruins Brad Marchand.

Brad Marchand delivers a hit on Cale Makar behind Colorado's net.

Makar heads to the room. pic.twitter.com/8YLfgxy9LE

— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) December 8, 2019

The Bruins had some more pressure late in the game with a 6 on 4 powerplay but Avalanche captain Gabe Landeskog sealed the deal scoring an empty net goal putting Colorado up 4-1.

What’s Next

Colorado went 3-0-0 on this short road trip but had some key injuries as they head back home.  The Avs get to spend this week in Denver and will host the Flames, Flyers, and Devils on Monday Wednesday and Friday.  The Avs will most likely have to call up some more players from the Colorado Eagles depending on how injured Grubauer and Makar are.  It’s possible the Avs bring back young goaltender Adam Werner and top prospect Connor Timmins for the homestand.

The post Avalanche Defeat Bruins 4-1 for Sixth Straight Win appeared first on The Rink.

One of the Pioneers goals tonight came in the second period from forward Jake Durflinger.  The junior from Walnut Creek California plays on the checking line for the Pioneers and knows a thing or two about bringing energy.  He is often mixing it up with opponents and fighting for the pucks in the “dirty areas.”  Saturday night was no different.

The-Rink caught up with Durflinger after the Pioneers 6-1 win.

On his second period goal against Western Michigan

“We were at the end of our shift and our defenseman made a good play turning the puck up playing fast.  Jack made a smart play getting it deep and Wardo did a good job getting to the net like we talked about all night on this goalie.  I was in the right spot at the right time.”  

Pucks in Deep: 101 #PioneerTogether pic.twitter.com/TiRyc2B3Zk

— Denver Hockey (@DU_Hockey) November 24, 2019

What has David Carle said to the team recently about staying positive?

“It’s just about staying calm.  We’re a confident group even though the last five games struggling to find a win.  We stayed confident in the room and stuck to our process.  We had to get back to it a bit, we strayed away from it for a few games and that’s why games didn’t result in a win.  But tonight we were able to get back to our process which ended up with a good win.”

What has been your advice to younger players on the team?

“Every night is going to be a good team, it doesn’t matter who it is in the NCHC.  It’s the best conference in college hockey so we have to be ready every night and instill in our younger guys that if we stick to the process we’re going to win hockey games.”

On the return of Devin Cooley

“It’s awesome.  He’s a big part of our team.  He’s proven with a lot of success last year and he’s worked really hard all summer to come back from injury.  It was awesome to get that win for him.”

On what makes this year’s Pioneers team special

“We’ve had good teams in my first two years here but we want to go further.  We think… we know we have a special group but we have to accomplish it.  That was a good first NCHC win, but now we need to get on a roll.”

The post Durflinger adds much needed energy to Pioneers’ 6-1 win vs Western Michigan appeared first on The Rink.

Just last week, Colorado governor Jared Polis got involved when he tweeted out this letter he addressed  to President and CEO of Kroenke Sports and Entertainment Jim Martin, demanding a deal be struck with Comcast and Dish Network.  Although the open letter from the governor may not carry and real weight, it definitely adds pressure that this isn’t a minor issue.

Bring our teams back to our screens! (open letter) @ColoradoRapids @nuggets @Avalanche @MammothLax #copolitics pic.twitter.com/LdWBy8XZWE

— Jared Polis (@jaredpolis) November 16, 2019

The Washington Post article goes on to describe the positions of both sides.

Altitude Sports position

The post Altitude Network takes legal action against Comcast over antitrust appeared first on The Rink.

Byram joined James Cybulski and Mike English on Sportsnet 650 this week to discuss his journey to the NHL, his schedule for this season, and the outlook of this year’s Giants team.

Now: @WHLGiants star defenceman @BowenByram joins #TheStartingLineup with @JamesCybulski and Mike English!

The Giants face off tonight at 7:30 at the Langley Events Centre against the Portland Winterhawks

Listen: https://t.co/mDLZc4njsd pic.twitter.com/JBHaG6Rfx4

— Sportsnet 650 (@Sportsnet650) November 8, 2019

Was it hard going back to juniors?

It was pretty hard since my goal was to play in the NHL this year, but at the same time I need to be honest with myself and I wasn’t ready to play.  I think being honest with myself made it a lot easier to come back and I was excited to be back.  I have a lot of friends here and I knew we were going to have a good team.  It’s definitely wasn’t my number one priority where I wanted to be over the summer but now that I’m back I’m super excited to have another playoff run here.

Byram on his upcoming schedule

I leave on Tuesday to fly to Saskatoon for the two WHL vs Russia games.  Then I’m back after those, and hopefully, I get an invite to the World Juniors tryout camp that starts in early December.  My goal is to play in the World Juniors so I hope I’m involved in that process.

On the Vancouver Giants expectations to be a Memorial Cup contender

We have an extremely different team than we had last year with a lot of new faces, pieces, and a lot of young guys.  I think the transition may take longer than we hoped but I think we’re still a really good team and we’ve proven that when we play at our best.   We just need to find a way to play our best on a more consistent basis.  That’s what we’re working on right now.  But we’re still a great team.  We’ve got a great defense, goaltending, and a young but exciting group up front.  It’s been a tough start of the year but we’re finding our groove and this is a huge weekend against Portland.  We didn’t beat them last year so this is a couple of games that we want to get.

On newly acquired Joona Kiviniemi

He’s from Finland and is a really good guy from how I’ve gotten to know him so far.  He’s a really good player too.  He’s smart, he skates well and shoots the puck really well so he’s definitely a great addition to our team.  It’s sad to see Sergei go.  He was a great guy and really liked in the dressing room but sometimes you need to shake things up.  Joona is a super good guy and should be a really good player for us.

What was the coolest thing you experienced being with the Avalanche?

The coolest thing for me happened during my last exhibition game in Vegas.  They dressed quite a few of their good players with Shea Theodore, Mark Stone, Jonathan Marchessault, and Paul Stastny.  It was pretty cool to be on the ice with those guys.  I grew up watching them and Theodore has been one of my favorite defensemen for a while now.  And the building in Vegas was crazy, the fans were unbelievable.  Even for an exhibition game it was sold out and bumping.  I’m so thankful for that opportunity and hopefully, I can make the jump next year.

Was there any player that surprised you on the ice?

Nathan MacKinnon is even better than you think.  It’s pretty crazy with his skill, speed, and how driven he is.  It was pretty crazy to watch.

Did you see the Avalanche score six goals in eight minutes last night?

Yeah, that was pretty crazy.  Hopefully, we can get something going like that this weekend.

The post Bowen Byram talks Vancouver Giants, World Juniors, and his experience with the Avalanche appeared first on The Rink.

Sitting in 6th place in the Central Division, the Blackhawks now have some work to do on the road. They have been getting mostly stellar goaltending from Corey Crawford and Robin Lehner, but the Hawks can’t seem to prevail in one-goal games.

The Hawks had an opportunity to get back on track Saturday against the Carolina Hurricanes.  Here’s the full recap.

First period

After Chicago’s poor performance against the Flyers on Thursday, Colliton was looking for more work ethic from his team to start the game Saturday.  Almost immediately after puck drop, Corey Crawford was faced with high danger chances.  Andrei Svechnikov found the puck near the side of the net for a shot in close, but Crawford came up with the save.  Brent Seabrook had some issues in the first,  turning the puck over and getting beat by Carolina’s quick forwards such as Sebastian Aho.

But not all was bad.  Although Brandon Saad wasn’t on their line today, Dominik Kubalik and David Kampf continued to be strong on the forecheck, producing good shots on net.  Kirby Dach also showed ability in the transition game, although his strength on the puck in the corners was exposed against big defenseman like Joel Edmundson.

Just five minutes into the first period, Duncan Keith was called for a high sticking minor.  Unfortunately for the Blackhawks, this led to a Svechnikov power play goal.  But just a few minutes later, the Hawks had their turn, when Jake Gardiner tripped Alex Nylander in the Canes zone.  Nothing came of the power play, but the Blackhawks did gain some momentum.  Specifically in the last five minutes, the Hawks had chances from Keith, Alex DeBrincat, and Jonathan Toews, but goaltender Petr Mrazek made all the saves.  The period ended with shots even 12-12 but the Canes up 1-0.

YEAH SVECH!!! pic.twitter.com/DUOB4n08JU

— x – Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) October 26, 2019

Second Period

The Canes started the second period with a heavy forecheck, forcing the Blackhawks to regroup quite often in their own zone.  Dach had more good looks, especially on one strong drive to the net.  He isn’t like other rookies where they just pass to veteran players.  Dach is legitimately trying to make and finish plays on his own sometimes.

Corey Crawford stood strong making big save after big save through the second.  And even though he started the game on the 4th line, Dylan Strome found himself along on a breakaway only to be stopped by Mrazek..

#crOwMG pic.twitter.com/kUlNDz7l99

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) October 26, 2019

Midway through the period, Dach had the puck in the corner when Svechnikov laid a huge hit on him.  There was no immediate reaction from the Blackhawks, but after the play Erik Gusfasson gave Svechnikov a crosscheck.  The Blackhawks had one power play in the period that came from a Martin Necas hooking call, but the Canes killed it off.

In the final minute of the period, the Canes were putting on serious pressure in the Hawks zone when Nino Niederreiter scored putting Carolina up 2-0 going into the third.

Give me fuel!!
Give me fire!!
Give me Nino Niederreiter!! pic.twitter.com/3kYAgp4xyM

— x – Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) October 26, 2019

Third Period

The third period started poorly for the Blackhawks when Dach got called for a holding minor.  The Canes capitalized on a Sebastian Aho setup to a Jordan Staal goal.  At 3-0, even Crawford was trying to get the offense going by passing the puck from behind the goal up ice to his forwards.

The Hawks couldn’t get much going until late in the period when Nylander drew another tripping minor.  But the Canes killed off the Hawks third power play of the day.  Despite being up late in the third period, Carolina continued to put the pedal to the metal: finishing checks, getting the puck in deep, and giving the Blackhawks no room to skate.

With a minute remaining, Svechnikov scored his second goal of the game.  The final score was 4-0 Carolina with the Blackhawks leading in shots 32-31.  It’s important to note that Carolina blocked 20 shots to Chicago’s nine.

Remember the magic words tomorrow…

"I'M A CANIAC AND IT'S BO TIME"

cc: @Bojangles1977 pic.twitter.com/S1t0VozZQj

— x – Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) October 26, 2019

What’s Next?

The Blackhawks won’t have much time to forget about this loss.  They get on a plane today and head back to Chicago to face the LA Kings Sunday night.  Today was more of the same with the Blackhawks.  Solid goaltending paired with a lackluster defense and non-existent forwards.

Colliton is doing his best to make this a hard-working team, but the chemistry doesn’t seem to be there.  The Hawks went through something similar last year when they lost several games in a row in the middle of the season.  But with a few really good teams in the central pulling away, it looks like Chicago could be battling uphill for the rest of the year with this kind of start.

The post Recap: Blackhawks blanked 4-0 by Svechnikov, Hurricanes appeared first on The Rink.

The Blackhawks are finally coming out of their transition phase where the investments they have made from a couple of poor seasons are finally beginning to pay dividends. Premier prospects such as Nicolas Beaudin, Adam Boqvist and Ian Mitchell are just a few players who have been in the system that are on the fringe of professional hockey careers. Beaudin and Boqvist will be traveling between Rockford and Chicago as they begin their careers with the Hawks, while Mitchell will be playing his junior year with the Denver Pioneers. Mitchell could join the Blackhawks once his season is done in college.

With that being said, let’s start catching up on this year’s Blackhawks NCAA prospects.

Evan Barratt will play at Penn State this season. (Photograph courtesy of the NHL)

Evan Barratt, Forward — Penn State University (32 games played, 16 goals, 27 assists)

Barratt was one of the top-performing Blackhawks college prospects last season when he broke out for 43 points. Centering Liam Folks and Alex Limoges, the trio combined for 57 goals and 78 assists and all finished in the top 20 in scoring among NCAA skaters. This season, that same line will look to continue to pick up where they left off last season. Barratt not only brings a plethora of scoring ability, but he also plays with an edge. His versatility adds depth to a high-flying Penn State group that is ready to build on their success as a program.

Unfortunately for Blackhawks fans, Barratt did not participate in on-ice drills at prospect camp over the summer because he was recovering from a hip surgery, but he is planning to be ready for Penn State’s series against Sacred Heart.

Barratt got a taste of success in last year’s World Junior Championship and in the 2018 Frozen Four tournament. It would be great to see Penn State get to the Frozen Four this year in Detroit. Barratt has already shown he can put the points up; it would be great to see he and Penn State shine on the big stage.

Evan Barratt is 100 percent, Gadowsky said. Said there's been a visible difference in his skating.

— David Eckert (@davideckert98) October 1, 2019

Josh Ess will be a key part of Wisconsin’s blue line in 2019–20. (Photograph courtesy of the University of Wisconsin)

Josh Ess, Defenseman — University of Wisconsin (37 games played, five goals, eight assists)

The Wisconsin Badgers have had a couple of down years, but they are looking to change that trend this season. With the addition of top prospects Cole Caufield and Alex Turcotte, Wisconsin could have the offensive firepower to push them to the top of the Big Ten conference. In the preseason rankings, USCHO.com has the Badgers ranked 16th in the country behind Notre Dame, Ohio State and Penn State.

Entering his junior year, Josh Ess will play a big role on the Badgers’ blue line as an upperclassmen with experience in Tony Granato’s system. The Big Ten is not an easy conference to come out of, especially when you are playing heavy teams like Notre Dame and Ohio State, and, not to mention, speedy teams like Penn State can hurt you in other ways.

Ess was not exactly a standout at prospect camp, but that is also really not his game. He did make some good, hard tape-to-tape passes out of his end and his positioning looked a bit more polished than some of the younger guys. He is more of a team guy that is doing a great job if he can eat minutes responsibly and keep the puck out of the net. Look for Ess to have success in those departments this year.

Wisconsin’s Josh Ess#Blackhawks #OnWisconsin pic.twitter.com/CYFxO5Gaev

— Mario Tirabassi (@Mario_Tirabassi) July 15, 2019

Parker Foo will return to Union College for 2019–20. (Photograph courtesy of The Athletic)

Parker Foo, Forward — Union College (35 games played, five goals, 10 assists)

Union had a fantastic season, finishing 20–13–6, but was defeated by the Cornell Big Red in the ECAC conference tournament quarterfinals. The Dutchmen will be returning three of their five players who had double-digit goals last season and look to build on their success from 2018–19.

Foo has a lot of speed and quickness to the puck and hopefully he will get more quality minutes at Union entering his junior year. The Blackhawks’ fifth-round pick of 2017 adds some depth to the prospect pool, but he needs to develop a bit more in college. The ECAC should provide some tough competition and hopefully Foo gets some power play time to show he can produce at a high level.

Ian Mitchell will captain the Pioneers in 2019–20. (Photograph courtesy of Denver University)

Ian Mitchell, Defenseman — Denver University (39 games played, six goals, 21 assists)

Of all the NCAA prospects in the Blackhawks system, Mitchell is probably the most developed at this point. After two seasons with Denver, Mitchell has embraced the “Pioneer Way” and become the team’s new captain. This should not come as a surprise given Mitchell’s work ethic. Over the summer, many Blackhawks fans were hoping that he would leave college and sign a pro deal, but Mitchell decided to not rush his development. Once upon a time, Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews told the team the same thing and he worked out to be pretty good.

The Pioneers are coming off their third Frozen Four appearance in four years and this year should not have any different expectations. Denver will start the season as one of the nation’s top teams in one of the hardest divisions in college hockey, the NCHC.

Mitchell brought a lot of raw skill his first couple seasons, but it is pretty clear he wants to take his game to the next level. At prospect camp, Mitchell told Adam Burish in an interview that he is setting the bar high for himself this season. He first wants to win a NCAA championship, but he is also wanting to show he is one of the best players in college hockey with a nomination for the Hobey Baker Award. Do not be shocked if you see Mitchell in a Blackhawks uniform later this season.

Ian Mitchell has been named captain for the 2019-20 season. Tyson McLellan and Michael Davies will serve as alternates https://t.co/uISAMwrO2r | #PioneerTogether pic.twitter.com/sZ59tvq0SR

— Denver Hockey (@DU_Hockey) May 17, 2019

Ryan Shea will return to Northeastern to captain the Huskies in 2019–20. (Photograph courtesy of hockeyjournal.com)

Ryan Shea, Defenseman — Northeastern University (39 games played, three goals, 13 assists)

Through his first three years in college hockey, Ryan Shea has probably been the most stable defenseman for the Northeastern Huskies. He is not the flashiest player on the ice, but he gets his job done. With a career-high plus-minus rating of plus-23 last season, Shea has proven he can play in all situations and can make the right play when called upon. Those are both reasons why Shea’s teammates voted him team captain for the 2019–20 season. Northeastern is set to be a threat again in the Hockey East Conference, but competition will be elevated, as Boston College and Boston University have retooled after down seasons.

We’ve had some great leaders at Northeastern over the years, and we expect to add more names to the list.

Your 2019-20 #HowlinHuskies captains:

C: Ryan Shea
A: Matt Filipe
A: John Picking
A: Zach Solow pic.twitter.com/cTpwUrCWs3

— Northeastern Men’s Hockey (@GoNUmhockey) April 18, 2019

Josiah Slavin heads to Colorado College after spending three seasons in the USHL. (Photograph courtesy of Colorado College)

Josiah Slavin, Forward — Colorado College (USHL:  59 games played, 24 goals, 23 assists)

One of the most exciting college prospects this year is 2018 seventh-round selection Josiah Slavin.  At 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds, Slavin skates pretty well and has a natural touch for playmaking. We saw him score a hat trick for Team Red at prospect camp this summer, where he stood out among his peers.

Slavin will begin his NCAA career in Colorado Springs playing for the Colorado College Tigers. As one of the younger teams in the NCHC, the Tigers are on the rise with several talented freshmen coming in. Head coach Mike Haviland will most likely love using Slavin for big minutes, including power play time. College hockey analyst Brad Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald has the Tigers ranked 17th in the country, noting they could be a surprise team out of the NCHC this year.

Michal Teply sends a 100-foot feed to Josiah Slavin for the regulation game winner with 6.9 seconds left on the clock. #Blackhawks prospects wrapping with a shootout now just for fun. pic.twitter.com/1LbkSL9vxX

— Carter Baum (@CarterBaum) July 19, 2019

Alex Vlasic will join Boston University for 2019–20. (Photograph courtesy of the NHL)

Alex Vlasic, Defenseman — Boston University (27 games played, two goals, 13 assists)

For the first time in a few years, the Blackhawks finally selected a defenseman with some size when they took Vlasic 43rd overall in the 2019 draft. The Wilmette, Illinois, native spent his junior career with the U.S. National Team Development Program playing alongside Cole Caufield, Jack Hughes, Alex Turcotte, Trevor Zegras and other top US-born prospects.

Vlasic brings a lot to the table besides his size. He has great reach and seems to love jumping into the play despite being a bigger defenseman. Boston University has developed some pretty good defensemen over the years and hopefully they can turn things around after a couple bad seasons.

Alex Vlasic has been showing off his speed with his size (6'6) at #Blackhawks development camp: https://t.co/38QWcVMcsK pic.twitter.com/yUksZ0CPlf

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) July 19, 2019

Photo courtesy of goterriers.com

Jake Wise, Forward — Boston University (12 games played, zero goals, two assists)

Although injuries kept Wise out most of the season last year, he is still seen as one of the Blackhawks’ top prospects. But, with Kirby Dach and Evan Barratt now rising to the top of the system, Wise has some ground to make up. The Terriers lost a few players to the NHL, so hopefully Wise is given some opportunities to shine somewhere in the top nine.

The last young playmaking center the Blackhawks developed was North Dakota’s Nick Schmaltz, who did not end up working out in Chicago. Schmaltz had great patience with the puck and featured excellent vision. Schmaltz did produce more than 50 points in his second season, but he struggled mightily in the face off circle. If Wise, who is similar in size, wants a shot at an NHL roster, he will have to show he can play a two-way game, as the top-six center slots will likely be filled by Jonathan Toews and Dylan Strome for the foreseeable future.

Boston’s Jake Wise #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/5Zv8dC7Mp0

— Mario Tirabassi (@Mario_Tirabassi) July 15, 2019

The post Get to know your 2019–20 Blackhawks NCAA prospects appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com host “Gatekeeper” is joined by staff members Mario Tirabassi, Aaron Goldschmidt, Eric Andrews, Juliana Nikac and Ron Luce to talk in-depth about Blackhawks prospects.

• The Blackhawks sit at 2-1-1 with two preseason and an exhibition game remaining.
• Roster is not finalized but is starting to shape up.
• We take a long look at the six prospect tiers and why the writers rated players the way they have.
• Don’t miss the hot takes.
• We wrap with Rinkrat PuckBag segment.

Please subscribe, rate this episode, and even write us a review. Reviews will be read on the air.

Also, Please help spread the word to more #RinkRats and visit our sponsor www.PUCKHCKY.com. Use the discount code “THERINK” for 10% off all orders.

The Rinkcast is brought to you by the Overtime Podcast Network

The post Blackhawks Rinkcast – Season 3, Episode 1 – Prospect tier wrap special appeared first on The Rink.

Parts of the series

Introduction

Tiers one and two

Tier three

Tier four

Tier five

Tier six

Complete tier listings with our panel’s original average tier ratings (* represents a unanimous rating from the panel)

Tier one

Adam Boqvist (1*)
Kirby Dach (1*)

Tier two

Ian Mitchell (1.833)
Nicolas Beaudin (2.333)

Tier three

Alex Vlasic (2.833)
Alex Nylander (3)
Dominik Kubalik (3.167)
Philipp Kurashev (3.167)
Chad Krys (3.333)
Jake Wise (3.5)
Alexis Gravel (4)

Tier four

Evan Barratt (3.5)
MacKenzie Entwistle (3.667)
Aleksi Saarela (3.833)
Josiah Slavin (3.833)
Dennis Gilbert (4)
Matthew Highmore (4)
Kevin Lankinen (4)
Niklas Nordgren (4)
John Quenneville (4*)
Michal Teply (4)
Lucas Carlsson (4.167)
Tim Soderlund (4.167)
Alexandre Fortin (4.333)

Tier five

Brandon Hagel (4.333)
Antti Saarela (4.333)
Dominic Basse (4.5)
Artur Kayumov (4.5)
Josh Ess (4.667)
Jakub Galvas (4.833)
Mikael Hakkarainen (4.833)
Reese Johnson (4.833)
Cole Moberg (4.833)
Andrei Altybarmakyan (5.167)
Ivan Nalimov (5.167)
Joni Tuulola (5.167)

Tier six

Mathias From (5.333)
Roope Laavainen (5.333)
Ryan Shea (5.333)
Parker Foo (5.5)
Jake Ryczek (5.5)
Nathan Noel (5.667)
Graham Knott (5.833)

Note: Our panel discovered at a later date Jack Ramsey had been omitted from the series and agreed Ramsey falls into tier six.

The post RECAP: The-Rink’s Blackhawks prospect pyramid: Blood, sweat and tiers appeared first on The Rink.

Our series concludes today with tiers two and one, defined as a prospect seen as a top six forward, No. 2 or 3 defenseman or starting goaltender or a prospect seen as a first line forward, top pairing defenseman or elite goaltender, respectively.

As explained in the introduction piece, each eligible prospect in the system was rated by our staff panel before ultimately being debated to agree on a tier. Each prospect’s original rating average is listed in parentheses after their name, along with a brief synopsis of why they fell in the tier they did.

Players are listed in order of original rating average, with any ties being sorted alphabetically by last name.

Tier one
Adam Boqvist (1)
Boqvist rocketed to the top of the Blackhawks’ top prospects list by being drafted eighth overall in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. The talented Swedish defenseman entered the organization as arguably the best draftee to come to Chicago since the Blackhawks selected Patrick Kane in 2007. Boqvist also became the best defensive prospect to join the organization in over 15 years. With Chicago stockpiling defensemen through the draft in the last few years, Boqvist headlines the group, as his offensive flair makes him instantly stand out on the ice. Despite questions surrounding his defensive ability and long term health, the dynamic 6-foot, 181 pound blue line phenom has progressed nicely since being selected last summer. Boqvist posted 20 goals and 40 assists in 54 regular season games with the London Knights before exploding for 10 goals in 11 postseason contests. Boqvist is expected to make the jump to the professional game this season, though that may be primarily with the Rockford IceHogs instead of the Blackhawks. Either way, Chicago fans could very well get a look at Boqvist at some point in 2019–20 if injuries require a replacement on the back end. Whether Boqvist’s chance for prime playing time comes at some point this season or beginning in 2020–21, he should become a prominent staple of the Blackhawks’ blue line for the foreseeable future.

Adam Boqvist skates at the 2018 Traverse City Rookie Tournament. (Photograph courtesy of the Rockford IceHogs)

Kirby Dach (1)
Another welcome addition to Chicago’s organization, Dach instantly became the best forward prospect the Blackhawks have added in the draft since selecting Kane. Not only does Dach boast impressive offensive skill, but his size—measuring in at 6-foot-4 and 198 pounds at just 18 years of age—is also something the Chicago forward prospect pool has sorely lacked in recent years. While some considered Dach to be a bit of a surprise pick at the time, he has done nothing but impress since then with strong showings at the Blackhawks’ prospect camp, the Team Canada World Juniors Summer Showcase and the recent Traverse City Rookie Tournament. Though Dach could get a nine game look with Chicago at the beginning of the season, his status for the rest of the season remains to be seen. While it could be argued the best place for his development might be Rockford, the CHL’s transfer agreement does not allow that, meaning Dach will either have to spend the entire season with the Blackhawks or return to the Saskatoon Blades. Sustaining a concussion in the final game of the Traverse City tournament may put Dach a couple steps back since he has yet to participate in any of the Blackhawks’ training camp sessions. Regardless, it is evident that Dach will play a huge role for the organization in the future, as his total package offers a combination of skill, size, desire and leadership Chicago has not seen in quite some time. Both Dach and Boqvist joined John Quenneville as the only three players our panel voted unanimously on.

Kirby Dach skates at the 2019 Traverse City Rookie Tournament. (Photograph courtesy of Dave Reginek / NHLI via Getty Images)

Tier two
Ian Mitchell (1.833)
Mitchell was a bit of an unknown in the hockey world when Chicago selected him in the second round of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft out of the Alberta Junior Hockey League. However, in the time since, Mitchell has done nothing short of show the Blackhawks got a steal, impressing in his first two seasons at the University of Denver. Though the 5-foot-11, 174 pound blue liner is viewed as an offensive defenseman, his defensive game has also developed nicely since being drafted, with some viewing him as more of a two way defenseman with high offensive upside as opposed to merely an offensively minded blue liner. In 80 total games with the Pioneers, Mitchell has racked up 57 points and a plus minus rating of 35. The St. Albert, Alberta, native will return to Denver to captain the Pioneers in 2019–20, but is expected to sign his entry level contract with the Blackhawks and forgo his senior season. Whether Mitchell makes his NHL debut late this season or in 2020–21, he has made it known he wants to make the jump straight to the NHL without any time in Rockford. Regardless of when he debuts, Mitchell should develop into a valuable part of Chicago’s back end for the foreseeable future.

Ian Mitchell will captain the University of Denver in the 2019–20 season. (Photograph courtesy of University of Denver Athletics)

Nicolas Beaudin (2.333)
Beaudin was a bit of a surprising pick to many when Chicago picked him 27th overall in 2018 after choosing Boqvist at No. 8. Then viewed as another offensively minded defenseman, Beaudin has transformed his game into being a legitimate two way option capable of chipping in offensively as well as being reliable in his own end. His efforts to focus on improving defensively showed last season. After combining for a plus minus rating of 8 over his first two full seasons with Drummondville, Beaudin exploded for a rating of 60 in 2018–19 while still posting over a point per game offensively. Initially appearing to be just another offensive defenseman in Chicago’s system, Beaudin has quickly justified his draft position by establishing himself as the top two way blue line prospect in the Blackhawks’ system. Being left handed helps Beaudin’s chances to play big minutes down the road, as both Boqvist and Mitchell play the right side. The Chateauguay, Quebec, native enters the first year of his entry level contract this season and will likely spend it learning the pro game in Rockford on what is expected to be a stacked IceHogs blue line. While Beaudin, who measures in exactly the same as Mitchell in both height and weight, will probably need at least this season to be prepared for full time NHL action, he should be another valuable piece in Chicago for the foreseeable future, as his two way game should help balance out Boqvist and Mitchell’s offensive styles of play. One panelist summed up Beaudin well by saying, “Entering the draft, Beaudin was a clear cut offensive minded blue liner, but after joining an organization with players such as Ian Mitchell, Adam Boqvist and (at the time) Henri Jokiharju, there was doubt that Beaudin could be shipped. He now looks like the defenseman that every team needs but no one talks about: A quiet (in a positive way) player who makes the smart play before the flashy play.”

Nicolas Beaudin skates at the 2019 Traverse City Rookie Tournament. (Photograph courtesy of Dave Reginek / NHLI via Getty Images)

The-Rink thanks you for tuning in for our Blackhawks prospect pyramid: Blood, sweat and tiers.

The post The-Rink’s Blackhawks prospect pyramid: Blood, sweat and tiers, part five appeared first on The Rink.

Our series continues today with tier three, defined as a prospect seen as a middle six forward, second pairing defenseman or backup goalie.

As explained in the introduction piece, each eligible prospect in the system was rated by our staff panel before ultimately being debated to agree on a tier. Each prospect’s original rating average is listed in parentheses after their name, along with a brief synopsis of why they fell in the tier they did.

Players are listed in order of original rating average, with any ties being sorted alphabetically by last name.

Alex Vlasic (2.833)

The cousin of San Jose’s Marc-Edouard Vlasic, the Wilmette, Illinois, native was selected by his hometown team in the second round this June. Vlasic boasts a massive frame for someone his age being listed at 6-foot-6 and 198 pounds. Vlasic has shown an ability to use his size to his advantage, especially in terms of breaking up plays with his reach and blocking shots. As part of the high powered US National Team Development Program over the past two years, Vlasic was relied on more so as a defensive defenseman. However, the big blue liner does have the ability to chip in from the back end thanks to his good vision and slap shot. Vlasic will head to Boston University to join the Terriers, where he will likely spend at least a couple of years before turning pro. Vlasic, who some considered to be a bit of a steal at the draft, could slot into Chicago’s top four in the future if he can develop into a bonafide shutdown defenseman. While he has a bigger frame than former Blackhawk Niklas Hjalmarsson, Vlasic could be the long awaited replacement for the three-time Stanley Cup champion.

The Blackhawks selected Wilmette, Illinois, native Alex Vlasic in the second round in 2019. Vlasic will play at Boston University in 2019–20. (Photograph courtesy of Hickling Images)

Alex Nylander (3)

Nylander, who is the brother of William Nylander of Toronto and son of former Blackhawk Michael Nylander, was acquired by Chicago earlier this summer from Buffalo in exchange for 2017 first round pick Henri Jokiharju. Alex was the eighth overall selection in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft and has spent the majority of his time since then playing for the Rochester Americans in the AHL. The Calgary-born Swede possesses an undeniable amount of offensive skill and flair, but has been surrounded with questions about his intensity and desire. Nylander joins a growing list of recent reclamation projects for Stan Bowman, who hopes the Nylander experiment will turn out more like Dylan Strome than David Rundblad. Nylander’s style is clearly suited for a top six role, but, if he is unable to put his game together, could end up being more like Dylan Sikura has been recently in not quite being able to handle the top six load but also not fitting in as a bottom six player. Though the Blackhawks have a wealth of young talent on the back end, Nylander will need to prove his services were worth jettisoning Jokiharju, who seems primed for a lengthy career as a top four NHL defenseman.

Chicago acquired Alex Nylander from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Henri Jokiharju this summer. (Photograph courtesy of the NHL)

Dominik Kubalik (3.167)

Kubalik joins Chicago’s organization for 2019–20 after being acquired in January from Los Angeles in exchange for a fifth round pick. Originally a 2013 seventh round pick of the Kings, Kubalik tore up the Swiss National League in 2018–19, leading the league with 57 points in 50 games. The Czech Republic native will look to translate his production to North America, where he has not played since 2013–14 in the Ontario Hockey League. Kubalik has been a mainstay on Czech teams at international tournaments, including representing his country in the 2018 Winter Olympics. The 6-foot-2, 179-pound winger also enjoyed a breakout showing at the 2019 World Championships, scoring six goals and adding six assists in 10 games. Kubalik, who is on a one year contract with the Blackhawks, is expected to be in Chicago’s lineup this season. While he could become a standout player if he is able to produce as he did in Switzerland, Kubalik will likely be more along the lines of this year’s Dominik Kahun if he pans out, being someone who can play up and down the lineup and contribute offensively in a supporting role.

Dominik Kubalik will make his North American professional debut in 2019–20 after dominating the Swiss National League in 2018–19. (Photograph courtesy of Getty Images)

Philipp Kurashev (3.167)

Kurashev has been a pleasant surprise thus far in his development, quickly rising up the ranks in Chicago’s system. The Blackhawks drafted Kurashev in the fourth round of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft and the Switzerland native has since done nothing but impress regardless of the level of play. In 59 games for the Quebec Remparts, he scored 29 goals and added 36 helpers for career best marks in both goals and points in his junior career. Kurashev particularly stood out on the international stage, with the World Junior Championships highlighting his showings for his country. A regular for Swiss national teams, Kurashev lit it up to lead the tournament with six goals in seven games and finished with seven points. Following his junior season coming to a close, Kurashev made the jump to Rockford, where he played three games for the IceHogs. Kurashev is expected to return to Rockford’s lineup for 2019–20, where he will likely be among the team’s go-to offensive weapons. Though Kurashev has not yet proven himself professionally, his development is trending in the right direction and it appears he could have a successful middle six role in the NHL down the road.

Philipp Kurashev will play in his first full professional season in 2019–20 after finishing last season with the Rockford IceHogs. (Photograph courtesy of the Rockford IceHogs)

Chad Krys (3.333)

Like a couple of other players already covered in the series, Krys may be a player who would best be suited by moving to another organization. The offensive defenseman was once at the top of Chicago’s blue line prospects, but has since dropped down the list with the drafting of other high end defensemen who excel offensively. Drafted in the second round of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, Krys spent three seasons playing at Boston University to continue his development. In his time as a Terrier, the Connecticut native posted 58 points in 105 games, including 20 points in 30 games last season as an alternate captain. Upon finishing his collegiate season, Krys signed with the Blackhawks and joined the Rockford IceHogs, playing nine games while tallying four assists. The 5-foot-11, 185 pound defender boasts strong skating and passing abilities, but would likely need to be paired with a reliable partner at the NHL level to cover for his defensive deficiencies. The majority of our panel believes Krys will become an everyday NHL player, but, as mentioned previously, his path would likely be easier in another organization. Krys will return to Rockford for the 2019–20 season on a stacked IceHogs blue line.

Chad Krys joined the IceHogs late in the 2018–19 season after spending three years at Boston University. (Photograph courtesy of the Rockford IceHogs)

Jake Wise (3.5)

Wise is among the Blackhawks’ most intriguing forward prospects both because of his skill but also because of a seeming mystique around him. The Naples, Florida, native has missed time with injuries in each of his last two seasons—2017–18 with the US National Team Development Program and 2018–19 at Boston University—which has prevented him from showing what he is capable of when at full health. Once considered a potential first round pick option in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, Chicago scooped up Wise in the third round. Wise is hard to miss on the ice for that reason: He is good at making defenders miss. He uses his speed and high end stickhandling to elude defenders in tight spaces. Additionally, Wise is responsible defensively, which will help his cause as he moves up the ranks. While our panel was a bit mixed on Wise, his talent is undeniable, and, if he can stay healthy and progress in his development, could turn into a draft day steal in a middle six type of role in the future. The 5-foot-10 centerman will return to the Terriers for 2019–20.

Jake Wise will return to Boston University for 2019–20 looking to put together a full season after playing just 12 games last year. (Photograph courtesy of Boston University Athletics)

Alexis Gravel (4)

Gravel’s initial vote rating indicates a spot in the fourth tier, but upon reconsidering our tiers in terms of goaltenders, our panel decided Gravel was better suited for tier three, as the group believes Gravel will be in NHL blue paint in the future. Once considered a top goaltending prospect for the 2018 draft class, the Blackhawks snagged the German native in the sixth round after a somewhat disappointing 2017–18 season with the Halifax Mooseheads. However, Gravel has done nothing but impress since being drafted, putting together a breakout 2018–19 campaign with Halifax, posting a goals against average of 2.49 and save percentage of .913, both of which were career best marks. Gravel then upped his game in the postseason, recording a .917 save percentage in 23 games, guiding his squad to second place finishes in both the QMJHL’s President’s Cup and the Memorial Cup. Boasting massive size in the goal at 6-foot-3 and 218 pounds, Gravel is still quick and tracks pucks well in addition to being technically sound. Though still relatively early in his progression, Gravel looks as though he could be among the better goaltenders the Blackhawks have drafted and developed in the 21st century. The right handed netminder will return to the Mooseheads in 2019–20.

Alexis Gravel will return to the Halifax Mooseheads for the 2019–20 season. (Photograph courtesy of Vincent Ethier/CHL Images)

Stay tuned as The-Rink progresses up the ladder in its Blackhawks prospect pyramid: Blood, sweat and tiers.

The post The-Rink’s Blackhawks prospect pyramid: Blood, sweat and tiers, part four appeared first on The Rink.

Our series continues today with tier four, defined as a prospect seen as a bottom-six or extra forward, third-pairing or extra defenseman or fringe goalie.

As explained in the introduction piece, each eligible prospect in the system was rated by our staff panel before ultimately being debated to agree on a tier. Each prospect’s original rating average is listed in parentheses after their name, along with a brief synopsis of why they fell in the tier they did.

Players are listed in order of original rating average, with any ties being sorted alphabetically by last name.

Evan Barratt (3.5)

The 2017 third-round pick was one of the players our panel had the hardest time coming to a consensus on. Some felt Barratt is capable of converting his offensive firepower at the collegiate level to the professional ranks for a middle-six role, while some felt he will be nothing more than a serviceable depth piece in the NHL. Either way, Barratt brings a combination of skill and sandpaper the Blackhawks could use in their lineup down the road. The Bristol, Pennsylvania, native will return to Penn State in 2019–20, where he ignited for 43 points in 32 games last season.

Evan Barratt will return to Penn State for the 2019–20 season. (Photograph courtesy of Penn State Athletics)

MacKenzie Entwistle (3.667)

Since being acquired in the infamous trade that saw Marian Hossa’s contract dealt to Arizona, Entwistle has established himself as one of the Blackhawks’ most solidified prospects in terms of their future role. The 2017 third-round pick of the Coyotes has embraced the idea of being a bottom-six player at the NHL level and has adjusted his game to suit that role. After winning back-to-back OHL championships on the Hamilton Bulldogs and Guelph Storm and enjoying a breakout showing at the World Junior Championships, Entwistle will turn pro in 2019–20 to join what will likely be a youthful Rockford IceHogs lineup.

Guelph Storm forward MacKenzie Entwistle (left) battles for a puck at the Memorial Cup. (Photograph courtesy of Vincent Ethier / CHL Images)

Aleksi Saarela (3.833)

Saarela joins the Blackhawk organization this season after spending the last two in Carolina’s system. Originally a 2015 third-round pick of the New York Rangers, Saarela was part of the trade that saw Eric Staal leave the Hurricanes at the 2016 trade deadline. Since then, Saarela has spent the majority of his time playing for the Charlotte Checkers in the AHL, where he and his team won the Calder Cup last season. Saarela’s big shot helped him score 30 goals in 2018–19, but he likely will not reach a level like that in the NHL. If Saarela wants to have a lengthy NHL career, it will likely need to be in a depth role. Saarela will be given a chance to crack Chicago’s opening night lineup, but is more likely to start the season in Rockford to adjust to the Blackhawks’ system.

Aleksi Saarela joins the Blackhawks organization for 2019–20 after winning the Calder Cup with the Charlotte Checkers. (Photograph courtesy of Patrick Gorski / Icon Sportswire

Josiah Slavin (3.833)

Slavin was another polarizing player among our panel members. With votes as high as tier two, he clearly is a player who has quickly grabbed the attention of some panelists despite being a seventh-round pick in 2018. Slavin’s rise in the USHL over the last two seasons and showings at the Blackhawks’ development camps have led some to feel he has the tools needed to be a legitimate contributor at the NHL level, playing a simple, but effective, pro-style game. Slavin, who is the younger brother of Carolina’s Jaccob Slavin, possesses a strong work ethic and displays leadership on and off the ice, which have helped his development thus far. The Erie, Colorado, native will head to play at Colorado College, where he will likely spend at least two years before turning pro. While he still has some developing to do, Slavin could very well turn out to be a diamond in the rough and have a successful NHL career, whether as a middle-six player or a depth option.

Josiah Slavin heads to Colorado College after splitting the 2018–19 season between Lincoln and Chicago in the USHL. (Photograph courtesy of Brad Repplinger)

Dennis Gilbert (4)

Gilbert is a perfect representation of a few players who our panel feels can be a solid NHL player, just likely not in a Blackhawk sweater. The Notre Dame product provides the physicality Chicago’s blue line pipeline lacks, but very well might not have a clear path to NHL ice time with all of the other young defensemen in the system who have higher upsides. Drafted in the third round of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, Gilbert turned pro in 2018–19 after three seasons with the Fighting Irish. The Buffalo, New York, native played in 63 games for Rockford, where he racked up 14 points, to go along with one game for the Blackhawks. Our panel was in full agreement Gilbert has the tools to be a reliable and rugged stay-at-home defenseman in the NHL, but most felt that would be elsewhere.

Dennis Gilbert tallied 14 points for the Rockford IceHogs in 2018–19. (Photograph courtesy of the Rockford IceHogs)

Matthew Highmore (4)

Highmore is a bit of an interesting player in the group because of his circumstances. Most of our panel feels he has the tools needed to be an everyday bottom-six center in the NHL. However, injuries have hampered Highmore thus far in his career, washing out the majority of his 2018–19 season. The undrafted free agent signing played in 13 games for the Blackhawks in 2017–18, but managed just 12 games in 2018–19, all with Rockford. Despite his injury issues, Highmore has proven to be an effective scorer at the AHL level, posting 52 points in 76 games over two seasons with the IceHogs. Hopes are 2019–20 can be a fresh start for Highmore, but he will need to earn a spot in Chicago, as there is a slew of other players who could very well beat him out for depth roster spots.

Matthew Highmore enters 2019–20 looking to rebound from his injury-shortened 2018–19 campaign. (Photograph courtesy of the Rockford IceHogs)

Kevin Lankinen (4)

The undrafted free agent signing came over to play in North America for the first time in 2018–19, splitting time with Indy in the ECHL and Rockford in the AHL. While he posted decent numbers with the IceHogs (2.50 goals against average and a .910 save percentage in 19 games), Lankinen took the world by storm for his native Finland in the World Championships, backstopping the Finns to the gold medal with sparkling numbers of a 1.50 goals against average and a .942 save percentage. His efforts quickly caught the attention of many in the Blackhawks’ fanbase, but he needs to show that ability on a consistent basis for an extended period of time for our panel to place him in a higher tier. Lankinen is expected to return to Rockford for 2019–20, where he will get a chance to show if he is truly the lights-out goaltender he was at the World Championships or if his heroics were just a flash in the pan.

The 2019–20 season will give Kevin Lankinen an opportunity to show if his heroic performance at the 2019 World Championships was his true self or just a flash in the pan. (Photograph courtesy of the Rockford IceHogs)

Niklas Nordgren (4)

The 2018 third-round pick of the Blackhawks is an intriguing prospect because of his ability to score. However, his size is a bit of a question mark, as is his skating, which will definitely need to be improved if he wants to translate his production to the game’s highest level. Unlike the majority of prospects in the system, Nordgren has been limited in his participation in prospect camp over the past two summers, as he was injured early in the 2018 camp before being an off-ice participant in 2019. Nordgren has split time between HIFK’s main Liiga men’s team and the organization’s U20 team over the last two seasons. The Helsinki native tallied 26 points in 28 games between the two teams in 2018–19 and will return to HIFK for 2019–20. Nordgren’s development will be worth keeping an eye on, as he could become a scoring threat in the NHL if he pans out.

Niklas Nordgren combined for 26 points in 28 games in the HIFK organization in 2018–19. (Photograph courtesy of AOP)

John Quenneville (4)

The cousin of longtime Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville, John was one of three prospects to receive an identical rating from each member of our panel. Acquired earlier this summer in exchange for John Hayden, Quenneville will enter camp looking to earn a full-time job in the NHL for the first time. The 2014 first-round pick of New Jersey played in 33 games for the Devils in his time with the organization, spending the majority of that time playing for the Albany Devils in the AHL. After racking up 39 points in 37 AHL games last season, Quenneville appears ready to take the next step, but might have a hard time grabbing a roster spot in Chicago. Regardless, Quenneville should be able to be a decent depth piece at the NHL level in the future.

John Quenneville joins the Blackhawks organization after being acquired from New Jersey this summer. (Photograph courtesy of Ed Mulholland / USA TODAY Sports

Michal Teply (4)

Teply will be another intriguing prospect to keep an eye on as his career progresses. Selected in the fourth round this June by the Blackhawks, the noted playmaker will come to North America to join the Winnipeg Ice for 2019–20 after being chosen fourth overall by the Ice in the CHL Import Draft. The Czech Republic product posted 21 points in various Czech leagues in 2018–19 before racking up six points in four playoff games for the Bili Tygri Liberec U19 team. Teply has been a mainstay on the Czech Republic’s international teams growing up, representing his country in various tournaments in each of the past three seasons. The big-bodied winger will need to work on his skating and adjust to the North American game, but, if he can do those things, seems like he can be a depth contributor in the NHL.

Michal Teply will head to North America for 2019–20 to play for the Winnipeg Ice. (Photograph courtesy of the IIHF)

Lucas Carlsson (4.167)

The 2016 fourth-rounder made the transition to North America in 2018–19, playing 69 games with Rockford and tallying 33 points, after a lengthy career in the Brynas organization in Sweden. While generally known to be an offensive defenseman, Carlsson is capable of holding his own in his own end. Of course, being part of an impressive blue line pipeline in the Chicago system, Carlsson might have a hard time cracking the Blackhawks’ lineup in the future. Multiple members of our panel believe he has the tools needed to be a regular depth defenseman in the NHL, but would likely only be able to realize that potential in a different organization. As one panelist noted, Carlsson feels a bit like Ville Pokka in the sense he might be too good for the AHL but never be able to make it in the NHL given the situation he is in. The Swede is expected to return to a stacked blue line in Rockford in 2019–20.

Lucas Carlsson posted 33 points for Rockford in 2018–19. (Photograph courtesy of the Rockford IceHogs)

Tim Soderlund (4.167)

Soderlund’s skill set lends itself to a bottom-six role, which is likely what he would need to be in order to have an NHL career. While Soderlund has looked good at both ends in his time playing in Sweden’s SHL over the last three seasons, he has not stood out much at Chicago’s prospect camps since being selected in the fourth round in 2017, though that is not an end-all, be-all setting. Soderlund will join Rockford for 2019–20, where he will get his first taste of the North American game. Sometimes compared to fellow Swede Viktor Arvidsson, Blackhawks fans should be cautiously optimistic about Soderlund’s future. If he can translate his game to North America, he should have a chance to establish himself as a reliable depth player capable of chipping in offensively from time to time.

After spending his whole career in Sweden, Tim Soderlund will come to North America for the 2019–20 season. (Photograph courtesy of Ola Westerberg / Bildbyrån)

Alexandre Fortin (4.333)

Once the “golden boy” of the Blackhawks’ prospect camps, Fortin has a well-known story that has led him to the professional ranks. Unfortunately for Fortin, it sometimes seems like he just is not getting the opportunity he needs to establish himself at the NHL level. After struggling with injuries in his first professional season in 2017–18, the undrafted free agent signing split time between Chicago and Rockford in 2018–19, posting consistent numbers at both levels. Fortin tallied three goals and three assists in 24 games for the Blackhawks and doubled his totals in 47 games with the IceHogs. Fortin has speed to burn, but the rest of his game will need to catch up to his feet in order to put it all together. Though there is still time for Fortin to earn himself a regular NHL job, he might be passed over for other options as time progresses. Fortin is another player who may be better off starting fresh in another organization to get the most out of his career moving forward.

Alexandre Fortin will look to grab a full-time roster spot in Chicago in 2019–20. (Photograph courtesy of the Rockford IceHogs)

Stay tuned as The-Rink progresses up the ladder in its Blackhawks prospect pyramid: Blood, sweat and tiers.

The post The-Rink’s Blackhawks prospect pyramid: Blood, sweat and tiers, part three appeared first on The Rink.

Our series continues today with tier five, defined as a prospect seen as a fringe forward, fringe defenseman or AHL goalie with a chance to play in the NHL.

As explained in the introduction piece, each eligible prospect in the system was rated by our staff panel before ultimately being debated to agree on a tier. Each prospect’s original rating average is listed in parentheses after their name, along with a brief synopsis of why they fell in the tier they did.

Players are listed in order of original rating average, with any ties being sorted alphabetically by last name.

Brandon Hagel (4.333)
The majority of our panel agreed Hagel would be a fringe NHL player who has the capabilities needed to contribute in a depth role, but one member felt Hagel’s upside could be as high as a middle-six role. The most valuable player of the Blackhawks’ development camp scrimmage possesses a variety of skills in his game, but will need to fine tune them to get to the next level. Hagel will likely spend the 2019–20 season with the Rockford IceHogs after a breakout 2018–19 campaign with the Red Deer Rebels.

Brandon Hagel played in eight games for the Rockford IceHogs at the end of the 2018–19 season after scoring 102 points with Red Deer in the Western Hockey League. (Photograph courtesy of the Rockford IceHogs)

Antti Saarela (4.333)
The 2019 fourth-round pick will be a project, but showed flashes of his ability in development camp. The younger brother of fellow Blackhawk prospect Aleksi Saarela possesses a good shot, but will need to improve his skating to be effective in the NHL. Saarela will stay in Finland for the 2019–20 season, where he will join Ilves after spending his entire career thus far with Lukko.

Antti Saarela will join Ilves for the 2019–20 season after spending all of his career with Lukko in Finland. (Photograph courtesy of Lansi Suomi)

Dominic Basse (4.5)
Basse adds impressive size to the Blackhawks’ prospect pool in the blue paint, measuring 6-foot-6 at just 18 years of age. Basse dominated in 2018–19 for the Selects Hockey Academy 18U team, compiling a 1.91 goals against average and .924 save percentage in 42 games played. The Colorado College commit has not yet announced his plans on where he will play in 2019–20, but perhaps the most likely scenario would see him join the Youngstown Phantoms in the USHL, as the Phantoms hold his USHL rights. Basse will be an interesting project to keep an eye on in the future.

Dominic Basse provides the Blackhawks’ system with size at the goaltender position. (Photograph courtesy of Colorado College)

Artur Kayumov (4.5)
Kayumov is among the most polarizing prospects in the Blackhawks’ system. A skilled and passionate left winger, Kayumov has yet to break out in his time playing in the KHL in his native Russia, tallying just 13 points in 46 games for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in 2018–19. Despite this, his skill set would likely allow him to be a contributor in the NHL, though this looks less and less likely with each passing season for the 2016 second-round pick. Kayumov will return to Lokomotiv Yaroslavl for 2019–20.

Artur Kayumov will stay in Russia for yet another season in 2019–20. (Photograph courtesy of the Chicago Blackhawks)

Josh Ess (4.667)
Ess has made strides since being selected in the seventh round in 2017. In his time since being drafted, Ess has established himself as a steady presence on Wisconsin’s blue line. The Minnesota native moves the puck well, but needs to keep working on his overall game to have a chance at playing in the NHL. Even if Ess can take the next step in his development with a big year for what is expected to be a potent Badger lineup in 2019–20, he would need to jump over a slew of other young defensemen in the system to don the Indian head down the road.

Josh Ess posted career-high totals of five goals, eight assists and 13 points as a sophomore at Wisconsin in 2018–19. (Photograph courtesy of the University of Wisconsin)

Jakub Galvas (4.833)
Galvas is known as a puck-moving defenseman, something the Blackhawks have plenty of in their system. Despite having others ahead of him on the organizational depth chart, Galvas could break through for NHL playing time if he rounds out his game. The 2017 fifth-rounder has become a mainstay on international tournament teams for his native Czech Republic, including a pair of appearances in the World Junior Championships. A longtime member of the HC Olomouc organization, Galvas will head to Finland to play for Jukurit for the next step of his development.

Jakub Galvas will leave the Czech Republic to play in Finland for the 2019–20 season. (Photograph courtesy of Miroslav Chaloupka / CTK Photo)

Mikael Hakkarainen (4.833)
Hakkarainen dominated the USHL last season, tallying 19 goals and 28 assists in 42 games with the Muskegon Lumberjacks after leaving Providence College following just one game at the beginning of the season. With little left to prove at the junior level, the 2018 fifth-rounder will turn pro to likely join the Rockford IceHogs for the 2019–20 season. At times, the Finn looks like he has a promising future in a depth role, but he will need to transfer his scoring ability at the junior level to the pro ranks—or adjust his style of play—in order to earn a regular NHL spot.

Mikael Hakkarainen will join the Rockford IceHogs for the 2019–20 season. (Photograph courtesy of Justin Berl / Getty Images)

Reese Johnson (4.833)
After spending the majority of the 2018–19 season as the captain for the Red Deer Rebels, Johnson finished the year in Rockford. Johnson improved his offensive numbers in his final year playing juniors, nearing a point-per-game pace with 27 goals and 26 assists in 67 games. The undrafted free agent signing then posted four assists in his six games with the IceHogs. Though Johnson finally started showing his offensive ability last season, he will likely be relied on as a more defensive forward should he make it to the NHL. Johnson will return to Rockford for the 2019–20 campaign.

Reese Johnson joined the Rockford IceHogs late in the 2018–19 season after playing for Red Deer of the Western Hockey League. (Photograph courtesy of the Rockford IceHogs)

Cole Moberg (4.833)
The 2019 seventh-round pick broke out in a big way for a bad Prince George Cougars team in 2018–19, blowing away his previous career-high marks with 13 goals, 27 assists and 40 points. Our panel was relatively split on the 6-foot-3 defender, as some felt he could become a regular bottom-pairing option in the NHL down the road, while some feel it is too early in his development to project a ceiling of that nature. Moberg will return to the Cougars for 2019–20, where he will be relied upon as a leader on and off the ice for Prince George.

2019 seventh-round pick Cole Moberg was among the few bright spots for the Prince George Cougars in 2018–19. (Photograph courtesy of the Prince George Cougars)

Andrei Altybarmakyan (5.167)
Another wildcard within the Blackhawks’ system, Altybarmakyan boasts an impressive offensive skill set. However, the 2017 third-rounder has yet to put it together in the KHL, posting just six points in 38 games last season with HK Sochi. Of course, the Russian factor is also in effect here, as Altybarmakyan may very well never play in North America. Even if Altybarmakyan does play in North America, he would likely need to prove he can be somewhat reliable defensively to earn a chance at regular NHL ice time.

Andrei Altybarmakyan will stay in Russia for the 2019–20 season. (Photograph courtesy of the KHL)

Ivan Nalimov (5.167)
Another Russian with dwindling likelihood of playing in North America, Nalimov has been the ultimate hit-or-miss goaltender in the KHL. At times looking like a legitimate NHL goaltender while resembling a headcase piece of Swiss cheese at others, the 2014 sixth-round pick will enter his sixth KHL season in 2019–20 with his sixth team. While Nalimov has expressed an interest to come play in North America in the past, the Blackhawks have not reciprocated the desire. It appears likely at this point Nalimov will not have a future in the NHL unless his rights are dealt and another team gives him a chance.

Among the more intriguing prospects in the Blackhawks’ system, Ivan Nalimov will join his sixth team in the KHL for the 2019–20 season. (Photograph courtesy of Kunlun Redstar)

Joni Tuulola (5.167)
Tuulola played his first full season of North American hockey for the IceHogs in 2018–19, posting four goals and 10 assists in 52 games. The 2015 sixth-round selection has generally been a defense-first blueliner, but has shown an ability to chip in offensively as well. However, with as many offensive defensemen as the Blackhawks have in their system already, Tuulola will need to focus on being rock-solid in his own end if he wants a chance to play in the NHL. Tuulola will return to Rockford’s defensive core for the 2019–20 season.

Joni Tuulola will return to Rockford for 2019–20 after posting four goals and 10 assists for the IceHogs in 2018–19. (Photograph courtesy of the Rockford IceHogs)

Stay tuned as The-Rink progresses up the ladder in its Blackhawks prospect pyramid: Blood, sweat and tiers.

The post The-Rink’s Blackhawks prospect pyramid: Blood, sweat and tiers, part two appeared first on The Rink.

Our series kicks off today with tier six, defined as a prospect seen as an organizational depth player or goalie with little to no chance to play in the NHL.

As explained in the introduction piece, each eligible prospect in the system was rated by our staff panel before ultimately being debated to agree on a tier. Each prospect’s original rating average is listed in parentheses after their name, along with a brief synopsis of why they fell in the tier they did.

Players are listed in order of original rating average, with any ties being sorted alphabetically by last name.

Mathias From (5.333)
To some, From feels like he could be a fourth-liner in the NHL. Others believe he will never even set foot on professional North American ice. From has shown skill in the Blackhawks’ development camps he has attended, but not enough to put himself in a higher tier. A fifth-round pick in 2016, From tallied 16 points in 45 games last season with AIK in Sweden. The Denmark native will join Blackhawks 2014 fourth-round pick Fredrik Olofsson on MODO for the 2019–20 season.

Mathias From scored 16 points in 45 games for AIK last season. (Photograph courtesy of Sportbibeln)

Roope Laavainen (5.333)
Laavainen is an intriguing piece within the prospect pool because the organization seems to think he can be a player moving forward. While one member of our panel felt similarly, thinking Laavainen could be a bottom-pairing NHL defenseman in the future, the majority did not see anything to justify a spot on a higher tier. The 2017 fourth-rounder will return to play with HPK in Finland this season.

Roope Laavainen will return to play for HPK in Finland this season. (Photograph courtesy of Jukka Rautio/Kuva Europhoto)

Ryan Shea (5.333)
The 2015 fourth-rounder has been a steady presence for Northeastern University in his three seasons with the Huskies, the first two of which he played with Dylan Sikura. Shea will return to Northeastern for his senior season, where he will captain the Huskies. Should the Blackhawks choose to sign Shea in the future, he would likely have to jump a number of other young defensemen in the system for a shot at playing in the NHL.

Ryan Shea will captain Northeastern University this season. (Photograph courtesy of Northeastern University)

Parker Foo (5.5)
The Blackhawks are likely hoping Foo can follow in the footsteps of his older brother, Spencer, in becoming a good-looking prospect who had success at the collegiate level, but until further notice, the 2017 fifth-rounder might have nothing more than a future in the minor leagues. Foo will return to Union College this fall for his junior season after posting 15 points in 35 games as a sophomore with the Dutchmen.

Parker Foo will return to Union College for his junior season with the Dutchmen. (Photograph courtesy of Robert Morris University)

Jake Ryczek (5.5)
Ryczek will turn pro this season after spending two years playing for the Halifax Mooseheads in the QMJHL. While he could still develop into a serviceable player, 2019 first-round pick Kirby Dach did nothing to help Ryczek’s cause at this year’s development camp, making the 2016 seventh-rounder look more like a pylon than a future NHL defenseman. Ryczek would also have to jump over a glut of other young defensemen to get his shot at the NHL level, which seems unlikely.

Jake Ryczek will turn pro this season after spending two years with the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL. (Photograph courtesy of Katie Whitty)

Nathan Noel (5.667)
A fourth-round pick in 2016, Noel has struggled to put up numbers since turning pro in 2017, scoring just seven goals and adding 11 assists in 84 games split between the Rockford IceHogs and Indy Fuel. At this point, Noel, who struggled to stay healthy last season, will likely be nothing more than a depth player in the minors.

Nathan Noel will enter his third professional season with the Blackhawks’ organization this fall. (Photograph courtesy of the Rockford IceHogs)

Graham Knott (5.833)
Needless to say, Knott looks to be among the biggest disappointments in the Blackhawks’ prospect pool since Kyle Beach. Originally a second-round pick in 2015, Knott has scored just eight goals in 126 professional games over two seasons with the Rockford IceHogs. Short of a miraculous turnaround, it would be safe to write off any chance of Knott making it to the NHL moving forward.

Graham Knott posted four goals and nine assists last season with the Rockford IceHogs. (Photograph courtesy of the Rockford IceHogs)

Stay tuned as The-Rink progresses up the ladder in its prospect pyramid: Blood, sweat and tiers.

The post The-Rink’s Blackhawks prospect pyramid: Blood, sweat and tiers, part one appeared first on The Rink.

After another season of hockey, the 2019 NHL Entry Draft and July’s development camp for the Blackhawks, The-Rink has assessed where each prospect in the system stands in terms of their ability to make an impact moving forward.

Many outlets piece together a prospect rankings list to show who may be next in line for NHL stardom. However, The-Rink believes a mere rankings list proves inadequate of truly judging a prospect’s ability to make a mark at the game’s highest level. As such, The-Rink has developed a system of placing prospects into tiers based on their potential.

To be clear, this project has been a group effort. Six of The-Rink’s staff members most in tune with prospects—Eric Andrews, Aaron Goldschmidt, Ron Luce, Ray Napientek, Juliana Nikac and Mario Tirabassi—poured many hours of thought, discussion and compromise into the development of the tiers.

The process began with determining which players would be eligible. After some debate, The-Rink settled on skaters 24 and under with 40 or less NHL games played and goaltenders with 10 or less NHL games played.

From there, tiers needed to be established to place the eligible prospects in. Again, after some debate, The-Rink decided on six different tiers, ranging from high-end NHL players to minor league depth players. The complete list of tiers is as follows:

Tier one = First-line forward, top-pairing defenseman, elite goalie

Tier two = Top-six forward, No. 2 or 3 defenseman, starting goalie

Tier three = Middle-six forward, second-pairing defenseman, backup goalie

Tier four = Bottom-six forward, third-pairing defenseman, fringe goalie

Tier five = Fringe forward, fringe defenseman, AHL goalie with a chance to play in the NHL

Tier six = Organizational depth player or goalie with little to no chance to play in the NHL

The six staff members involved in the project then placed the prospects into the tiers they felt were most appropriate. Of course, each staffer’s ratings varied, resulting in the necessity to debate where players belonged. In fact, just three players received an identical rating from each of the six staffers involved—those players will be denoted when their tier is released. The final tiers reflect the agreed-upon consensus following a debate about each player.

In the coming weeks, The-Rink will be unveiling its prospect tiers along with a brief synopsis of each player and why they fell into the tier they did, starting with tier six and building up to tier one.

Stay tuned to see how each prospect fared in The-Rink’s prospect pyramid: Blood, sweat and tiers.

The post Introducing The-Rink’s prospect pyramid: Blood, sweat and tiers appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts “Gatekeeper” and “JJ” step back into the dusty Rink podcast studio to discuss the prospect camp and the Blackhawks fan convention with staff writers Mario Tirabassi and Aaron Goldschmidt.

• Blackhawks traded Artem Anisimov to Ottawa for Zack Smith
• Thoughts on Development camp
• Fan convention came and went.
• Chris Kunitz retires and joins the Blackhawks player development staff
• New jersey leak?
• Ian Mitchell corner, Brent Seabrook’s trial, Gus’s garage, Sekac street.
• We are only scratching the surface.  Many good things and guests to come!!!!
• We wrap with The-Rink #RinkratPuckBag segment.

Please subscribe, rate this episode, and even write us a review. Reviews will be read on the air.

Also, Please help spread the word to more #RinkRats and visit our sponsor www.PUCKHCKY.com. Use the discount code “THERINK” for 10% off all orders.

The Rinkcast is brought to you by the Overtime Podcast Network

The post Blackhawks Rinkcast – Episode 56 – Gus bus to Camp Colliton appeared first on The Rink.

Each year, it seems that more NHL prospects are choosing college hockey as their route to the pros.  It is not just because the level of competition has increased, but it gives players the opportunity to thrive as student athletes and to be around kids their age in an educational environment. This year, Blackhawks prospect Josiah Slavin will be heading to Colorado Springs, Colorado, for his freshman year playing for the Colorado College Tigers. Led by former Blackhawks assistant coach Mike Haviland, the Tigers play in one of the toughest conferences in college hockey, as the NCHC has been home to the last four NCAA national champions.

Slavin has some history with Colorado College. His big brother, Jaccob, attended CC from 2013–2014 and now plays for the Carolina Hurricanes. Although he will not be playing with his brother, Josiah will not be going to college alone. He will be joined by fellow Chicago Steel alum Casey Staum. Staum is a 2016 Montreal Canadiens fifth round draft pick and played in the USHL for three seasons.

Last season after Slavin was drafted, he made a strong impression with the Blackhawks staff at development camp. His size and skill, although somewhat raw, complemented his compete level nicely. He won pucks in the corners and created chances for his teammates a lot of the times out of nothing. Slavin also looked very strong on the puck. It is not often that late-round draft picks are talked about, but he did get Joel Quenneville’s attention on the first day.

As Slavin enters his first year in the NCHC, he could really thrive under Haviland. The Tigers play a simple, downhill game that is so persistent that you can never count them out until that third buzzer. Haviland preaches that a simple game with hard work will reward you with success. The Tigers won a lot of games despite several injuries to key players last season, and as they continue bringing in their recruits under Haviland, they will continue to round out their depth. Slavin will play a big role in their improvement.

Four times a year, Slavin will run into a familiar face in Ian Mitchell, a junior at the University of Denver who is now captain of the Pioneers. Slavin and Mitchell will have participated in two development camps after this July and will now be a part of a bitter rivalry in the Battle for the Gold Pan between CC and DU. The games tend to be competitive and very hard-hitting no matter where the teams are in the standings.

Something to watch for next season is how much opportunity Haviland gives his young guys. After losing seniors Mason Berg, Trey Bradley and Westin Michaud, the Tigers lost a lot of production and top-six players. CC will be leaning on a couple sophomores in Ben Copeland and Grant Cruikshank and to step up and help senior Nick Halloran put points on the board. Slavin could be a big help on the powerplay if he can get to dirty areas and use his size to his advantage. If he can stay healthy and implement his leadership skills in a very team-first system, Slavin could be an immediate-impact type player for the Tigers.

The post Blackhawks’ Josiah Slavin set to debut with Colorado College this fall appeared first on The Rink.

Here are a few reasons why the Blackhawks should move the pick.

Bowen Byram of the Vancouver Giants skates during a game this season. (Photograph courtesy of CHL)

The Hawks hold the keys to future No. 1 defenseman Bowen Byram

Although Jack Hughes and Kappo Kakko are the most talked about players in the 2019 Draft, Vancouver Giants defenseman Bowen Byram’s stock continues to rise as the best player available at his position. The 6-foot, 200-pound defenseman has all the tools to become an elite defender in the NHL and he projects to be an immediate contributor to the team who drafts him.

So what is the problem? Why do the Blackhawks not just take him at three?

The problem here is Chicago has used their last few first round picks on defenseman, but sadly none like Byram. Byram is a big two-way defenseman who could be the next Brent Seabrook, but the Hawks already have so many young defenseman in the system. To name a few, Henri Jokiharju, Ian Mitchell, Chad Krys, Blake Hillman, Dennis Gilbert, Nicholas Beaudin and Adam Boqvist will all be fighting for roster spots in the next couple years. Adding a player like Byram would continue to add competition to the prospect pool, but the Hawks would be banking on their ability to develop young players in hopes to trade them for other assets. The Nashville Predators are able to move on from players like Ryan Suter and Seth Jones because they had an eye for talent and a system to build their stock. The Blackhawks do not have the history of developing defenseman in that way.

If the Hawks chose to let it be known that the pick is available, publicly or privately, there have to be a few teams looking to trade up looking to obtain the rights to Byram. Whether the compensation includes prospects, draft picks or NHL-ready players, the Blackhawks have an opportunity to sell high on a gift that fell in their lap. Although he will not say it, general manager Stan Bowman is rebuilding the Blackhawks brick by brick. It would be difficult knowing you traded out of third if Byram became a successful player, but what is best for the team right now is depth and there are a lot of holes to fill.

Brent Seabrook awaits a face off this season. (Photograph courtesy of NBC Sports)

Can a bad contract be shed?

How many Blackhawks fans are weeping everytime they see young Teuvo Teravainen make a good play for the Carolina Hurricanes this playoffs? The Hawks have had to make some difficult trades of the years, moving on from draft picks and prospects in order to get cap relief. Being general manager of the Blackhawks the last 10 years has not been an easy job, but credit Bowman for doing the best he can with the resources he has.

We can talk all day about some of the bad contracts on the Hawks, but the payroll is what it is. The third overall pick in the draft however could be the ticket out of a bad contract or two depending on the trade partner. It may not be a favorable route to veterans like Patrick Kane or Jonathan Toews to trade a player like Brent Seabrook, but it may be what is best for the team. With Seabrook signed for the next five years, it will be hard to sign these young players after their entry-level deals have expired. If Adam Boqvist lives up to the hype and becomes the next Erik Karlsson, will the Hawks have the $7–8 million to pay him in 2023? It is another tough decision that Bowman has to make, as right now the Hawks are handcuffed to too many bad contracts to “rebuild on the fly.”

Chicago Blackhawks President John McDonagh looks on during a press conference. (Photograph courtesy of the Chicago Tribune)

Identity crisis

Blackhawks fans have been asking about the status of the team and most importantly the overall direction of the franchise. Are they rebuilding? Are they trying to make the playoffs? It seems like Team President John McDonough does not want to say that the party is over, but to many it is. The Hawks can still play competitive hockey with any team in the league, but they have built themselves as a one-dimensional team offensively. And as the core continues to get into their early to mid-30s, there are a lot of questions that are being asked.

What is the plan for life after Corey Crawford?

Which top prospect can become an everyday starter on defense?

Can the Blackhawks afford Alex DeBrincat and Dylan Strome?

Is Colliton the right head coach for the job?

When will Kane and Toews begin to decline?

This analysis is not meant to be negative; it is meant to bring to light a unique opportunity for the Hawks to identify themselves for who they are an capitalize on it. They have their pick of the litter of a handful of top centermen as well who could help in the next couple years. But, if a team came to the Hawks on draft night with a legitimate package, you’d have to give it some serious thought.

The post Chicago Blackhawks draft: The case to trade down appeared first on The Rink.

In an announcement from the Denver Pioneers website today, Blackhawks prospect Ian Mitchell has decided to return to college to play his junior year. It was thought by many that Mitchell would turn pro after his sophomore year, but he believes Denver is the best place for him right now to develop. The Pioneers have reached the NCAA tournament in both of Mitchell’s seasons with Denver and made it to the Frozen Four this season. Here is what Mitchell had to say about his decision:

“In the past few days since our season ended, I have had the chance to reflect on the year and the season our team had,” Mitchell said. “It became clear to me during that time that I did not feel ready mentally or physically to leave Denver. I believe this is the best place for me to become a better hockey player and as a team we have an opportunity to do something very special next year. I would like to thank the Chicago Blackhawks organization for being so supportive and respectful of my decision to remain in school and continue my development. I am looking forward to next season.”

Ian Mitchell is BACK! #PioneerTogether https://t.co/ItMXuGMNe7

— Denver Hockey (@DU_Hockey) April 17, 2019

There were probably a lot of factors that went into Mitchell’s decision, including the number of young Blackhawks defenseman that will be fighting for ice time in Rockford for the IceHogs. Former Pioneer Blake Hillman is there now along with Notre Dame’s Dennis Gilbert and others. It is also possible that first round picks Adam Boqvist and Nicholas Beaudin could join as well. The AHL is a physical league that may not be the best right now for Mitchell’s development being a smaller player. Although the case is made often that playing more games prepares young players for the NHL, getting quality minutes in a storied NCAA program is good for development as well.

For folks that are worried that Mitchell could become the next Jimmy Vesey, do not be alarmed. Mitchell is a top prospect who loves the Blackhawks organization and their plans for his development. General Manager Stan Bowman is most likely understanding of where his players are in terms of development, but he and the fans have to be patient with the process. There are several Blackhawks defenseman in the system who could help at the pro level soon, but it is rare that players in their young twenties make a difference.

The Denver Pioneers will compete again next year for the NCAA Championship and Mitchell will be a big part of that campaign. He will be a captain again and will have more young players looking to him for guidance. It will be a big season in the NCHC that hosts some of the best teams in college hockey and it is possible that Mitchell will be one of the conference’s best players.

The post Blackhawks’ Ian Mitchell decides to return to Denver for junior season appeared first on The Rink.

Blackhawks fans can’t help looking toward the future.  As much as it would be nice to make the playoffs, most of us know what a playoff roster looks like and it’s debatable whether the Hawks have that right now or not.  But as we’ve been saying all season, help should be on the way.  There are a handful of Blackhawks prospects that are participating in their conference tournaments right now for a chance to earn a NCAA tournament berth.

Last year was a unique Frozen Four with three Big Ten teams in Michigan, Notre Dame, and Ohio State.  But this year there are a lot of good teams heading into the tournament that aren’t just from the Big Ten.  With traditional powerhouses like North Dakota and Boston University having down seasons, there may be some new faces this year in Buffalo.

Let’s take a look at where the Blackhawks prospects are.

Photo courtesy of PennLive.com

Evan Barratt – Penn State University

Barratt has had an outstanding sophomore season with the high flying Nittany Lions of Penn State.  He more that doubled his point total from his freshman year scoring 16 goals and 27 assists this season.  Penn State won their first two series of the Big Ten Tournament by defeating Wisconsin in the first round and shocking #1 seed Ohio State.  Penn State will face Notre Dame in the conference final this Saturday.  Should Penn State lose, they will be on the cusp of the Frozen Four Tournament bubble team as they’re current #16 in the pairwise rankings.

Photo courtesy of cornellsun.com

Beau Starrett – Cornell University

The ECAC was a very competitive conference this season and Cornell finished tied for first with Quinnipiac.  Beau Starrett chipped in seven goals and six assists in the regular season, and now can help the Big Red reach the conference finals if they can defeat Brown University this Saturday in the semifinals.  The Big Red ended Union’s season last week, the team Blackhawks prospect Parker Foo plays forward for.  If Cornell advances to the championship, they will play the winner of the Harvard vs Clarkson game this Friday.

Photo courtesy of goterriers.com

Chad Krys – Boston University

What a wild ride it’s been for the Boston University Terriers this season.  After going 16-17-4, the BU has found some life at the end of the year.  Winners of four of their last six games, Boston went into UMass-Lowell and won their first round matchup of the Hockey East Tournament.  Chad Krys scored four points in the series and has proven to be one of BU’s leaders on the ice and in the locker room.  The Terriers will play Northeastern University for the chance to play for the final against either UMass or Boston College.  This is probably the best chance BU has at getting into the NCAA Tournament.

Photo courtesy of 929theticket.com

Ryan Shea – Northeastern University

#3 seed Northeastern has had a great year in Hockey East tying for second in the conference with 36 points.  Their offense did well, but their defense and goaltending gave up a conference low 73 goals all season.  A quiet reason why is Blackhawks prospect Ryan Shea who finished the regular season with 15 points and was a +21.  As the #8 team in the nation, it looks like Northeastern will dance in the NCAA tournament even if they don’t win Hockey East.

Photo courtesy of dobberprospects.com

Ian Mitchell – Denver University

After eliminating the University of North Dakota last weekend, Denver enters the Frozen Face-off in St. Paul with a chance to defend their title from last year.  Ian Mitchell has been a big leader for the Pioneers this season, a young team that has shown they are capable of beating any team in the NCHC.  With 23 points on the season, Mitchell’s game has grown to a new level being more aggressive and owning more responsibility on the ice.  Despite only being a sophomore, Mitchell will be showing a lot of younger players how to manage playoff hockey in one of the hardest conferences in the NCAA.

The post Chicago Blackhawks NCAA Prospects Update: Post-Season Edition appeared first on The Rink.

IceHogs Getting Healthy

As the IceHogs prepare to go into their final 17 games of the season, 16 of them will be against Central Division foes. With just four points separating fourth-place from eighth-place in the Central, every point and every player counts. Rockford faced the same kind of pressure last season, moving from sixth-place into fourth-place and sealing a spot in the Calder Cup Playoffs in the second-half of the season. A big part of that late-season surge was forward Matthew Highmore.

Highmore has been out of action since mid-November with a shoulder injury and surgery, but has returned to the ice in the last few weeks. IceHogs head coach Derek King mentioned earlier this month that Highmore was progressing on schedule and if all goes to plan, should be available to return to the lineup by the end of March. Highmore had seven points through eight games to begin the season. Last year he ranked second in scoring with 43 points and set the IceHogs AHL franchise rookie goal-scoring record with  24 goals last season.

Matthew Highmore of the Rockford IceHogs. (Courtesy: Rockford IceHogs)

Another IceHogs staple from the 2017-18 season that is set to return to health this weekend is forward Tyler Sikura. While his production has not been on the same level it was during the 2017-18 season, Sikura still provides a bit of veteran experience and a net-front presence that the IceHogs could use. This season, Sikura has 14 points in 33 games, but has missed the last two months with an upper-body injury. Rockford head coach Derek King will have Sikura back in the lineup as the IceHogs travel to Manitoba for back-to-back weekend games against the Moose.

Tyler Sikura of the Rockford IceHogs. (Courtesy: Todd Reicher)

The returns of both Sikura and Highmore should provide the IceHogs with some offensive pop. Rockford ranks at the bottom of the league in goals-scoring, but has seen a recent increase with the production of Henri Jokiharju, Peter Holland and Jordan Schroeder coming through in the last handful of games.

The good thing about the AHL season this time of year is that not only will teams be able to rely on their own players to try to pull them through the final stretch of the season, they also can field a number of fresh faces as the NCAA and Junior Hockey seasons come to a close in the middle/back-end of March.

College Boys Making The Jump

While the IceHogs are benefiting from players returning to health from their own roster, it doesn’t rule out players ready to make the jump from the NCAA ranks to the Pro game. Players in recent years like Anthony Louis and Luc Snuggerud have made the transition after their final year of College Hockey and have made impacts right away. For more on NCAA players who could make the jump this Spring, I turn it over to The-Rink NCAA Lead Writer, Aaron Goldschmidt.

Fredrik Olofsson (Omaha-Nebraska: 32 GP, 10 G, 21 A)

Of all the players that could be ready for professional hockey this spring, Fredrik Olofsson probably fits the bill the most. After four years of college hockey at Omaha in the NCHC, one of the NCAA’s toughest conferences, the Blackhawks 2014 4th round selection has evolved his game in several different ways.

Blackhawks forward prospect Fredrik Olofsson of the University of Nebraska-Omaha. (Courtesy: Omaha Athletics)

After scoring 27 goals in the USHL with the Chicago Steel in 2015, Olofsson made his way to college hockey and would eventually change his position from wing to center. He’s always been a play-making forward, but he’s really rounded out his game during his time at Omaha. Having his best season of his college career, Olofsson has 31 points in 30 games (10G, 21A) this season. He’s been a big threat on Omaha’s powerplay and has also shown improvement in his puck control and physicality. Olofsson has always seen the ice well and had great patience with the puck which makes him a great candidate to sign pro after this season.

Ryan Shea (Northeastern: 33 GP, 3 G, 10 A, +17)

Ryan Shea, the Blackhawks 2015 4th round pick, is having a solid junior season with the Northeastern Huskies. Following his sophomore year where he racked up 17 points playing with top forwards Dylan Sikura, Adam Gaudette, and Nolan Stevens, it was unsure whether Shea would have the same offensive output with those players signing pro but Shea has remained consistent. With three goals and nine assists in 31 games this season, Shea is on pace to to as good as he was last year, including having a plus/minus over +15.

Blackhawks defensive prospect Ryan Shea of Northeastern Univeristy. (Courtesy: Northeastern Athletics)

Reporting on the Blackhawks prospects last year, I spoke with a Huskies blog often about Dylan Sikura who was the talk of the NCAA at the time. The writer for that blog would always ask me to keep my eye on Ryan Shea, especially at Blackhawks prospect camp. Although I believe Shea will return for his senior season, he could have a chance to contribute one day for the Blackhawks who have few “defensive-defenseman” in their system.

Beau Starrett (Cornell: 29 GP, 6 G, 5 A)

Beau Starrett is a player that the Blackhawks really could use, but he’s yet to light it up in college. Playing in his 4th year at Cornell, Starrett has never scored more than 14 points in a season despite looking relatively good in prospect camps. He has a large frame and can skate pretty well for a big man, but there isn’t one thing he does particularly well.

Blackhawks forward prospect Beau Starrett of Cornell University. (Courtesy: Thomas Labarbera)

A comparison may be someone like Graham Knott, although Knott was thought to have a much higher ceiling. The Blackhawks may give Starrett a shot at a pro deal since he was a third round pick, but it’s difficult to tell how effective he could be right away.

Liam Coughlin (Vermont: 29 GP, 6 G, 11 A)

Liam Coughlin could be a wildcard for the Blackhawks. The 2014 5th round pick has shown glimpses of serious talent, but he’s a streaky scorer. There is a lot of compete to Coughlin although it doesn’t show in his numbers. Many forwards have issues adjusting to pro hockey since many junior or college guys play top six situations for their teams, then have to step into 3rd or 4th line roles in the pros.

Blackhawks forward prospect Liam Coughlin of the University of Vermont. (Courtesy: Vermont Athletics)

I think this may be an advantage for Coughlin, taking some pressure off and letting him have some fun grinding. Coughlin can skate and also isn’t small at 6’3 200 lbs. I’d roll the dice on him to add some depth at the forward position.

Jack Ramsey (Minnesota: 35 GP, 3 G, 1 A)

Jack Ramsey is a senior at Minnesota and could give the Blackhawks something to think about at the end of this season. He won’t wow you with his points, but this is a heart-and-soul type player. Ramsey brings leadership, effort, and grit to the table, something the Hawks will never have enough of. Ramsey reminds me a lot of Andrew Desjardins. He won’t go nuts on the score-sheet, but he’s a smart hockey player that puts you in good position to score.

Blackhawks forward prospect Jack Ramsey of the University of Minnesota. (Courtesy: Minnesota Athletics)

There aren’t enough chip and chase players in the Hawks system who are willing to win pucks in corners and battle below the goal line. Ramsey can be a nice add especially in Colliton’s system.

Chad Krys (Boston: 25 GP, 7 G, 9 A, -8)

The Blackhawks 2016 2nd round pick Chad Krys has had a down year for his standards in his junior season at Boston University. He’s missed some time due to injury and hasn’t returned to his pace from last season where he scored 27 points in 36 games. Krys does a great job leading the breakout for BU and has the offensive ability to take over a game. He can be lethal on the powerplay and often finds scoring lanes from the left point. Although it will be a gamble for him, I think Krys returns to BU for his senior season.

Blackhawks defensive prospect Chad Krys of Boston University. (Courtesy: Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images)

There is no rush for him to get to the pros and he will get more opportunities next season to get his stock back up. People often talk about Adam Boqvist, Ian Mitchell, and Nicolas Beaudin, but Krys should be in that same conversation. His skill set rivals his fellow prospects and maybe one more season to mature his game could be what’s needed.

Juniors On Their Way Up?

It could end up being a packed house for the IceHogs if any of the NCAA prospects make the jump, but in the Junior ranks, the Blackhawks organization has a number of players who are at the age where a jump to the Pro game is the next step. For a look at those players in the North American Junior ranks, I’ll turn it over to The-Rink Juniors Feature Writer, Ron Luce.

Courtesy of NHL.com / Chicago Blackhawks

Brandon Hagel (Red Deer, WHL: 61 GP, 38 G, 54 A)

Brandon Hagel was signed in October by the Blackhawks. He was originally a draft pick of the Buffalo Sabres in 2016.

Hagel brings a big frame (6’1”) and scoring touch to the IceHogs assuming he joins the club for a playoff push. The big winger can certainly bring some scoring touch to the offense-lacking IceHogs. As of March 7th, Hagel is tied for fifth in WHL scoring, with 92 points (38 G, 54 A) in only 61 games.

Assuming Hagel can carryover some of his offensive success in the WHL to the AHL, Hagel could be a welcomed addition. With Matthew Highmore being injured nearly the whole season, the IceHogs have lacked a game breaker at forward. Hagel certainly has provided hope as being that type of player.

Hagel has been very successful on a Red Deer team that will likely miss the playoffs. He would arguably be the biggest addition to the IceHogs as they look to have another playoff run similar to last season.

Mikael Hakkarainen (Muskegon, USHL: 35 GP, 17 G, 28 A)

Mikael Hakkarainen has had quite a unique season for the Muskegon Lumberjacks. It began with Hakkarainen leaving Providence College where he was set to play at the NCAA level, to return to the USHL club he played for last season. In his return, Hakkarainen has been nothing short of spectacular, as he sits fourth on the Lumberjacks in scoring, despite playing almost 15 fewer games than his teammates.

Muskegon Lumberjacks forward Mikael Hakkarainen. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)

Haakarainen, despite missing as much time as he did, is also still in the top-20 in USHL league scoring with 45 points (17 G, 28 A). The 6’0” 193lb center can add great skill for the IceHogs down the stretch. Since Haakarainen left Providence, he is able to go to the pros, which is the logical next step in his development if the Blackhawks are committed to him long-term. It makes a lot of sense for Haakarainen to join the IceHogs and gauge where he is in his development playing against men. The young Finn has made easy work of the teenage USHL competition he’s faced.

Haakarainen would provide play-making ability to the IceHogs. He has good size and can make plays in tight areas. He has been in numerous USHL highlight videos this year with his perfect passes and big goals for the Lumberjacks. Like Hagel, Hakkarainen is likely to join the IceHogs given his history and ability to play pro.

Josiah Slavin (Chicago, USHL: 45 GP, 17 G, 20 A)

Younger brother of Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin, Josiah Slavin has had a very strong season in the USHL. The Colorado College commit started the season with the Lincoln Stars, tallying 27 points in 32 games (10 G, 17 A). As the Stars began selling players off, the Chicago Steel acquired the Blackhawks prospect and he has 10 points in 13 games since being acquired by Chicago (3 G, 7 A).

Photo by: Jeff Osborn/The-Rink

With Slavin’s impending commitment to Colorado College and the NCAA, it’s uncertain if he will join the IceHogs. If he is allowed to join the IceHogs on an amateur tryout contract (ATO), he could possibly provide some nice depth for the IceHogs. He isn’t as prolific a scorer as Hagel or Hakkarainen, but he still brings a lot of skill to his team. Slavin’s size is comparable to that of Hakkarainen, so he has solid size to compete at the AHL level.

However, I believe it is safe to assume that Slavin will not join the IceHogs and prepare for his fall season at Colorado College, where Aaron Goldschmidt will happily cover the Colorado native.

Philipp Kurashev (Quebec, QMJHL: 55 GP, 27 G, 34 A)

Philipp Kurashev really jumped onto the prospect scene when he had an incredible World Juniors tournament for Team Switzerland. The 20-year old center has been sensational this season, pacing the Remparts in team scoring. Early in the season, Kurashev was a top scorer in the QMJHL. However, Kurashev has fallen off a bit of late, but nonetheless is still having a great year.

Quebec Remparts forward Philipp Kurashev. Courtesy: Quebec Remparts)

Kurashev paces the Remparts in scoring with 61 points in 55 games (27 G, 34 A). The next closest scorer on the team has played eight more games and has 15 fewer points than Kurashev. It’s no surprise the team hasn’t had as good of a season as they may have hoped, since Kurashev is the only player with more than 20 goals on the roster.

The Remparts could always make a run in the QMJHL tournament and prevent Kurashev from joining the IceHogs. Given his age, Kurashev will likely play with Rockford next season, so it would be intriguing to see what he can do in the AHL. He hasn’t dominated the juniors like Hagel has, so it’s uncertain if the over-ager will produce at the pro level. If the young Swiss forward performs like he did in the World Juniors tournament, he could become a nice top-9 forward in the NHL down the road.

Two players that are not described above are Jake Ryczek and Reese Johnson. Ryczek is a former seventh round pick, and has been in the QMJHL since being drafted. He is currently playing on the third defensive pairing for the Halifax Mooseheads. One would hope a player like him, if going to make an impact, would make more of an impact for his junior team when he is 21 years old.

Reese Johnson is certainly a candidate to join the IceHogs late in the year with WHL teammate Brandon Hagel. Since Johnson is a new signing, we did not include a report on his prospects of joining the IceHogs, although it is likely given his age and situation. Johnson is the Captain in Red Deer and has second in scoring with 45 points in 62 games this season.

What’s Next?

The Rockford IceHogs are back in action on Saturday and Sunday as they take on the Manitoba Moose in a weekend double-header in Manitoba. After a week off, the IceHogs take on the Moose in back-to-back weekend games in Manitoba on March 9 and 10. Saturday’s puck drop is set for 6pm CT, while Sunday’s puck drop is set for 2pm CT at Bell MTS Place. Rockford holds a 1-0-1 record against the Moose this season.

The post IceHogs Late-Season Reinforcements On Their Way? appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts Jeff “Gatekeeper” Osborn and John “Double J” Jaeckel are joined by The-Rink NCAA expert Aaron “A-A-Ron” Goldschmidt and convene to talk about the Blackhawks west coast road trip.

• Once again, we start off with the positives (we know, we’re shocked too)
• What happened on the road trip?
• Suddenly the mainstream media is reporting some very familiar sentiments
• John has some Blackhawks rumors!!
• The NBCSN poll.
• Evan Miller gives us an indy report
• Ward hurt, Delia recalled
• We wrap up by answering some listener and reader questions

Please subscribe, rate this episode, and even write us a review. Reviews will be read on the air.

Also, Please help spread the word to more #RinkRats and visit our sponsor www.PUCKHCKY.com. Use the discount code “THERINK” for 10% off all orders.

The Rinkcast is brought to you by the Overtime Podcast Network

The post The Blackhawks Rinkcast – Episode 46 – Fading Slowly Away appeared first on The Rink.

The game started with a nice ceremony for forward Chris Kunitz who played in his 1,000th game.  The Blackhawks gave him a silver stick and honored he and his family just before the national anthem.  Kunitz also started the game on a line with Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane.

First Period

Less than five minutes into the game, the Devils’ Nico Hischier went off for a holding penalty putting Chicago on the powerplay.  The Hawks had some good movement and put on some good shots, but the Devils killed the penalty.  A few minutes after, Erik Gustafsson turned the puck over trying to get it up the boards and out of the zone.  Brett Seney stole the puck and found Damon Severson right in the slot who wristed home the first goal of the game.

The pressure continued on Cam Ward as the Devils peppered him with shots.  He had to make several saves from different angles, and he had some difficulty with his rebound control.

With four minutes left in the period, Brent Seabrook went off for a minor penalty for cross-checking.  The Devils took care of business right away.  The cycled the puck behind the net and found Travis Zajac right in front who beat Ward for the second goal of the game.

It wasn’t long before the Blackhawks responded.  There was a penalty on the Devils when Patrick Kane jumped over the boards to be the sixth skater on the ice.  Dylan Sikura protected the puck from his defender and passed the puck off to a streaking Kane who fired the puck past Cory Schneider making the score 2-1.

Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night.#Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/CoqBA2Gk2Y

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) February 15, 2019

Second Period

The Hawks started the second with all the momentum.  Drake Caggiula took the puck wide of Devil’s goaltender Corey Schneider and fired a rocket top shelf tying the game at two.  The Hawks seemed to pick up their pace a little more after the Devils did a great job of winning puck battles in the first period.

Later in the second, the Blackhawks were on a rush when Patrick Kane put on the breaks as he entered the Devil’s zone.  He dropped a pass back to Slater Koekkoek who was skating towards the net.  He passed the puck over to a wide-open Jonathan Toews who one-timed home the go ahead goal giving the Blackhawks a 3-2 lead.

The Devils couldn’t do much in the second period as the Hawks kept them on their heels.  The threat of Blackhawks mobile defenseman like Erik Gustafsson is very high risk but also high reward.  Even Carl Dahlstrom jumps into plays to put pressure on opposing defensemen to back them up.  The Hawks just have to keep an eye on the rush going back the other way.

You're just too good to be true
I can't take my eyes off you #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/1ePGIkMN0H

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) February 15, 2019

The post Blackhawks Beat Devils 5-2 in Chris Kunitz’s 1000th NHL Game appeared first on The Rink.

Today we saw the LA Kings deal defenseman Jake Muzzin to Toronto and get a nice return including a 2019 1st round pick.  The Kings are in a similar situation where they have a core of aging vets locked into long term deals, yet they are at the bottom on their division.  But the Kings are making the best of it by selling off valuable assets for future picks.

.@SportChek Player Alert: The @MapleLeafs have acquired defenceman Jake Muzzin from Los Angeles in exchange for forward Carl Grundstrom, the rights to Sean Durzi and Toronto’s first-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft.#LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/3DYt3w0dc1

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) January 29, 2019

But in the minds of John McDonough and Stan Bowman, they still believe winning can be achieved.  Even with both executives deeming the last few seasons as unacceptable, the turmoil continues to trend south.

So what’s the answer?  Time will surely tell, but for now the Blackhawks need to do what most good teams do.  That is building through the draft.  The Hawks have several high-end prospects that will make their way to the NHL soon, but star-power doesn’t get you everything in today’s NHL.  You need depth scoring and surprise surprise; toughness.  NHL teams did a great job of transforming the game into a mostly skill game, but teams with predators like Tom Wilson are proving to have an edge over less-physical teams.

I wanted to point out a couple of players that are in the Blackhawks NCAA prospect system that could add some edge to the bottom six that would be low cost and high reward.  Let’s take a look.

Jack Ramsey – Forward – University of Minnesota

I’ve always thought that to make it in the NHL, you need to do at least one thing right.  The higher paid guys do several things right, but you can survive with a singular talent.  You can win face-offs, block shots, hit, or simply just be smart and responsible with the puck.  The point is that guys can make a career by knowing their role and doing their job.

Jack Ramsey isn’t a points guy, although he’s looked pretty good offensively against other Blackhawks prospects in camp.  Ramsey has great size and speed, and most importantly he knows his role.  He’s not going to dazzle you with stick-handling but he’s going to live in the corners and create space for other players.  He can hunt the puck and force costly turnovers.

The Blackhawks bottom six is full of a bunch of “guys” right now who don’t really know what they want to do well.  Ramsey would bring a physical edge and a lot of heart to the Hawks.

Fredrik Olofsson – Forward – University of Nebraska-Omaha

I’ve had the pleasure of talking with Freddy and watching him play a handful of times and it’s been a treat watching his game mature.  Olofsson is in his senior year playing for the Mavericks and is one of the most experienced Blackhawks prospects in the system.  His transition from wing to center has really taken form this season.  Olofsson is having a career season with eight goals and 17 assists in 24 games.

One thing that I’ve noticed is Olofsson’s will that has changed.  He’s always been a player that can score.  His can pick corners well, his passing anticipation is strong, and his skating has always been good.  But this season, it’s noticeable that he’s out-willing other players for the puck.  He’s always been responsible in his own end, but now Omaha runs their top lines through him.

Another vast improvement has been his face-offs.  Olofsson can win a draw cleanly, but he’s even better at tying a guy up and winning the puck back.  These little moves and tricks that he’s picked up give him the advantage over younger players and make him invaluable to the Mavericks.

It will be interesting to see if the Hawks work out a deal with Olofsson after his NCAA season is over.  The Hawks are desperate for center depth so it’s possible he gets a look.

Evan Barratt – Forward – Penn State

I’m not sure how this all happened so fast for Evan Barratt, but it did and all at the same time.  From his lacrosse-style goal, to making the world junior USA team, back to helping lead his Penn State hockey club, Evan Barratt grew up pretty fast.  With 15 goals and 20 assists, there will be some serious pressure for Barratt to come out of college just after his sophomore season.  But what better time than now?

The Blackhawks are starving for a heart-and-soul player like Barratt to come through the system.  He plays with a lot of edge, running around pissing people off like Andrew Shaw used to do at the United Center.  Yet, Barratt can really score.  He players in a very fast system at Penn State so he may be a fit for a top-nine role with the Hawks.  It just depends how much seasoning the Hawks brass thinks Barratt needs.  If he does sign at the end of this year, it will be a big boost to their forward depth.

Can the Hawks turn things around?

We’ve been asking ourselves this question all year.  Can the Blackhawks find some combination where they can compete with the top teams in the league?  Corey Crawford’s health is the biggest issue and we all have to assume at this point that he can’t play at a high level right now.  We also have to face the reality that our defense got old overnight.  And with every year that passes, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane prove the law of diminishing returns.

We all want this movie to never end, but it just needs to be rewritten.  That process starts with getting young guys ice time.  Collin Delia looks to be something in goal.  There are tons of defenseman in the system.  Now, it’s time for some young forwards to get a look.

The post Blackhawks Need to Develop Impact Players From Within appeared first on The Rink.

The past four years have been difficult for a fan base that has come to expect so much in the last decade.  The Chicago Blackhawks took the sport by storm and created a frenzy in the city of Chicago.  We all know about the championships, the parades, and the rings.  But just like that, those moments seem so far away.  Two first round exists, missing the playoffs, and now the possibility of missing the playoffs again is imminent.

The Blackhawks have tried everything to keep this train moving, but nothing has worked.  They have tried bringing in new players and coaches, and have parted ways with people that were the heart and soul of the team.  What’s left is what the front office talked about for years, the core and nothing more.

The Chicago Blackhawks franchise has an opportunity right now to recreate what they had in 2008.  They had a young, energetic team who was fun to watch and on the verge of NHL history.  But on the tail end of a dynasty, do the Hawks have the guts to announce a true rebuild, starting with trading Patrick Kane?

Kane is 30 years old and is on pace to score over 100 points this season.  With no signs of slowing down and a clean bill of health, Kane is a valuable asset to every NHL team in the league.  The question is if any of those teams could put together a package large enough to persuade Chicago to deal their franchise player.

Here’s something that could work.

Colorado Avalanche

The first thing you’re probably thinking is “why would the Blackhawks trade Kane in the division?”  The answer is that Colorado could offer the best package.  The Avs currently have Ottawa’s first round pick that is unprotected.  Ottawa is one of the worst teams in the league so there is a chance they could be in the running for a lottery pick at the end of the season.  They also have a premier defensive prospect in Cale Makar, the 4th overall pick in the 2017 Draft.

To Avalanche fans, a trade involving the Ottawa pick and Makar may seem like a lot, but they would be getting a top 5 player in return.  The Pepsi Center would be sold out every night to watch Patrick Kane in the mile high city for the next four years.  But are the Avs ready to contend for a cup?  With Nathan MacKinnon cost-controlled at six million the next four years and a blossoming Mikko Rantanen, Kane would catapult the Avs past the first round of the playoffs.  Will losing out on a generational talent like Hughes and a future top defenseman like Makar hurt?  Absolutely.  But at what point do you stop building and simply go for it?

Here’s what I propose could be a deal that wows the Blackhawks:

Colorado receives:

Patrick Kane, Erik Gustafsson, & 2019 4th

Chicago receives:  OTT 2019 1st (only #1 or #2), Cale Makar, & Tyson Barrie

Now, the only way Chicago moves Kane is if they get elite, blue chip prospects back.  The deal starts with the Ottawa pick and the Hawks need to know that they have landed either Jack Hughes or Kappo Kakko.  The addition of Cale Makar further bolsters the Hawks blue line, giving them the ability to deal one of their top defensive prospects for a top forward.  Taking on Tyson Barrie for one year helps make the money work in exchange for Erik Gustafsson who could be just as effective on the powerplay and just as effective on defense…

Is it an overpay for Colorado?  Probably, but doesn’t it have to be?  It’s not often that you have the opportunity to trade for the best American born hockey player who is a lock for the Hall of Fame with three cups under his belt at 30 years old.

And for the Blackhawks, you hopefully get the next Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith.  You have players like Alex DeBrincat and Dylan Strome to build around too.  By the time some of these top prospects are ready, they will be in their mid-twenties ready to win.  Sure it will be a hard couple of years, but Chicago fans have seen this kind of rebuild work.  The Bears just made a huge trade for a franchise player and it has turned their franchise around.  The Cubs won a world series by building their team from the ground up.  The White Sox are on their way to trying the same thing.

And if you trade Patrick Kane, you might as well sell off Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith, and Brandon Saad.  If Chicago can accumulate top draft picks and prospects, they will have one of the best farm systems in the league almost overnight.  They will continue to be bad for a couple more seasons and pick in the top 5 or top 10.  Those players will be developed by Jeremy Colliton, a very young coach with a knack of getting the most out of young players.

Many of you will believe that the Hawks will never go through with trading their star player which may be true.  It’s hard to imagine the United Center full of Kane jerseys with #88 playing 1,000 miles away for another team.  It’s also difficult to imagine the team that stuck with Kane through difficult times part with the star that has given them so much.  But where are the Blackhawks really going?  Can they squeeze one more Stanley Cup out of this core?  With every year that passes, it gets harder and harder to say yes.

It just feels like one of those corny moments where if you love something, you should set it free.  Let’s let Patrick Kane ride off into the sunset and watch him thrive in the playoffs where he deserves to be, not playing golf.  Let’s go to sleep at night knowing that in two years, we’ll have Jack Hughes playing first line center.  These difficult decisions differentiate the franchises that sustain success and the ones that are a flash in the pan.  And I’m pretty sure Chicago doesn’t want to wait another 50 years to hoist Lord Stanley’s cup again.

The post Could the Colorado Avalanche Trade for Patrick Kane? appeared first on The Rink.

The Blackhawks’ prospect pipeline is sprinkled with some serious talent on the blue line and they have the opportunity to draft high again this year.  The problem is if the Hawks have the right GM to successfully rebuild the team.  Hitting on draft picks and development is the only way to sustain winning in today’s NHL and it’s debatable whether Bowman is the right person for the job.  But with interest waning and ticket prices still sky high, the Blackhawks need some sort of splash to keep them relevant.

Last weekend, we saw a couple players stand out and contribute to their teams who aren’t usually on the scoresheet.  We also saw Ian Mitchell return from the World Juniors and not miss a beat.  As we enter the second half of the NCAA season, competition is starting to ramp up.  Let’s get into what happened last weekend.

Parker Foo – Forward – Union

Parker Foo sure picked a great weekend to shine for the Union Dutchmen.  Union took on top-ranked St. Cloud State Friday night and upset the Huskies 7-2 in Pittsburgh in the Three Rivers Classic.  Foo scored his fourth goal of the season after he beat the defenseman to the outside and drove the net.  Foo also added two assists to his total on Saturday in the Dutchmen’s loss to Brown 6-3.  Foo now has four goals and four assists in his sophomore season at Union in 16 games.

(1/2) Let's recap those Dutchman goals during the second period shall we? Here's a look at Foo's goal that he scored driving to the net! pic.twitter.com/ir3L2pgEEl

— Union College Men's Hockey (@Unionmhockey) January 4, 2019

Jack Ramsey – Forward – Minnesota

The Gophers had a tough test this weekend when they welcomed the Penn State Nittany Lions to Minneapolis.  Penn State is known for putting up a huge amount of shots per game and can score over five goals with ease.  But the Gophers fought hard and earned a split.  Blackhawks prospect Jack Ramsey scored a couple nice goals earning him his first two points of the season.

Ramsey’s first goal was a beautiful curl-and-drag snipe that will most likely be one of the plays of the week.  And with his second, Ramsey fights hard in front of the net and somehow maneuvers the puck around the goaltender for the score.

Toe drag swag. pic.twitter.com/Uk2QAeKlmo

— Minnesota Men’s Hockey (@GopherHockey) January 5, 2019

Jack Ramsey is having a really, really good weekend. pic.twitter.com/EeebX8ID9F

— Minnesota Men’s Hockey (@GopherHockey) January 6, 2019

Jack Ramsey's first goal of the year gave the #Gophers a late spark last night…five of the the senior assistant captain's 21 career points have now come against Penn State. #PrideOnIce

Hear from Ramsey after last night's game at 3MAM. pic.twitter.com/51eoSx1MbJ

— Minnesota Men’s Hockey (@GopherHockey) January 5, 2019

Ian Mitchell – Defenseman  – Denver

After a bittersweet exit from the World Juniors Championship, Mitchell didn’t sulk for long.  The Denver Pioneers defenseman caught up with his teammates for their first series of 2019 against Wisconsin and he contributed in a big way.  Mitchell had three assists in the weekend series where the Pioneers swept the Badgers on the road.  I’m not sure when the Blackhawks are going to see Ian Mitchell, but when they do he’s really going to turn heads.  He has the talent to snipe a goal or circle the wagons until he finds a man open for the easy score.  He has the complete game.

Ian Mitchell (@DU_Hockey) scores his first of the tournament to put up by one early in the second! #CANvsFIN #REPRESENT #WorldJuniors pic.twitter.com/IDXLJQFlAs

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) January 3, 2019

GREAT to have you back, Mitchy  #PioneerTogether pic.twitter.com/gZoPnAFNIq

— Denver Hockey (@DU_Hockey) January 5, 2019

Evan Barratt – Forward – Team USA

Meanwhile in the gold medal game of the World Junior Championship, Evan Barratt and Team USA fell to Henri Jokiharju and Finland.  Barratt had a strong start to the tournament, but cooled off eventually.  In a bizarre year where Canada and Sweden were knocked out early, USA had the opportunity to come away with gold, but fell just short.

#Blackhawks prospect Evan Barratt (#17) accepts his Silver Medal#USAWJC #WorldJuniors pic.twitter.com/MLCjs0qfB3

— Mario Tirabassi (@Mario_Tirabassi) January 6, 2019

The post Blackhawks NCAA Campus Report: Jan 4-6 appeared first on The Rink.

Getting his second start this year in the NHL, net-minder Collin Delia looked for an encore to his outstanding performance on the road against the Avalanche last week.  Delia has spent most of the season in Rockford getting experience with the IceHogs, but he could get significant time at the NHL level with Corey Crawford sidelined with a concussion.

Let’s get right into the recap of tonight’s 5-2 win against the Minnesota Wild.

First Period

Like many Blackhawks games that come after a few days off, you would assume that it would take a few shifts for the team to find their legs again but that wasn’t the case tonight.  The United Center was buzzing, as were the Hawks.  Both teams were skating hard and getting quality chances early.  The Wild’s Charlie Coyle and Nino Niedereider had opportunities to score but were denied by Collin Delia.

Less than five minutes into the game, Dylan Strome skated the puck up the ice and hit a trailing Erik Gustafsson.  Gus faked a slap-shot, went around his defender and found Patrick Kane in the slot.  Kane stopped the puck with his skate and shot the puck instantaneously scoring his 18th goal of the season.

Less than a minute later, the Wild turned the puck over right in front of their net onto the stick of Dylan Sikura.  Sikura tried to lift the puck of Devin Dubnyk, but the Minnesota goaltender made a great save.

Eleven minutes into the first period, Minnesota’s Nino Niederreiter was called for a holding minor sending the Blackhawks to the power play.  But after a couple neutral zone turnovers that turned into scoring chances for Nick Foligno and Jason Zucker, the Wild killed it off.

Immediately after the Wild minor penalty, the Blackhawks Brandon Perlini was called for tripping.  The Wild had the puck in the Hawks zone for what seemed like an eternity.  Collin Delia hung in and make a few high-danger saves, but ultimately it was too much pressure for the young goaltender.  MIkael Granlund was left open in front of the net and scored off a rebound.

After 20 minutes of hockey, the score was 1-1 with the Wild leading in shots 15-4.

In between periods, Patrick Kane called the Blackhawks play “sloppy” and suggested that they need to do a better job of taking care of the puck.

Second Period

The post Delia, Kane Carry Blackhawks to 5-2 Win Over the Wild appeared first on The Rink.

Team Canada looks to have selected a combination on heavy and versatile defenseman to round out their roster going into the tournament.  A big advantage of keeping Mitchell on the roster is most likely his ability to lead the Team Canada powerplay.  Mitchell’s a great facilitator on special teams and there is no doubt he will be successful.  He’s responsible in his own zone and has one of the best first passes in college hockey.

Mitchell is in his second season at Denver and is taking on a much larger role this season with the departures of Henrik Borgstrom, Dylan Gambrell, and Troy Terry.  In 14 games this season, Mitchell has two goals and nine assists helping the Pioneers to a 8-4-2 record this season.

Earlier this year, The-Rink caught up with Mitchell to talk about the growth of his game this season.

.@DU_Hockey defenseman @IanMitch15 on the growth of his game this season and facing @SCSUHUSKIES_MH next week #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/XAqzOsQFsX

— Aaron Goldschmidt (@lateinthegoldie) November 4, 2018

For more on Ian Mitchell and other Blackhawks prospects playing in the World Junior Tournament, be sure to check back in with The-Rink.com.

The post Blackhawks Prospect Ian Mitchell Makes Team Canada World Junior Roster appeared first on The Rink.

It’s a good sign that the Hawks have a couple players in college hockey that are doing well, as well as their prospects playing in the CHL.  But who are the next young players that can turn into regulars at the United Center?  Apparently it wasn’t Nick Schmaltz and maybe not Dylan Sikura.  And with systems changing under head coach Jeremy Colliton, it’s hard to say who will fit the new Blackhawks model.

As we approach March, careful eyes will be on the Blackhawks who in my opinion have a lot to sell.  The dilemma will be with Stan Bowman, a GM who may be too proud to sell off core pieces who still have value to save his own job.  When in reality, the Blackhawks need to get back to the basics and draft good players.  It’s hard to watch the slow decline of this core and listen their answerless post-game interviews.  It’s time to take a hard look in the mirror and acknowledge who the Blackhawks are and where they’re going because fan support is waning.

Let’s take a look at something more positive, like the Hawks’ college hockey prospects.

Evan Barratt – Forward – Penn State University – 12G, 13A

Photo courtesy of the Daily Collegian

Evan Barratt continued his hot streak going into last weekend.  He scored a goal and an assist in Friday and Saturday’s game.  Unfortunately the Nittany Lions tied 3-3 on Friday and lost to Wisconsin on Saturday 5-8.  Team USA will be announcing their preliminary roster invitations for the World Junior Tournament in the coming days and Barratt’s name will be on watch for Blackhawks fans.

Penn State hosts Notre Dame this weekend.

https://twitter.com/PatrickBurns_/status/1068694883454599173

Gadowsky on Evan Barratt: "Two things really stand out about him: his compete level and IQ are off the charts. He loves to compete, and his mind is elite — it's different."

— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) December 4, 2018

Ian Mitchell – Defenseman – University of Denver – 2G, 9A

Photo courtesy of Magness Mayhem

The Pioneers were off last weekend, but two weeks ago Denver beat and tied Providence in a solid series at home.  Mitchell was held to one point, but continues to show his leadership and poise on the powerplay.  He has shown a lot of growth since his freshman year and isn’t shy about the spotlight.  Mitchell tends to make plays when he has the puck and his Pioneers teammates trust him to carry the mail at the point.

Team Canada has also noticed his progress this season, selecting Mitchell to the preliminary World Juniors roster.

The Pioneers travel to North Dakota to play the Fighting Hawks this weekend.

Making power moves #PioneerTogether pic.twitter.com/x5MWtLnsJx

— Denver Hockey (@DU_Hockey) November 25, 2018

Ian Mitchell → Hockey Canada WJC Selection Camp

Release: https://t.co/vOrmyXKMQg | #PioneerTogether pic.twitter.com/K89boo6miE

— Denver Hockey (@DU_Hockey) December 3, 2018

Chad Krys – Defenseman – Boston University – 3G, 5A

At 4-7-2, the Boston Terriers aren’t the powerhouse of Hockey East this year and that’s unfortunate for Chad Krys.  The Blackhawks 2016 2nd round pick has lost a lot of hype since the Blackhawks drafted Henri Jokiharju, Adam Boqvist, and Nicholas Beaudin and the struggling Terriers aren’t helping his cause.  Krys still has eight points in 10 games this season and continues to be a veteran leader for Boston.  It will be interesting to see where Krys fits into the Hawks system if he chooses to sign after this year.

Boston hosts UMass-Lowell this weekend.

Here's the goal that got @AgganisArena rocking in the first! #GoBU pic.twitter.com/IabyYEfOr5

— BU Men's Hockey (@TerrierHockey) December 1, 2018

Other Notables

Check out Beau Starrett's third goal of the year, which also accounts for Joe Leahy's first collegiate point on the assist! pic.twitter.com/d7KREr3ROM

— Cornell Video (@CornellVideo) December 1, 2018

Clean as it gets. Madden wins the faceoff, Shea shovels it over to Filipe, and Matty rips it home for the early lead | #HowlinHuskies pic.twitter.com/7jrzZdYxH0

— Northeastern Men’s Hockey (@GoNUmhockey) December 1, 2018

Fredrik Olofsson, who leads the NCHC in power play points, added another with an assist on the Morelli power play goal!

Freddy is…wicked. pic.twitter.com/grOjZoiXQF

— Omaha Hockey (@OmahaHKY) December 1, 2018

The post Blackhawks NCAA Campus Report: Nov 30 – Dec 1 appeared first on The Rink.

This is great news for Blackhawks fans.  If Barratt can provide some center depth in a couple years, he will bring a lot of value.  There aren’t a lot of guys willing to get to the net on the Hawks right now and that’s something new head coach Jeremy Colliton is stressing.  They need players who want to work to get to the dirty areas and get rewarded.  Barratt could be one of those players.

Let’s get right into what happened this weekend in college hockey for the Blackhawks prospects.

Evan Barratt – Forward – Penn State University – 9G, 10A

Photo courtesy of the Daily Collegian

Last time we left off, we talked about how Evan Barratt was a nice player on a pretty good team.  But this week in Penn State’s series against the University of Michigan, Barratt turned into a star.  The Nittany lions split the series with the Wolverines, but again it was a high scoring bout.  Barratt added a goal and an assist in Friday’s game and had a hat-trick in Saturday’s game.

NOT 1⃣. NOT 2⃣. BUT 3⃣ GOALS.@BarrattEvan became the seventh player in program history to score a hat-trick on Saturday night against Michigan! #HockeyValleyHatTrick pic.twitter.com/Gq7aPOpmi3

— Penn State Men’s Hockey (@PennStateMHKY) November 18, 2018

Penn State plays at Ohio State next weekend.

Ian Mitchell – Defenseman – University of Denver – 2G, 8A

Photo courtesy of Magness Mayhem

Ian Mitchell and the Denver Pioneers had a difficult matchup this weekend when they hosted the No. 1 ranked Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs.  The teams split the series, but it was one of the most exciting couple of games in college hockey.  The Pioneers won Friday’s game 2-0 with Mitchell scoring the first goal on the powerplay, followed by a late game empty net goal.

IAN MITCHELL WITH A FROM THE POINT. 1-0 PIOS ! pic.twitter.com/gGRi73ORti

— LetsGoDU (@LetsGoDU) November 17, 2018

The Pioneers host Providence next weekend.

Chad Krys – Defenseman – Boston University – 2G, 5A

The Boston Terriers are slowly getting warmer after a slow start to the season.  Until Saturday night’s loss at home against Maine, Boston had won three games in a row.  Chad Krys and the veteran blue liners had some nice puck movement on this powerplay goal by Joel Farabee Friday night.

And then Farabee gave us a lead moments later… #GoBU pic.twitter.com/moYhTPpt92

— BU Men's Hockey (@TerrierHockey) November 17, 2018

Boston plays UConn and Yale/Union next weekend.

Other Notables

Boston University’s Jake Wise assisted on David Farrance’s game-winning powerplay goal Friday night.

Here's a look at Farrance's late game-winner. Our third PP goal of the night. #GoBU pic.twitter.com/vejZXVJG4F

— BU Men's Hockey (@TerrierHockey) November 17, 2018

GOAL, Cornell:
Beau Starrett deflects a long shot by Cody Haiskanen past Princeton goaltender Ryan Ferland to give Cornell a 2-0 lead 11:02 into the contest. pic.twitter.com/85lju224Gp

— Cornell Daily Sun Sports (@DailySunSports) November 18, 2018

The post Blackhawks NCAA Campus Report: Nov 17-18 appeared first on The Rink.

It’s a little early to think about how some of the college players can help the pro level teams, but there will be an influx of players at the end of this year who will be ready for the pros.  And it’s kind of crazy to think about considering how many defenseman are competing for ice time in Rockford.  It will be interesting to see who is there one year from now, but there is no question that help is on the way.

Evan Barratt – Forward – Penn State University – 5G, 9A

Photo courtesy of the Daily Collegian

Evan Barratt and the Nittany Lions continued their impressive season this weekend by sweeping Robert Morris University.  Barratt added two goals and two assists to his season total putting him at 14 points, tied for 3rd best in the NCAA.

https://twitter.com/PatrickBurns_/status/1061053435934597120

Barratt has made an extraordinary step in his sophomore year and looks to be a very versatile player.  He plays with an edge but is also in the right place at the right time to score.  A lot of people were hoping that Barratt could be similar to Dave Bolland but he might be even better.

In an article written in OnwarsState.com by Mikey Mandarino, head coach Guy Gadowski spoke very highly of the Blackhawks prospect:

“He’s a much, much more consistent and mature hockey player,” Gadowsky said. “It’s not only that — I just love the fact that he brings a lot of energy. We’re very happy with his development. He’s very receptive to improvement and suggestions, and he’s just a really good teammate.

“When you combine those things with his skillset, you get a very special player.”

Penn State hosts Michigan next weekend.

Fredrik Olofsson – Forward – University of Nebraska-Omaha – 3G, 8A

Photo courtesy of omavs.com

The Omaha Mavericks played the Western Michigan Broncos on the road and got a much needed split.  The Mavs are now 2-7-1 are are looking to turn around their slow start.  Olofsson continues to be a silver lining for the Mavs who added another power play goal and assist this weekend to his total.  He has three goals and assists on the season.

The Mavericks are off next week and will host Arizona State in two weeks.

P3 | Fredrik Olofsson scores on the power play!

The Mavericks are on the board pic.twitter.com/LNr481NDSm

— Omaha Hockey (@OmahaHKY) November 10, 2018

Ian Mitchell – Defenseman – University of Denver – 1G, 8A

Photo courtesy of the St. Cloud Times

The Denver Pioneers had a tough matchup this weekend taking on the No. 2 St. Cloud State Huskies in Minnesota.  St. Cloud has shown to be one of the NCHC’s top teams, but the Pioneers hung in there with them losing both games by just one goal.  Ian Mitchell had an assist in Saturday’s loss.

The Pioneers host the University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs next weekend.

Chad Krys – Defenseman – Boston University – 2G, 3A

The Terriers won their only game this weekend against New Hampshire 3-2.  Chad Krys scored the first goal of the game followed by two goals by Avalanche prospect Shane Bowers.  Krys and the Terriers will try to dig their way out of a slow start to the season when they host the University of Maine next weekend.

Shot from above the left circle gets through traffic… PP goal by Chad gives us an early 1-0 lead! #GoBU pic.twitter.com/FkBqpLQyMu

— BU Men's Hockey (@TerrierHockey) November 11, 2018

Other Notables

Josh Ess gives @BadgerMHockey the lead!!!

(also: he's from Minnesota )

https://t.co/AGNL74FrC1 pic.twitter.com/ZRa4BuGHUy

— Bally Sports Wisconsin (@BallySportWI) November 11, 2018

#VCATS GOAL

Jake Massie rings one off the post and in with 2 seconds left on the first Eagle penalty! pic.twitter.com/Qwb1AEtSjb

— UVM Men's Hockey (@UVMmhockey) November 10, 2018

A beautiful pass from the right point to exploit a defensive breakdown, and Starrett taps it in to double the lead! pic.twitter.com/3tT53RDrtB

— CornellSportsGameday (@CUBigRedGameday) November 10, 2018

The post Chicago Blackhawks NCAA Campus Report: Nov 8-10 appeared first on The Rink.

I was lucky enough to sit next to an NHL scout this weekend at the University of Denver game against Western Michigan. He me some great insight on what NHL teams are looking for in amateur players.  He emphasized that good players will play no matter their size, and that skating is everything.

Although the Blackhawks prospects are putting up some good numbers at the collegiate level, they are also bring different things to the table which is why Blackhawks fans should be excited about the future.

Evan Barratt – Forward – Penn State University – 3G, 7A, +6

Photo courtesy of gopsusports.com

It was quite the weekend for Evan Barratt and the Nittany Lions.  Penn State and Arizona State split their series with both games being decided by one goal.  Barratt picked up a pair of goals and an assist giving him an impressive 10 points in seven games, tied for the team lead.

Barratt was featured on ESPN’s SportsCenter Top Plays showing his incredible wrap-around goal.  It’s not often that college hockey plays get on ESPN but this goal was quite special.

Penn State plays a home-and-home with Robert Morris next weekend.

@BarrattEvan @ESPNAssignDesk @Buccigross #SCTop10 pic.twitter.com/Jy1zL1nNEH

— Penn State Men’s Hockey (@PennStateMHKY) November 4, 2018

Fredrik Olofsson – Forward – University of Nebraska-Omaha – 2G, 7A, -6

Photo courtesy of omavs.com

The Omaha Mavericks finally got in the win column this weekend, splitting the series with the Miami University RedHawks.  Fredrik Olofsson continued his hot start adding a goal and an assist to his total on the year.

Olofsson scored another powerplay goal by creating space for himself on the right side and sniping a top corner.  On tape, Olofsson looks a lot more comfortable skating the puck up the ice and distributing it to his wings.  In his second full season playing the center position, he’s showing good development and productivity despite the Mavericks record.

The Mavs travel to Kalamazoo Michigan next weekend to take on the Western Michigan Broncos.

Freddy Olofsson starts a of @OmahaHKY scoring in the second period. The Mavericks lead Miami 4-2 headed to the 3rd period. pic.twitter.com/s7Riedg7px

— Omaha Video (@OmahaVID) November 4, 2018

Ian Mitchell – Defenseman – University of Denver – 1G, 7A, +4

Photo courtesy of JJ Seaward

The University of Denver Pioneers always get a handful of top recruits every year so it can be hard to stand out at times.  But sophomore Ian Mitchell is showing noticeable growth in his game.  This past weekend against division rivals Western Michigan, Mitchell earned four assists and made some highlight reel plays.

Mitchy put it on a platter #PioneerTogether pic.twitter.com/P4OCm4WeCG

— Denver Hockey (@DU_Hockey) November 3, 2018

After the game Saturday night, we caught up with Mitchell who talked about the growth of his game and how he’s stepped into a leadership role on the Pioneers.

Denver travels to St. Cloud next weekend to battle the Huskies in a big NCHC showdown.

.@DU_Hockey defenseman @IanMitch15 on the growth of his game this season and facing @SCSUHUSKIES_MH next week #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/XAqzOsQFsX

— Aaron Goldschmidt (@lateinthegoldie) November 4, 2018

Chad Krys – Defenseman – Boston University – 1G, 3A, +3

The Terriers picked up their first win of the season this weekend against Northeastern in a home-and-home series.  Chad Krys broke out in the second game adding three assists.  Krys had a nice powerplay goal in Thursday night’s game but the Terriers tied with the Huskies.

Crazy game at Northeastern. 5-5 after BU’s Chad Krys (@NHLBlackhawks 2nd rounder) power play goal #CawlidgeHawkey pic.twitter.com/DFHqmDq48R

— BucciOT.Com (@Buccigross) November 2, 2018

Despite their slow start, Krys said in an interview with Boston University that he feels confident that the team will find their stride as the season goes on.

The Terriers play next Saturday at New Hampshire.

Check out the weekend preview with rinkside reporter @catherinebogart and junior Chad Krys. #GoBU pic.twitter.com/bed0eV0Yua

— BU Men's Hockey (@TerrierHockey) November 1, 2018

Liam Coughlin & Jake Massie – University of Vermont

Coughlin and Massie are off to productive starts with four and three points in six games, respectively.  The Catamounts are 3-3 after a tough series that they split with UConn.

Head coach Kevin Sneddon praised the play of Massie and Coughlin to get the game tied that Vermont ultimately won in overtime.

Vermont plays at Boston College next week.

Coach Sneddon’s postgame thoughts. #VCats #ThisIsVermont pic.twitter.com/gtrWawjvtH

— UVM Men's Hockey (@UVMmhockey) November 4, 2018

The post Chicago Blackhawks NCAA Campus Report: Nov 1-4 appeared first on The Rink.

It’s interesting to see so many non-conference series to start the season in college hockey because there isn’t the element of familiarity.  But as we enter November, teams will start to welcome bitter foes into their own barns which will ignite the competition level.  This should be a fascinating season for Blackhawks prospects in college hockey with several of them having the potential to sign professional deals at season’s end.

Evan Barratt – Forward – Penn State University – 1G, 5A, +5

Photo courtesy of OnwardState.com

This weekend Penn State was host to Niagra and defeated them in both games by sizable margins.  Friday night the Nittany Lions won 8-2, followed by a 4-1 Saturday night win.  Evan Barratt had a great series scoring a goal and four assists.

In an article by The Daily Collegian, Jim Krueger describes Barratt’s contributions coming in the form of points and physicality:

“Beyond his scoring exploits, he was destructive force on the ice.  His passing and scoring was complemented by his checking. He layed out several good hits, agitating the Niagara skaters.”

Barratt had this to say about the line of he, Liam Folkes, and Alex Limoges that has been coming up big for the Nittany Lions:

“I’m sure you guys can see on the ice how much fun we’re having,” Barratt said. “Every time, if it’s practice or a pregame skate or whatever it may be we’re so happy to be on the ice together.”

Penn State will host the Princeton Tigers next weekend.

Check out the highlights from Friday night's 8-2 victory over Niagara! Folkes and Larsson score twice to lead six players with multi-point efforts!! #WeAre #HockeyValley pic.twitter.com/0CoT2ZVE20

— Penn State Men’s Hockey (@PennStateMHKY) October 20, 2018

Fredrik Olofsson – Forward – University of Nebraska-Omaha – 1G, 5A, -7

Photo courtesy of the Omaha World-Herald

The Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks are starting their season a bit slow losing three of their first four games.  This past weekend, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish didn’t give them much of a chance in South Bend beating UNO 4-1 and 8-2 in the two games series.

One bright spot for the Mavericks was a nice powerplay goal by Fredrik Olofsson.  From the top of the circle, Olofsson ripped a wrist shot by the Notre Dame goaltender to even the game at 1-1.

Get that MINI ZAMBONI out! @OmahaHKY ties it up off the power play. pic.twitter.com/JuhVU4cvH7

— CBS Sports Network (@CBSSportsNet) October 19, 2018

After Saturday night’s game, Olofsson met with the media and was confident that the Mavericks can play with top teams like the Fighting Irish:

“I thought there was energy in the room, we were pretty dialed(in).  It feels good when you know you can skate with good teams.  I think it’s just that consistency over 60 minutes that will be the difference maker.  But we felt good.  We know we can play with them, we just can’t beat ourselves.”

News Conference: @OmahaHKY vs Notre Dame Game 2 pic.twitter.com/t4VuBeKD0k

— Omaha Video (@OmahaVID) October 21, 2018

Blackhawks prospect spotlight: Why Freddy Olofsson isn’t freaking out over his ‘make-or-break’ season

Ian Mitchell – Defenseman – University of Denver – 1G, 3A, +4

After a solid start to the season getting wins against Air Force and Alabama-Huntsville, the Denver Pioneers were looking to get more points in the NCHC standings against the University of Alaska-Fairbanks.  Friday night the Pios won 4-1, but Saturday the Nanooks tied the Pioneers in a game where Denver had to fight back from a 3-0 deficit after taking two major penalties.

Defenseman Ian Mitchell is starting to heat up earning three assists this past weekend.  He set up defenseman Les Lancaster with a perfect pass that led to a one-timer that tied the game Saturday night.

Somebody call the bomb squad #PioneerTogether pic.twitter.com/ue1an30hUI

— Denver Hockey (@DU_Hockey) October 21, 2018

The Pioneers are off next week but will host the Western Michigan Broncos the following weekend.

Powers Points: Blackhawks prospects encouraged by Henri Jokiharju’s early success

Beau Starrett – Forward – Cornell University

Cornell hasn’t started their regular season, but they are looking pretty good in the preseason.  Beau Starrett had a beautiful goal against Guelph Sunday when he buried a perfect wrist shot on a 2-on-1 rush.

The Big Red begin their season next weekend when they host the Michigan State Spartans.

WATCH HIGHLIGHTS from @CUBigRedHockey's 7-0 win over Guelph! #YellCornell pic.twitter.com/W825JD6CuR

— Cornell Video (@CornellVideo) October 21, 2018

The post Chicago Blackhawks NCAA Campus Report: Oct 19-21 appeared first on The Rink.

This week was highlighted by University of Nebraska-Omaha’s Fredrik Olofsson earning five assists in two games and 2018 draft pick Mikael Hakkarainen leaving Providence College to return to the USHL.

Thanks again for reading and as always we appreciate your feedback!

Evan Barratt – Forward – Penn State University

Entering year two of his college hockey career, the Nittany Lions have a lot of hope in Blackhawks prospect Evan Barratt to help lift the program.  As a freshman in college hockey, there is some getting used to as far as pace which Barratt became much more comfortable with towards the end of last season.  He has the opportunity to be a serious difference-maker, especially on the powerplay for Penn State this season.

https://twitter.com/PatrickBurns_/status/1050898254379053056

In his first two games against Clarkson, Barratt had just one assist but generated good opportunities.  His work ethic and commitment to driving to the net will most likely reward him in production this season.  The Nittany Lions are now 2-0 and will play Niagara at home next weekend.

"At the end of the day we know collectively as a team what we want to achieve, so each day we come to the rink we need to work toward that goal," – sophomore forward @BarrattEvan #WeAre #HockeyValley pic.twitter.com/mkRqsYA003

— Penn State Men’s Hockey (@PennStateMHKY) September 25, 2018

Fredrik Olofsson – Forward – University of Nebraska-Omaha

Olofsson opted to return to UNO for this senior season in 2018-19 and will get another year of experience at the center position.  He is playing in between junior forwards Tristan Keck and Zach Jordan who both netted goals in double digits last season.  Olofsson was also named an alternate captain for the Mavericks this year.

Over the weekend, Olofsson had a strong performance in the Mavericks series against Union College despite the team’s 0-1-1 result.  On Friday night, Olofsson had two assists and was 3-for-12 at the faceoff circle.  Saturday, he had three assists and went 3-for-7 at the dot.  The Mavericks host the Notre Dame Fighting Irish next weekend in Omaha.

Josh Ess – Defenseman – University of Wisconsin

Josh ess and the Wisconsin Badgers started their season with a bang sweeping the Boston College Eagles this weekend.  Ess is playing on the third pairing with freshman Ty Emberson, a 2018 3rd round selection of the Arizona Coyotes.  Ess has proven to be reliable for the Badgers who are looking for a bounce-back season.  The Badgers defense features Florida Panthers prospect Tyler Inamoto and 2018 Rangers 1st round pick K’Andre Miller.  The Badgers travel to the east coast next weekend to play Clarkson and St. Lawrence.

#BadgerOfTheDay: Josh Ess, So., D, Lakeville, MN, 2g, 2a, 4pts, shared team lead at plus-10 as a frosh, 2017-18 Dr. Joseph Coyne/Joe Pavelski Most Consistent award, 2017 Chicago Blackhawks draft pick. pic.twitter.com/srBnrahGDj

— Tony Granato (@TonyGranato) August 27, 2018

Parker Foo – Forward – Union College

Senior center Brett Supinski, Union's best playmaker, back in the lineup after missing the season opener with an injury. No sign of Parker Foo, who coach Rick Bennett said has been ill.

— Mike MacAdam (@Mike_MacAdam) October 12, 2018

Ryan Shea – Defenseman – Northeastern University

The Northeastern Huskies lost a lot of talent with Blackhawks prospect Dylan Sikura and Hobey Baker winner Adam Gaudette leaving for the pros, but they’re still looking to be competitive in Hockey East.  Ryan Shea is starting the season paired on the second line with captain Eric Williams.  Shea was selected to be an alternate captain for the Huskies this season.

Mikael Hakkarainen – Forward – Providence College

It has been reported that Blackhawks 2018 5th round draft pick Mikael Hakkarainen is leaving Providence College and returning to the USHL to play for the Muskegon Lumberjacks.  Hakkarainen said that he didn’t enjoy managing classes and hockey, leaving college hockey after just one game.  It’s interesting to note that Blackhawks defenseman Jake Ryczek also left the Providence program last season after a handful of games to return to the QMJHL.

Chicago Blackhawks prospect Mikael Hakkarainen (a freshman) leaves Providence per @MarkDivver – https://t.co/iwLkjQnGdj

— Mike McMahon (@MikeMcMahonCHN) October 10, 2018

Ian Mitchell – Defenseman – University of Denver

Mitchell has a lot on his plate this season at Denver but he has embraced the opportunity.  With seniors Tarik Hammond and Adam Plant graduating to the pros, Mitchell is heading into his sophomore season with a lot of responsibility on the back end.  His teammates selected him as an alternate captain for the Pioneers.

This past weekend, Mitchell and the Pioneers beat Air Force then shut out the University of Alabama-Huntsville for their homecoming game on Saturday.  Mitchell had a nice powerplay goal Friday, sniping Air Force goaltender Billy Christopolous from the top of the circle.  The Pioneers host the University of Alaska-Fairbanks next weekend.

.@IanMitch15 with an absolute snipe on the PP. Pios up 2-0 almost halfway through the 1st against Air Force. pic.twitter.com/3tyYESBy4S

— LetsGoDU (@LetsGoDU) October 13, 2018

Jake Wise – Forward – Boston University

The Boston University Terriers had a difficult weekend getting swept by the Minnesota-State Mavericks.  In his first two college hockey games, Jake Wise didn’t register any points, but he is playing on BU’s top line with Bobo Carpenter and Buffalo Sabres prospect Max Willman.  It’s safe to say that there will be plenty more opportunities for him to score this season.  The Terriers host the US Under-18 Team and travel to Merrimack next weekend.

Honorable Mentions – Jake Massie & Liam Coughlin – Vermont

Last weekend, Vermont went on the road to Michigan and beat the top-ranked Wolverines.  On the year, Coughlin has two assists and Massie has one.  The two upper-classmen look to lead the Catamounts to a better season in Hockey East.  Vermont doesn’t play for two weeks when they travel to New Hampshire and Brown.

The post Chicago Blackhawks NCAA Campus Report: Oct 13-14 appeared first on The Rink.

Before we get into the recap, we would like to acknowledge somebody special to the Blackhawks organization.  During the first period of the broadcast, Eddie Olczyk spoke about Pat Foley’s father who passed away this week.  Foley said during the game that his father was, “the best man I ever knew and the best man that I’ll ever know.”  Our condolences go out to Pat and his family.

First Period

This game started out pretty sloppy even with more veteran players in the lineup.  2018 1st round pick Nicholas Beaudin drew into the lineup and looked a bit shaky to start the game, but so did Boqvist against the Blue Jackets.  Boqvist, however, looked far more comfortable in this game.  He saw opportunities to jump into rushes and even made some great defensive plays.

Anton Forsberg got his first action this season between the pipes and looked strong in his period and a half Thursday night.  His positioning was solid even though he did let in a powerplay goal on a nice redirect from Thomas Vanek.  Forsberg didn’t have much of a chance on the play, but otherwise held his own.

A player who really stood out to start the game was David Kampf.  He seems to have a knack for making plays.  Kampf had several quality chances to score, but he couldn’t convert.  His possession along the boards and his ability to find his teammates in transition was impressive.

Second Period

The second is where the Blackhawks and the Red Wings started to find their stride.  The Kane-Schmaltz-Saad line got the Hawks on the board with a tick-tack-toe play resulting in a beautiful Kane goal.  This could be the line that really thrives this season.  And with Schmaltz being in a contract year, he will be cashing in on plenty of potential points.

The Hawks didn’t wait long to score again when David Kampf got the puck to MacKenzie Entwistle who had a two-on-one in the Detroit zone.  Entwistle snapped a top-shelf wrist shot that beat Jonathan Bernier.  If Entwistle can become a productive power forward for the Blackhawks, the Marian Hossa trade would have done a lot more than just clear cap space.

Defenseman Lucas Carlsson took his second penalty of the game in the second, this time for hooking.  Last game in Columbus, Henrik Samuelsson took two penalties as well that most likely puts him and Carlsson in Joel Quenneville‘s doghouse.  Putting your team in short-handed situations is the worst thing you can do when you’re trying to gain attention.

One last thing to mention about this period is that new defenseman Brandon Manning got absolutely torched by Andreas Athanasiou who drove to the net hard and scored a layup goal on Kevin Lankinen.

Third Period

The third was pretty uneventful through the first half with the teams trading moderate chances.  With five minutes to go in the period, Evgeny Svechnikov was left all alone in front and tapped in the go-ahead goal on a great pass from Givani Smith.  Manning was the defenseman that got caught up in the play and left his man.

The Wings finished off the Hawks with an empty-net goal and handed Chicago their second loss of the preseason with a final score of 4-2.

What we learned

• Adam Boqvist and Nicholas Beaudin are adjusting to the speed of the NHL.  Both players had turnovers, but they’re learning what they can and can’t do in the pros
• David Kampf is showing a lot of progress.  If Hayden, Martinsen, and Krueger are going to make up the fourth line, Kampf is giving the Hawks coaches everything he’s got to get on the third line
• Anton Forsberg had a solid start and that’s extremely important.  He was thrown to the wolves last season and his numbers aren’t representative of the player he is.  He needs the confidence this season.
• Kane-Schmaltz-Saad could be a thing
• The Blackhawks are paying Brandon Manning a lot of money to get posterized
• We also found out the Adam Boqvist could get a cup of coffee with the Blackhawks this season before he returns to juniors

Adam Boqvist not going back to London right away. He will stay with #Blackhawks. Joel Quenneville even went as far as to say he wouldn’t rule out him starting the season in Chicago. They want to see more.

— Chris Wescott (@TheChrisWescott) September 21, 2018

The post Blackhawks Fall to the Red Wings 4-2 in Second Preseason Game appeared first on The Rink.

The NHL can be an intimidating place for young players, especially those who aren’t physically gifted.  Most bodies are above six feet and weigh in over 200 pounds, but size doesn’t necessarily win you games anymore.  As the NHL continues to evolve into a speed and precision game, smaller and faster players are being introduced into roles that they would have never have been considered for in the past.

This time last season, Blackhawks rookie Alex DeBrincat had just finished his last season with the Erie Otters in the Ontario Hockey League and was looking to make some noise in training camp.  He had just scored over 100 points in his third consecutive season in the OHL, but doubters warned that his lack of size and his junior-level stats don’t always translate to the pros.  But DeBrincat set his goal at making the Chicago Blackhawks and he did just that.  Alex played all 82 games with the Hawks last year and scored 52 points in a breakout season.  Now as a 20-year old NHL forward, DeBrincat has come into the 2018-19 season bigger and ready for an encore.

Another player ready to contribute in Chicago could be Northeastern University alum Dylan Sikura.  Sikura is another small forward that plays with a lot of skill.  He emerged at Northeastern during his junior year and received a nomination for the Hobey Baker Award after his senior year.  Known for his playmaking ability and vision on the ice, Sikura is a dynamic forward that brings a lot of experience to the Blackhawks.

Sikura got a taste of the NHL playing five games at the end of last season scoring three assists.  There are a few reasons why Sikura will be successful on the Hawks starting with his poise.  Patience takes time and development for young players, but it seems like Sikura already has a knack for letting the play develop.  We see this often with Patrick Kane who is comfortable with the puck on his stick.  He lets the rush flush out, then he sends a laser pass to the open man for a quality shot.  Sikura can provide that kind of playmaking as well as a good shot.  He mentioned working on being more aggressive at this year’s training camp, a quality the Hawks need out of a lot of young players.

Dylan Sikura was one of two multi-goal scorers in Saturday’s Training Camp Festival scrimmage. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/erLK7xs2jy

— Eric Lear (@BHTVeric) September 15, 2018

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It’s unlikely that Sikura will stay up in Chicago for all 82 games like DeBrincat, but having some time in Rockford with coach Jeremy Colliton might not be a bad thing.  Instead of playing bottom six minutes, Sikura will be able to get powerplay time and play with some great up-and-coming talent.  Matthew Highmore, Anthony Louis, and Alexander Fortin are all guys who may be in Rockford who can teach Sikura a lot about being a pro.

Overall, it’s an interesting time to be a young player in the Blackhawks organization.  As much as they won’t admit it, the Hawks are going through a transition and change is coming.  It’s not clear whether the rebuild is on or if they are gearing up for one last playoff push, but the opportunities are up for grabs.  It would be pretty impressive for GM Stan Bowman to add two players under 25 into his top six, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.  And to be truthful, if Sikura even added 40 points to this season’s Blackhawks, he would cement a spot on the roster and eventually warrant a pro contract.  Let’s hope for the best.

The post Blackhawks’ Dylan Sikura Can Have a DeBrincat-Like Rookie Season appeared first on The Rink.

If you take a look at every team in the Central Division, you’ll notice that they’re all very strong at the center position.  Whether it’s going up against Mark Scheifele in Winnipeg, Ryan Johansen in Nashville, or Eric Staal in Minnesota, it’s always a battle for the puck.  And over the years, the Blackhawks haven’t been able to find depth beyond star Jonathan Toews.  Nick Schmaltz showed a lot of potential last season, but he’s still growing and has yet to be locked up long term.

So who could be next?

One prospect that has been in the Blackhawks system for a few years has been Beau Starrett of Cornell University.  Drafted in the third round in 2014, Starrett is going into his senior season playing for the Big Red.

Throughout his college hockey career, Starrett has never produced more than 14 points, but his towering figure brings other elements to the game that the Blackhawks should be intrigued by.  The most important being his faceoff numbers.

During his senior season, Starrett took 469 draws and won almost 54% of them on Cornell’s top line.  He also can skate pretty well.  At the last couple prospect camps, Starrett had quick feet and did a great job moving the puck up to his wings on the breakout.

Starrett’s obvious physical talent is his size at 6’5 222lbs.  He doesn’t necessarily throw his weight around, but his board-play and ability to fight for positioning with his body are both attributes the Blackhawks need desperately on their roster.  Starrett also has a nose for the net.  He’s often found lurking around the goal-mouth cleaning up rebounds or setting screens for his shooters.

A similar player who has had moderate success in the NHL is Jimmy Hayes who weighs in at 6’5 215lbs.  Hayes played for the Blackhawks for a few years and produced because of his ability to get to the dirty areas.  Starrett could do the same.

Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville loves the try hard, effort guys so there are other ways to win him over besides being a player like Patrick Kane.  Because Starrett is already a great faceoff man he’s already ahead of the curve, but playing great defense and being responsible in your own end is important.  The biggest problem you see with young players is their ego.  They over-think a play, try to get cute, or just don’t make the simply play.  Hockey IQ is just as important as skill on the Hawks.

We also have to take into consideration that NHL teams lose their rights to NCAA players in the fall following their senior seasons if they cannot reach an agreement.  Let’s hope Starrett has a great season and inks his future with the Hawks by season’s end.

The post Blackhawks’ Prospect Beau Starrett Faces Pivotal Senior Year at Cornell appeared first on The Rink.

Once the NCAA season officially kicks off this fall, we will get back to posting weekly roundups on our blog and on twitter recapping production and progress from all the Hawks’ NCAA players.  But right now, we wanted to rank the top five players at the collegiate level.  There is a good mix of lower and upperclassmen playing in several conferences of college hockey this year so it should be a blast.

Let’s get started.

Chicago Blackhawks’ Top Five NCAA Prospects

5.  Jake Wise – Forward, Boston University

I didn’t plan on having Wise crack this list, but his prospect camp performance and upside made it a tough decision.  Drafted this year in the third round, Wise is coming off a couple seasons playing in the US National Development program.  He will be attending Boston University this fall, joining a hockey program that has been dominant in years past.

Wise’s numbers show he’s a play-making center and he put that on display this summer at prospect camp.  His speed and hands were the topic of conversation over the summer earning him a reputation of potentially being the Blackhawks’ “steal of the draft.”  Wise will be spending his weekends playing tough opponents such as the Northeastern Huskies and the Boston College Eagles, but hopefully fellow Blackhawks prospect and junior at BU Chad Krys can help him ease into the transition.  Wise will also be surrounded by a great forward group featuring Bobo Carpenter, Shane Bowers, and Patrick Harper.

4.  Fredrik Olofsson – Forward, University of Nebraska-Omaha

Although Olofsson’s numbers don’t blow you out of the water, he was one of the most polished players that I got to see play last year.  Qualities like speed and size stick out immediately to the naked eye of a spectator, but hockey sense is blaring to those who watch a lot of hockey.  Olofsson showed a lot of maturity and poise last season, and could be on the verge of a breakout season.

The Broomfield Colorado-native could have signed pro but decided to go back to college for his senior year.  The Mavericks will be much improved from last season when they went 17-17-2, and they could turn the tide on other powerhouses in the NCHC like Minnesota-Duluth and the University of Denver.  Now that he is more familiar playing the center position, this season is huge for Olofsson to prove he’s worthy of a pro contract, and the Hawks could really use a player like Freddy.

3.  Evan Barratt – Forward, Penn State University

Evan Barratt may be one of the most exciting Blackhawks prospects to watch this season.  Adding 18 points in 32 games, Barratt had a solid season for a freshman and really started to thrive in the Nittany Lion’s system towards the end of the season.  His frame and size resemble a former Blackhawk that show an intriguing comparison;  Dave Bolland.  Bolland was an absolute pain in the rear to play against but he also had great skill.  Not to mention his goals were as scrappy as they come.  If Barratt can continue to score and be scrappy, he may find his niche to get his ticket to Chicago someday.

Penn State and their run-and-gun style of play should take a huge step this season and Barratt could be at the forefront of that.  The Big Ten is set to be a difficult conference again this fall, but don’t look past what kind of noise Penn State could make.  If Barratt can find his was past the 30-35 point mark with some extra ice time this season, he could really show some serious positive strides.

2.  Chad Krys – Defenseman, Boston University

The is no doubt defenseman Chad Krys has skill, but the question is where he fits into the Blackhawks future plans on the blue line.  In a system that was once dried up of defensive prospects, it now may rank in the top ten NHL-wide.  Krys has the competition of several prospects at the AHL level above him, and top draft picks below him in the junior ranks.  Of course all he will say is that he needs to focus on himself, but we all know his season will have to do the talking for him.

The Blackhawks want to see more physicality and ability to retrieve pucks and exit cleanly from Krys.  It’s no secret he can skate better than most that he’s on the ice with, but this season will be a focus on his ability to keep pucks out of the net.  The next year or two will most likely have a few prospects on the move to make roster spots and Krys will have to do his best to show he’s worth the wait.

1.  Ian Mitchell – Defenseman, The University of Denver

Defenseman Ian Mitchell is becoming one of the most decorated Blackhawks prospects when it comes to his hockey resume.  Last season, he was one of the nation’s top defenseman and made the all-freshman team for the NCHC conference.  The Denver Pioneers were just one win away from another Frozen Four appearance but they fell to the Ohio State Buckeyes.  Mitchell finished the season with two goals and 28 assists.

This summer, Mitchell has been training hard for the 2018-19 season and his work is showing.  He impressed at Blackhawks prospect camp this summer and then played in the World Juniors showcase for Team Canada in Kamloops British Columbia alongside 2018 1st round pick Nicolas Beadin.  There is a very strong possibility Mitchell could sign with the Blackhawks after his sophomore season, but it’s safe to say his development is right on track.

The post Ranking the Chicago Blackhawks’ Top Five NCAA Prospects appeared first on The Rink.

Every Blackhawks fan knows that coach Q can be hard to impress.  Known for choosing favorites and giving them more ice time for their extra-effort, Quenneville knows what he wants to see out of his players and he certainly knows what he doesn’t want to see.  The Hawks play a system that is heavily reliant on positioning and unselfishness.  And if you find yourself overstepping those boundaries, you’ll probably find yourself “riding the pine.”

Last week, the Blackahawks held their annual prospect camp at the MB Ice Arena in Chicago giving coach Q the chance to see the new class of drafted players on the ice.  The camp lasted for five days with a heavy focus on drills and ended with a scrimmage on Friday morning.  The fans and media all had their eyes on first-round draft selections Henri Jokiharju and Adam Boqvist, but Joel Quenneville was also intrigued with someone else.

During his phone interview Thursday on the Steve Cochran Show on WGN Radio, Quenneville was asked about the camp and who fans should keep their eye on.  Here was Joel Quenneville’s response:

“The kid that might have impressed me the most was the Slavin kid (Josiah Slavin), his brother plays for Carolina.  He looks like he could be a player too.  It was like almost every one of these kids could turn out to be an NHL’er which is unusual.  Hopefully that’s the case, but certainly it was as good of a class that we’ve seen.”

Josiah Slavin has a good first step. pic.twitter.com/4lDhRx3UZD

— Eric Andrews (@WALaxer19) July 17, 2018

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Slavin was selected in the 7th round by the Blackhawks in this year’s NHL Draft in Dallas just last month.  He spent the last two seasons playing in the USHL for the Tri-City Storm and most recently the Lincoln Stars where he scored 23 goals and 19 assists in 60 games.

You may be asking yourself how a 19-year old 7th round pick gets the attention of an NHL head coach in a camp with several high-end prospects.  First off, Slavin has something that the Hawks don’t have too much of in their system and that’s size.  At 6’2 and 182 pounds, Slavin has a good frame and can certainly get bigger as he enters his twenties.  He showed his ability to use his body to protect the puck and play below the circles at prospect camp, and even scored a goal during the scrimmage.  He also showed the ability to play aggressively but also possess skill.  In today’s NHL, the more versatile you are, the better chance there is a roster spot for you.  Slavin has the potential to develop into a solid power-forward.

Slavin slayin’#HawksProspects pic.twitter.com/41uEpFakOv

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) July 20, 2018

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Slavin will return to the Lincoln Stars this season and has committed to playing for Colorado College of the NCHC in 2019-20 where he will play under former Blackhawks assistant coach Mike Haviland.

With Slavin already a household NHL name, Josiah has probably been getting comparisons to his brother his whole life.  But based on his work ethic and the high praise of coaches like Joel Quenneville, Josiah will have no problem paving his own way to the NHL.

ICYMI: Prospects MacKenzie Entwistle and Josiah Slavin do battle in the Rapid Shot Challenge!

And winner takes on Adam Burish for ultimate glory. pic.twitter.com/deMz2S9UOf

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) July 20, 2018

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The post Blackhawks Prospect Josiah Slavin Earns Praise From Joel Quenneville appeared first on The Rink.

2017-18 was a successful season for the Chicago Blackhawks prospects in college hockey, and hopefully that trend doesn’t stop any time soon.  It will be tough with defensemen Blake Hillman and Dennis Gilbert signing pro contracts after their junior-year seasons, as well as forward Dylan Sikura graduating from Northeastern and signing with the Blackhawks.  But reinforcements are on the way.

At the 2018 NHL Draft, the Blackhawks selected three players who have committed to NCAA programs.  Third round selection Jake Wise will play for Boston University, fifth-rouder Mikael Hakkarainen will play for Providence, and seventh-round pick Josiah Slavin will suit up for the Colorado College Tigers after next season.

Wise is attending one of the most prestigious college hockey programs in the country in Boston University.  Although David Quinn has moved on taking a job with the New York Rangers, his development won’t miss a beat under Albie O’Connell.

Hakkarainen will also be in Hockey East, a very tough division in college hockey.  Providence is a young team where Hakkarainen will get some great experience under head coach Nate Leaman.  He could’ve played with fellow Blackhawks prospect Jake Ryczek, but he ended up leaving school to play for the Halifax Mooseheads.

Slavin will return to the Lincoln Stars of the USHL for another season to develop before he heads to Colorado Springs to play for Colorado of the NCHC.  He will be playing under head coach Mike Haviland, a former Blackhawks assistant coach.

Blackhawks prospects remaining in college hockey for next season are the following players:

• Evan Barratt, Penn State
• Liam Coughlin, Vermont
• Josh Ess, Wisconsin
• Parker Foo, Union College
• Chad Krys, Boston University
• Jake Massie, Vermont
• Ian Mitchell, University of Denver
• Fredrik Olofsson, University of Omaha-Nebraska
• Jack Ramsey, University of Minnesota
• Ryan Shea, Northeastern University
• Beau Starrett, Cornell University

Here are some details and video on the new Blackhawks headed to the NCAA, as well as links to their player profiles by our own Eric Andrews.

Jake Wise – C – Freshman at Boston University – 2018 3rd Rd. Pick

North Andover, MA – 5’10 – 189lbs – Shoots Left – U.S. National Under-18 Team (USHL)

2017-18 stats:  38GP, 11G, 32A, 6PIM, +5

Draft Pick Profile:  Jake Wise

Mikael Hakkarainen – C – Freshman at Providence – 2018 5th Rd. Pick

Helsinki, Finland – 6’0 – 183lbs – Shoots Left – Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL)

2017-18 stats:  36GP, 15G, 31A, 16PIM, +7

Draft Pick Profile:  Mikael Hakkarainen

Josiah Slavin – LW – Colorado College (2019) – 2018 7th Rd. Pick

Erie, CO – 6’2 – 182lbs – Shoots Left – Lincoln Stars (USHL)

2017-18 stats:  60GP, 23G, 19A, 30PIM, +27

Draft Pick Profile:  Josiah Slavin

The post Blackhawks Prospects Wise, Hakkarainen, Slavin Will Play College Hockey appeared first on The Rink.

The last decade of Blackhawks hockey has created a crazed culture that has fans itching for more.  We’re now seeing that demand throughout the state.  There has been talk of adding a Division I hockey program in the state of Illinois for a while since there currently are none.  It poses an opportunity for one school to take advantage of hundreds of talented players that leave every year by letting them play close to home.

Back in March of this year, the University of Illinois hired a firm to do a feasibility study that showed that hockey would thrive in Champaign.  Just a couple hours south on I-57, kids from the north shore or south suburbs could be home having dinner with their parents over the weekend if they wanted.

This would create a competitive option for players who currently look at schools within close proximity such as the University of Wisconsin, Michigan State, Michigan, Western Michigan, and Notre Dame.

Ice hockey would “flourish” at the University of Illinois, study shows.

AD Josh Whitman said if they move forward, a hockey program would take “2 to 3 years to get off the ground.”https://t.co/aCVEhkkz43 via @sryantribune pic.twitter.com/0RvXLtiM6Y

— ChicagoSports (@ChicagoSports) March 10, 2018

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Earlier this year, The-Rink caught up with Kevin Fitzgerald from Hinsdale who now plays in the NCHC division for St. Cloud State.  Here’s what he had to say about the possibility of a program at the University of Illinois:

“I mean, yeah.  I know Nick Fabbrini really well, he’s the head coach at the University of Illinois.  He spoke to me about “feasibility reports” of adding a D1 team and it looks like it may be in the works.  It would be good for Chicago kids.  There a lot of hockey in Chicago and a lot of good players.  I feel like giving them a place to go would be really awesome.  I’ve known Nick for a while, he’s a good coach that loves the game.  I think that would be a good spot for kids.”

A report from the Sports Business Journal came out Thursday saying that athletic director Josh Whitman hopes to “green light” the men’s Division I hockey program by the end of the year.  Whitman had this to say about the program:

“I’m increasingly confident in what this could [look] like and our chances of making this a reality. There does seem to be growing interest.” Whitman said that a program “would likely take two to three years to start after green-lighting, but hockey would give Illinois another potential revenue-generating program.”

As far as the Blackhawks, Josh Whitman visited with John McDonough and Stan Bowman in March seeking advice during the feasibility study.  This would be a clear opportunity for the organizations to create a relationship that would be mutually beneficial.

The Blackhawks have been hosting several college hockey games at the United Center including the Frozen Four last year that featured three Big Ten schools.  Similar to Northwestern playing at Wrigley Field, the Blackhawks could host the Fighting Illini annually at the United Center.

There will also be an opportunity for scouting.  A lot of teams tend to draft players in their own backyard because it’s easiest to catch games with short travel.  This could create a pipeline of young players who could potentially get to play for their hometown team.  The Hawks love drafting the local kid i.e. Ryan Hartman and Vinnie Hinostroza.

Even though this project is a few years away, this could be the start of a program that becomes hugely popular.

The post University of Illinois Division I Hockey Becomes a Reality appeared first on The Rink.

It was a pretty fun year following the NCAA prospects throughout the 2017-18 season.  I got to meet a lot of them and can say that the Blackhawks have a knack for drafting high character young men.  Now one year removed from the 2017 prospect camp, I’m excited to see what these kids can do together and what they’ve improved on over the past year.

I think the key with all of these guys is that there is opportunity for everybody.  Each player is one year older now, and whether they’re moving on to the pros or getting more responsibility in college, their games have evolved.

Thanks everybody for following along with my updates and we will have more for you including a Draft recap of all the new college committed players that come into the Hawks system.

Updates on Blackhawks NCAA Prospects

Evan Barratt – C – Freshman at Penn State University – ‘17 3rd Rd Pick 

Bristol, PA – 6’0″ – 187lbs – Shoots Left – U.S. National Development Team (USHL), @BarrattEvan

Stats:  32GP, 11G, 7A

Barratt had a slow start getting used to college hockey production wise, but he really finished the season strong.  The Nittany Lions won five games in a row towards the end of the season including four-consecutive home games against the University of Minnesota which Barratt played a big role in.  In the Frozen Four tournament, the Nittany Lions had a tough draw with the University of Denver, but there is no doubt they be back soon.

Barratt showed a lot of promise on special teams scoring six powerplay goals this season.  With a year of college hockey under his belt, Barratt seems to be on the right track especially playing in Penn State’s high-octane offense.  The Daily Collegian believes Barratt can take over as the face of Penn State Men’s Hockey.

Final Grade:  B

Liam Coughlin – C – Junior at University of Vermont – ’14 5th Rd Pick (EDM)

South Boston, MA – 6’2″ – 201lbs – Shoots Left – Vernon Vipers (USHL), @Liam_Coughlin7

Stats:  34GP, 6G, 10A

Liam Coughlin showed a lot of maturity this season, even though Vermont had a down year.  As a player that had previously produced around 12 points, Coughlin seemed to make every one of his 16 points count this season.  Although his first half was quiet, he scored 11 of his 16 points in his final 13 games including a hat-trick against UMass-Lowell.

Coughlin will return to Vermont for his senior season, but hopefully not before he attends Blackhawks prosepct camp.  His size is intriguing along with flashes of playmaking ability.  It will be interesting what he brings this year in front of the ‘Hawks front office team.

Final Grade:  B-

Josh Ess – RD – Freshman at the University of Wisconsin – ’17 7th Rd Pick

Lakeville, MN – 5’11” – 188lbs – Shoots Left – Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (USHL), @JoshuaEss

Current Stats:  33GP, 2G, 2A

If you just look at Ess’ point production from this past year, you would probably assume he didn’t have a good season.  But if you look closer and consider a couple of other external factors, the Lakeville Minnesota product had a positive freshman year at Wisconsin.  The Frozen Four consisted of four BigTen schools in Ohio State, Notre Dame, and Michigan.  These were all teams Ess went up against regularly, yet he still maintained a plus/minus of +10.

Ess’ only had 34 shots on goal this season, but that’s characteristic of many freshman who chose to defer to older teammates to earn their respect.  Ess will enter his sophomore season with more responsibility and experience, and his defensive unit will get a huge boost from freshman K’Andre Miller from the US Development program.  Ess should play a bigger role next season and beyond.

Final Grade:  B-

Parker Foo – LW – Freshman at Union College – ’17 5th Rd Pick

Edmonton, Alberta – 6’1″ – 190lbs – Shoots Left – Brooks Bandits (AJHL), @pfoo22

Current Stats:  33GP, 1G, 5A

The ECAC was no cakewalk this year to play in with Clarkson, Cornell, and Harvard, but Union hung in there and finished 2nd in the standings.  Parker Foo surprisingly only scored one goal, but there have to be more coming in his second year at Union.  Foo’s minutes were limited yet he still managed to put almost 60 shots on net his season.  He will have to add more aggressiveness and confidence to his repertoire, along with his already great speed.

Final Grade:  C

Dennis Gilbert – LD – Junior at the University of Notre Dame – ’15 3rd Rd Pick

Williamsville, NY – 6’2″ – 200lbs – Shoots Left – Chicago Steel (USHL), @Dennis_Gilbert8

Current Stats:  39GP, 4G, 6A

Gilbert had another great season on the back-end with Notre Dame.  After going to the Frozen Four in 2017, the Fighting Irish were thought to take a big step back with the loss of Anders Bjork and Cal Petersen, but they did the opposite.  They were one of the nations top teams all year with a great defense.

At 6’2 200lbs., Gilbert may be just what the Blackhawks need.  He plays a safe, but physical game.  Defensemen don’t need to be flashy, they just need to be plugged in and soak up valuable minutes without being heard.  Gilbert could be this and more.

Final Grade:  A

Blake Hillman – LD – Junior at the University of Denver – ’16 6th Rd Pick

Elk River, MN – 6’1″ – 182lbs – Shoots Left – Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL), @Blake_Hillman8

Current Stats:  41GP, 3G, 9A

We got to see a little of what defenseman Blake Hillman has to offer when he spent the final two weeks with the Blackhawks.  He played in four NHL games and had one goal that was an absolute bomb set up by Nick Schmaltz on the rush.

What I know about Hillman is that he has the tools to get a great defenseman, and hopefully he can get some quality experience in the pros to enhance those skills.  He has great hands and can skate very well.  One thing that he had trouble with in college was his shot selection and situational awareness.  Some may call it “gripping the stick too hard,” but he really wanted to consistently make plays for the Pioneers.  He can be a high risk/high reward type player, but I believe IceHogs head coach Jeremy Colliton can get a lot out of this kid and hopefully get him to the next level.

Final Grade:  B+

Chad Krys – LD – Sophomore at Boston University – ’16 2nd Rd Pick

Ridgefield, CT – 6’0″ – 185lbs – Shoots Left – US National Development Team (USHL)

Current Stats:  36GP, 7G, 20A

Chad Krys has the skills and ability to be a serious game-changer at the pro level, considering he’s already doing it in college.  Krys had five multi-point games this season, and it’s unlikely to not see his name on the Boston Terriers’ score sheet.  Krys will return for his junior year at BU and will be a leader for the Terriers.  As he continues to develop mentally and physically, this is a player Blackhawks’ fans should keep their eye on.  There are a lot of defensive prospects in the system, but very few players the Hawks need more to work out than Krys.

Final Grade:  A

Jake Massie – LD – Freshman at the University of Vermont – ’15 6th Rd Pick (CAR)

Saint-Lazare, Quebec – 6’2″ – 177lbs – Shoots Left – Omaha Lancers, @JakeMassie3

Current Stats:  2936, 2G, 5A

Jake Massie had a similar freshman year as Josh Ess did at Wisconsin.  His point production wasn’t much, but Massie had much less help on offense in a very tough Hockey East Conference.  Vermont had a hard time scoring and ended up losing 20 games last season.  Despite the poor season for Vermont, Massie finished the season with a plus/minus of -2 while he gained a lot of experience in his first year of college hockey.  Let’s see how he responds in his sophomore season.

Final Grade:  C+

Ian Mitchell – RD – Freshman at the University of Denver – ’17 2nd Rd Pick

Calahoo, Alberta – 5’11” – 173lbs – Shoots Right – Spruce Grove Saints (AJHL), @IanMitch15

Current Stats:  41GP, 2G, 28A

Could a young hockey player ask to be put in a better situation than what Ian Mitchell fell into at Denver?  He played his first year of college hockey under the 2017 coach of the year, in front of the goalie of the year, and with an already established defensive unit.  Yet Mitchell still excelled in his own way.  Going into the season, Mitchell was known for his offensive game, but vowed to focus more on defense and whatever he was asked to do by head coach Jim Montgomery.

Mitchell was given the keys to a Cadillac of a powerplay at Denver featuring now-NHL players Troy Terry, Dylan Gambrell, and Henrik Borgstrom.  He thrived quarterbacking and facilitating from the point, and also became much more aggressive in the second half of the season.  Mitchell will be leaned on heavily next season with the loss of Blake Hillman and Tariq Hammond, but his character matches that of a vocal leader.  His development and confidence took a huge leap this season under Montgomery.

Final Grade:  A

Fredrik Olofsson –  C – Junior at University of Nebraska-Omaha – ’14 4th Rd Pick

Broomfield, Colorado – 6’2″ – 204lbs – Shoots Right – Chicago Steel (USHL), @FreddyOlofsson

Current Stats:  33GP, 6G, 14A

Olofsson had a good start to the year, but didn’t have any points in his final five games.  It’s possible he was dealing with an injury or it was just tough matchups with Minnesota-Duluth and North Dakota.  As a player that switched over from wing to center this season, Olofsson handled the added responsibility well.  He distributed the puck fluidly, looked stronger on his skates, and grew his two-way game.  He also won a lot of puck battles in the corners for Omaha.  Returning for his senior season, Olofsson should show a lot of progress on the ice and as a leader.

Final Grade:  B-

Jack Ramsey – RW – Junior at the University of Minnesota – ’11 7th Rd Pick

Chanhassen, MN – 6’3″ – 201lbs – Shoots Right – Penticton Vees (BCHL), @Ramsey_16

Current Stats:  38GP, 4G, 6A

Ramsey is a player that if he plays his cards right, he can make his way to Chicago.  Some people write him off because of his point production, but the Blackhawks need this kind of player.  Chicago has often been criticized for being a perimeter team and for not having enough players willing to get their hands dirty.  Ramsey is this guy.

At 6’3 200 pounds, Ramsey can throw his weight around if he wants.  And with former St. Cloud State Huskies head coach Bob Motzko coaching the Gophers next season, Ramsey will hopefully embrace his physical style.  Ramsey is due for a big season next year.

Final Grade:  C

Ryan Shea – LD – Sophomore at Northeastern University – ’15 4th Rd Pick

Milton, MA – 6’1″ – 180lbs – Shoots Left – Youngstown Phantoms (USHL), @RyanShea2

Current Stats:  38GP, 1G, 16A

Ryan Shea is also due for a big test next season.  With some big scorers like Adam Gaudette and Dylan Sikura leaving for the NHL, Shea will have a lot more responsibility as an upper-classman.  He has so far proven he is a durable and reliable defenseman who can set up his team mates well.  But in a Blackhawks system that’s full of budding defensemen, he may want to take his time like Sikura did to develop in college and come out when he’s 100% ready.

Final Grade:  B-

Dylan Sikura – LW – Senior at Northeastern University – ’14 6th Rd Pick

Aurora, Ontario – 6’0″ – 166lbs – Shoots Left – Aurora Tigers (OJHL), @Dsikky11

Current Stats:  35GP, 22G, 32A 

Sikura had a Hobey Baker-like season, even though his linemate Adam Gaudette came home with the hardware.  It was clear that he excelled in every area of the college game and that he is ready for a new challenge.  Blackhawks fans could finally breathe knowing he signed his entry-level contract and hopefully that’s not the last contract he signs in Chicago.

In five games playing with the Blackhawks, we saw that he could definitely keep up with the pace.  He even collected three points in those five games.  But like any other college kid, he’ll need to put on some weight this summer and come into training camp aggressive.  There are a lot of young players with their eyes on spots in Chicago, especially guys who have done their time in Rockford.  But Mr. DeBrincat showed us that making the team as a rookie isn’t impossible.

Final Grade:  A

Beau Starrett – C – Junior at Cornell University – 2014 3rd Rd Pick

Bellingham, MA – 6’5′ – 222lbs – Shoots Left – South Shore Kings (USPHL), @Beau_Dangles

Current Stats:  32GP, 3G, 7A

Starrett will return to Cornell for his senior season, but he has to come out of it with an identity.  Because of his size, he’s assumed to play big but I’m not sure that’s his style right now.  His point production in college has been low, even though I remember him skating and passing pretty well for a big guy.  I’m not sure why he isn’t having success when the Big Red is, but something has to change.  The Blackhawks used a 2nd round pick on Graham Knott and a 3rd on Starrett but the returns have been limited.

The post Chicago Blackhawks NCAA Prospects: Final Grades appeared first on The Rink.

The Blackhawks continue to bolster their roster depth with the additions of Northeastern forward Dylan Sikura and Denver defenseman Blake Hillman.  Both players signed two-year entry-level contracts and will most likely see time in the final games of the Blackhawks season.  We have already seen top prospect and newcomer Victor Ejdsell called up to the Blackhawks and have noticed good things so far.  This theme of testing young players at the pro level is new for the Blackhawks, but needed to happen eventually.

Dennis Gilbert

Sikura and Hillman are great additions to the team, but could there be more?  The answer is most likely yes.  One player that comes to mind is Notre Dame’s Dennis Gilbert.  Gilbert is a defensive defenseman for the Fighting Irish who has been a very durable player in his three years in South Bend.  He has played between 37 and 40 games each year for the Irish and has always had a positive plus/minus.

FINAL!
2-1 Notre Dame defeats Providence and advances to the #FrozenFour !
Back-to-back appearances for the Irish #Blackhawks prospect Dennis Gilbert will also make his 2nd appearance in the National Semi-finals#NCAAHockey #CawlidgeHawkey

— Mario Tirabassi (@Mario_Tirabassi) March 25, 2018

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Notre Dame is currently in the Frozen Four and depending on their success, Gilbert may or may not suit up for the Blackhawks this season.  He could also return for his senior season if he feels like he could use more development.  But at this point, his success and experience at the collegiate level would suggest that he is ready for the pros.

Fredrik Olofsson

It was recently reported by Scott Powers of The Athletic that Olofsson will not be turning pro and will return to the University of Nebraska-Omaha for his senior season.  He would’ve been a great addition to the Blackhawks system, but his development at Omaha will also be beneficial.  He recently changed over from wing to center so it’s possible he felt he could use another year to adjust.

Honorable Mentions

A couple of other names that you can throw out there are Cornell’s Beau Starrett, Minnesota’s Jack Ramsey, and even possibly Boston University’s Chad Krys.  But I anticipate all these players return to their collegiate teams next season.  Gilbert is the only prospect I believe is on the bubble when it comes to signing.

This upcoming draft will be very important when it comes to the prospect pool.  With two picks in the first round and a shot at a top three pick, the Blackhawks could really make up some lost ground when it comes to prospects.  Yes they have a couple nice pieces from last year’s draft but those guys aren’t nearly ready for the NHL.  Adding a Dahlin, Svechnikov, or Tkachuk could catapult the Hawks into a faster rebuild than many anticipate.  But even if they select 7th overall as they are currently projected, that player will hopefully impact the team in the near future.

The post Chicago Blackhawks: Could More College Prospects Be Added to the Mix? appeared first on The Rink.

The Blackhawks have taken a step back at the NHL level, but their prospect pool is filling out nicely

With the amount of recent success the Chicago Blackhawks have had the last decade, there hasn’t been many high profile prospects coming up the system to be excited about.  The-Rink’s Jeff Osborn did a great job evaluating some of the draft picks the Blackhawks have made that shows an overall lack of development, especially on the back end.  But as the window closes on a great run of cup chasing seasons, the focus has become retooling a team that got old overnight.

The Blackhawks media and their fans have a tendency to get over-excited about the next big thing which will have to change in the coming years.  Players like 2017 1st round pick Henri Jokiharju will need all the time he needs to get his game adjusted to the pro level, and not thrown to the wolves because the Hawks need a defenseman.  But he isn’t the only player making strides.

The Blackhawks have done a fantastic job facilitating players up and down the ranks between Chicago, Rockford, and Indy this season.  I’ve harped on the lack of this kind of movement for a while and was happy to see players getting rewarded for their success.  Players like Matthew Highmore and Carl Dahlstrom had great seasons in the AHL, then got rewarded with NHL ice time.  We haven’t seen this in the past with guys like Ville Pokka or Mark McNeil who were players that hit a wall when it came to development.

On the flip side, John Hayden came down to Rockford to refine his game and get some valuable minutes in more key situations.  Matt Iacopelli did the same when he had a short stint in Indy.  Both players seemed to find value in the experience and were both productive.

As the NCAA season comes to a close, there are a few players that could sign pro and add to the competition in Rockford and Indy.  Whether top prospect Dylan Sikura signs or not, there will still be more depth added to this organization this summer.  And with the draft around the corner, the Blackhawks will finally be able to restock what has been sent away the last few seasons at the trade deadline.

If you look at the primary team needs for the Blackhawks, they need goaltending, centermen, and defenseman.  With Graham Knott getting his first full year of pro hockey under his belt, you have to hope he makes big strides next year.  He’s a big center that has some playmaking ability, but he hasn’t gotten comfortable at the AHL level just yet.  The Hawks have a handful of defenseman that could potentially be NHL players like Luc Snuggerud, Blake Hillman, and Chad Krys.  But assume to see all of them competing for spots next year in Rockford.  As for goaltending, free agent signing Colin Delia moved up the system pretty quickly and will probably be Rockford #1 starter next season.  They have a couple of other prospects but it’s foggy who will back up Corey Crawford next season.  The Hawks will most likely go to free agency to fill that void.

Overall, the Blackhawks look like they reevaluated their prospect pool and how they have to move going forward.  It will be interesting to see if and when they turn this roster over.  Who stays and who goes will also be a sign of the times.  Either way, this dreadful season is almost over and we can look forward to an offseason of growth.

The post Chicago Blackhawks Prospect Pool Making Positive Strides appeared first on The Rink.

In the NHL, players always fear the team that barely makes it in because they are “playing with house money.”  There isn’t a more fun position to be in than going out there and playing some fun hockey knowing you aren’t supposed to be there.  We saw the LA Kings run the table when the did this, and even as recent as the Nashville Predators.  Although we can’t see it, momentum is something all hockey players feel out there on the ice.

As March Madness is upon us in college sports, one Big Ten hockey club has found some magic recently.  Two weeks ago, Penn State hosted the University of Minnesota, a storied college hockey program, in their last series of the regular season .  If they won, they would have the right to host Minnesota again the next week to start the Big Ten Tournament.  And that’s exactly what happened.  Penn State beat the University of Minnesota four straight games at home scoring a minimum of five goals each game.  And boy was the atmosphere electric.

Check out the highlights from Saturday night’s 6-5 victory over Minnesota as we sweep the Gophers to advance to next Saturday’s Big Ten Tournament Semifinals at No. 1 Notre Dame!! #WeAre #HockeyValley pic.twitter.com/aNgsVt9LbM

— Penn State Men’s Hockey (@PennStateMHKY) March 4, 2018

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In those four games, Blackhawks prospect Evan Barratt had five points with four goals and an assist.  Below is a video of a goal where he gets a clean shot on net and follows it up with a nice backhand rebound goal.

Evan Barratt. Again. That’s Barratt’s second of the game, third of the weekend and fourth in the past four games against Minnesota. PSU leads 6-5. pic.twitter.com/FLG00A5A0j

— Patrick Burns (@PatrickBurns_) March 4, 2018

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Barratt also got under the skin of some of the Gopher players, most notably New York Rangers prospect Ryan Lindgren.  Barratt used the crowd’s energy to lay out some punishing hits as well.

Here it is folks: Evan Barratt making the crybaby face at Ryan Lindgren during last night’s game. pic.twitter.com/tUqrhcmxCI

— Patrick Burns (@PatrickBurns_) February 25, 2018

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This Saturday, Barratt and the Nittany Lions travel South Bend to take on the No. 1 Fighting Irish.  This game is one of the best matchups in college hockey with the winner advancing to the championship game against the winner of No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 3 Michigan. The game will be shown on ESPNU at 5:30 Eastern Time.

Penn State is known for putting a ton of shots on net while Notre Dame gives up a good amount in front of their goaltender Cale Morris.  As described by Brad Schlossman from the Grand Forks Herald on the College Hockey Today Podcast, this could be a bad matchup for Notre Dame despite their successful season.

Evan Barratt will be matching up with fellow Blackhawks prospect Dennis Gilbert who may be defending Barratt on a shift or two.  This one-game semifinal should make for a great Big Ten showdown, especially for Blackhawks fans.

The post Chicago Blackhawks’ Evan Barratt and Penn State Can Pull Upset at Notre Dame appeared first on The Rink.

The National Collegiate Hockey Conference released its All-Rookie team for the 2017-18 season this afternoon which included Chicago Blackhawks prospect Ian Mitchell.  Mitchell was drafted in the second round of last year’s draft and has been playing his freshman year in college hockey with the Denver Pioneers.  Here’s what the NCHC had to say about Mitchell:

“Also on the All-Rookie Team blue line is Mitchell, who racked up 16 points, including 14 assists, in 24 conference games. Ten of his 14 helpers came on the power play, while the Chicago Blackhawks draft pick blocked 36 shots, fired 40 shots on goal and ended with a +8 plus/minus.”

Your 2017-18 #NCHCHockey All-Rookie Team

: https://t.co/WwfVsotKzf pic.twitter.com/7sAFG6c4ta

— The NCHC (@TheNCHC) March 6, 2018

In 34 games played, Mitchell has two goals and 20 assists, 10 coming on the power play.  He has been a big part of the first unit with top prospects Henrik Borgstrom, Dylan Gambrell, and Troy Terry.  Mitchell replaced senior Will Butcher who won the Hobey Baker Award last season and now plays with the New Jersey Devils.

The Pioneers begin the NCHC playoffs this weekend as they take on the Colorado College Tigers in a best of three series at Magness Arena.  The Pioneers are ranked No. 4 in the USCHO poll.

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For the first time in a while, the Chicago Blackhawks were sellers at the trade deadline.  They sent forward Ryan Hartman to the Nashville Predators and received a 2018 1st and 4th round pick as well as Swedish prospect Victor Ejdsell.  After a disappointing season, the Blackhawks realize that age has suddenly caught up with them and that they need to get back to building their team through the draft.

The 2018 NHL draft is considered to be very deep with good prospects including generational defenseman Rasmus Dahlin.  It’s possible the Hawks could land a lottery pick to select him, Russian winger Andrei Svechnikov, or Czech winger Filip Zadia.  But if the season ended today, the Hawks would be selecting 8th and 29th overall, probably putting them out of reach of the top three players mentioned and Boston University’s Brady Tkachuk.

There are however a few college hockey or college hockey-bound players Blackhawks fans should be aware of.  Let’s take a look and preview some of the names you should be familiar with.

Photo courtesy of The Athletic.com

Quinn Hughes – LD – 5’9 170lbs – Michigan

The Blackhawks drafted two defenseman last year in the 1st and 2nd rounds of the 2017 draft when they took Henri Jokiharju and Ian Mitchell, but you can never have enough defenseen.  Quinn Hughes is an Orlando Florida native that played his junior hockey with the US National Development Team under 17 & 18 teams.  He currently plays for the University of Michigan Wolverines.

Hughes is a smaller defenseman at 5’9 but his strengths in skating and vision make up for his size.  He has the ability to create his own rush and make space for forwards to cut to the net.  In his highlights, you see flashes of Duncan Keith in his own end.  By that I mean that he is patient with the puck and finds openings in the opposing defense to weave through on the rush.  This is a player that is very active on the back-end and could help on the power play unit where the Blackhawks are ranked near the bottom of the league.

Hughes is projected to be drafted around pick six so the Blackhawks would be fortune if he fell to them at eight.  Although this player isn’t intimidating in his own end, he is the kind of puck-moving defensemen the Blackhawks coaching staff dreams about having.

Oliver Wahlstrom – C/RW – 6’1 200lbs – Harvard

Similar to how Detroit Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin or ‘D-Boss’ would like to not be known anymore for his famous YouTube videos he made as a kid, Oliver Wahlstrom is going through something similar.  As a kid, Wahlstrom became internet-famous when he performed a trick-shot at a Boston Bruins game when he was 9 years old.  Since then, he has become one of the best US-born prospects in the country.

Wahlsrom is playing for the US development program and currently has 17 goals and 11 assists in 17 games.  He is described as a pure goal-scorer that is extremely strong on his skates.  His ability to find seams from anywhere on the ice and score creatively makes him a player anybody would want on their team.  Wahlstrom has committed to play for Harvard University next season.

K’Andre Miller – LD – 6’3 195lbs – Wisconsin

Miller is the kind of defenseman the Blackhawks don’t have too much of.  He’s a big, physical defenseman who can skate very well.  Miller switched from forward to defense a couple seasons ago but has adjusted well.  He isn’t known for his offense but he can put a lot of power behind one-timer shots from the point.  He currently has four goals and nine assists with the US Development team and has committed to the University of Wisconsin for next season.

To be brutally honest, this has the St. Louis Blues or Nashville Predators pick all over it, but maybe he could fit into the Blackhawks system.  If he can form his game into something similar to Brent Seabrook’s, he could find a niche.  Especially if he’s responsible in his own end.  In an article from USAhockey.com, Miller talks about how he loves playing defense because of how he can start and get into rushes.  He would get a lot of those opportunities in this system in Chicago.

Mattias Samuelsson – LD – 6’3 205lbs – Western Michigan

Samuelsson is another big defenseman not known for his scoring but for his defensive responsibility.  He is committed to Western Michigan University that is in the NCHC, one of the most competitive conferences in college hockey.  Samuelsson has the potential to be a top four NHL player but could use improvement with his skating.  This season he has two goals and six assists in 14 games with the US Developement program.

In his stats this year, you notice a positive +/- of 12 but a large number of penalty minutes with 48.  The Blackhawks get frustrated with young players who commit penalties that make their team short-handed, but if Samuelsson can walk the line between playing hard and foolish, he’d make a great addition to the Hawks prospect pool.

Thanks for checking out our early draft preview.  The-Rink.com will have plenty more analysis on the Draft as it gets closer.

The post Early Chicago Blackhawks Draft Preview: 1st Round NCAA Impact Players appeared first on The Rink.

As the Blackhawks continue to add more youth to their roster, defenseman Chad Krys will be an important prospect to watch

The Blackhawks have been pretty happy recently with their 2016 2nd round draft selection Alex DeBrincat.  As a rookie, DeBrincat is tied with Patrick Kane for the team lead in goals with 22.  DeBrincat had great numbers in juniors, but nobody saw the undersized forward having this much of an impact in his rookie season.

But DeBrincat wasn’t the only selection the Blackhawks made in the 2016 Draft.  Selected 45 overall, defenseman Chad Krys has been having himself a fine sophomore season at Boston University.  Krys has already surpassed the 11 points he scored last year and has 22 on the year so far with six goals and 16 assists.

Krys will be an important prospect to watch this summer and beyond considering how active prospects have been this year.  In the past, several players at the AHL level never got a chance at the pro level but that seems to be changing.  There have been a lot of transactions between the Indy Fuel, Rockford Ice Hogs, and the Chicago Blackhawks to keep prospects moving and more importantly developing.  Krys will be completing his second year with Boston University and could sign pro this summer.

The-Rink got a chance to talk to Matt Dresens who covers the team with  The BU Hockey Blog.  Dresens spoke on Krys’ sophomore season, his character, and his overall development.

Interview with Matt Dresens of The BU Hockey Blog

Chad Krys is having a solid sophomore season so far with 22 points in 28 games.  How would you assess his second season with the Terriers?

He looks far more confident than he did a year a go. He knows when to assert himself on the rush, but also has the poise and wherewithal to get back when he needs to.  On the power play, a lot of the set up goes through him at the point.  Again, he just seems to be much more confident in his game this year.

What makes Krys a special player and what kind of development have you seen from him in 2018?

His ability to generate offense off the rush and push the pace. Quinn has talked alone about “playing with a pace” this year, and he has been at the forefront of that all year. The two-goal game against Providence early in the season said all you need to know in regards to his skill set. He scored on a give an go with Patrick Harper. Moments later, Krys once again intercepted a pass and this time did all the work himself, streaking through the bottom of the slot, left to right, before pushing a backhand past Hawkey’s reach at the 8:55 mark.

Chad Krys’ goal vs. Providence college for @TerrierHockey pic.twitter.com/nHGQdxKR2Q

— BU Athletics (@BUAthletics) November 6, 2017

Krys recently missed a few games from an injury.  How serious was it and how much was he missed by BU?

It was an upper-body injury suffered at ASU. It kept him out a few games, but BU didn’t lose a game when we was out. They have a ton of talent on the back end, but I think where his absence was most felt was on the power play.

@TerrierHockey Chad Krys is out tonight after suffering an upper body injury in last night’s game! We are all wishing him a speedy recovery! pic.twitter.com/3mcosqEgqQ

— Ice Time Hockey SW (@icetimesw) January 28, 2018

Do you think Krys could sign pro next season?

Could I see it happening?  Yes.  Will he? I don’t think so.  I think the model for college kids, especially on defense, is to stay for three years. I just look at guys BU has had in recent years and they usually stay for three. Kevin Shattenkirk is the best example. Could he have gone after his sophomore year?  Absolutely, but I think that extra year really helped this development. In addition, the Blackhawks don’t look like they are going to make the playoffs, so I don’t really see the rush from their standpoint. Yes, Charlie McAvoy made the jump and performed better than anyone expected with Boston in the playoffs, but the Bruins had an immediate need for a guy like Charlie. I just don’t see it with Chad. I really do think he comes back next year, and will probably wear the ‘A’ on his sweater.

What kind of reputation has Krys earned for himself with his team, the University, and the fans?

From all accounts, he’s a great kid. I’m not in the locker room every day though, so I really can’t say anymore. From a fans perspective, he’s a fun player to watch night in and night out.

You can read Matt’s blog at here and can follow him on Twitter at @TheBUHockeyBlog

The post Chicago Blackhawks NCAA Prospect Report: Chad Krys appeared first on The Rink.

Dylan Sikura continues to shine, helping Northeastern win their first Bean Pot since 1988

As the college hockey season wraps up, teams are ramping up their momentum heading into playoff time.  One of the Blackhawks top prospects, Dylan Sikura, has been dominant all season and hasn’t slowed down.  With two assists in the championship game of the Beat Pot in Boston last week, Sikura helped his Northeastern Huskies win the tournament for the first time since 1988.  The tournament has been extremely competitive the last several years considering the top-end talent that plays college hockey in the Boston area.

As Blackhawks fans watch their team wither away this season, there will be a lot more attention drawn to the prospect pool and that starts with Sikura.  Will he sign a John Hayden type deal or will he walk on the Blackhawks?  We’re all hoping for the former but as his achievements continue to pile on this season, his decision is becoming less obvious.

This weekend has a great slate of college hockey games featured by a few special matchups featuring Blackhawks prospects.  Starting in the Big Ten, Michigan visits Notre Dame in a series that should be entertaining.  The Irish have been one of the best teams this year and probably the biggest surprise.  This series will feature Blackhawks prospect Dennis Gilbert and potential 2018 1st round pick Quinn Hughes of the Wolverines.

Moving to the ECAC, Boston University visits the University of Connecticut.  Chad Krys is finally getting back into the lineup after an injury kept him out a few weeks.  He did participate in the Bean Pot Tournament.  Northeastern is at Vermont where Dylan Sikura and Ryan Shea will line up against Liam Coughlin of Vermont who has been red hot of late.

And lastly, the NCHC features two matchups that should be interesting.  The first is Denver at Colorado College which I will be covering.  This is the last two games between the two rivals this season and the winner of the series will win the Gold Pan Trophy.  The teams tied both games in their first series.  The last series to keep an eye on is North Dakota at Omaha.  There is a lot of firepower in the series including forward Blackhawks prospect Fredrik Olofsson.

As the end of the Blackhawks season approaches, I will be putting out more draft previews of NCAA prospects so stay tuned.

I hope everybody has a great weekend!

Updates on Blackhawks NCAA Prospects

Evan Barratt – C – Freshman at Penn State University – ‘17 3rd Rd Pick 

Bristol, PA – 6’0″ – 187lbs – Shoots Left – U.S. National Development Team (USHL), @BarrattEvan

Current Stats:  24GP, 7G, 6A

Next Opponent:  @ Michigan State

We all we got. We all we need. #FlyEagleFly

— Evan Barratt (@BarrattEvan) February 4, 2018

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Liam Coughlin – C – Junior at University of Vermont – ’14 5th Rd Pick (EDM)

South Boston, MA – 6’2″ – 201lbs – Shoots Left – Vernon Vipers (USHL), @Liam_Coughlin7

Current Stats:  27GP, 6G, 7A

Next Opponent:  Northeastern

Josh Ess – RD – Freshman at the University of Wisconsin – ’17 7th Rd Pick

Lakeville, MN – 5’11” – 188lbs – Shoots Left – Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (USHL), @JoshuaEss

Current Stats:  33GP, 2G, 2A

Next Opponent:  Bye Week

Parker Foo – LW – Freshman at Union College – ’17 5th Rd Pick

Edmonton, Alberta – 6’1″ – 190lbs – Shoots Left – Brooks Bandits (AJHL), @pfoo22

Current Stats:  29GP, 1G, 4A

Next Opponent:  @ Quinnipiac, @ Princeton

Dennis Gilbert – LD – Junior at the University of Notre Dame – ’15 3rd Rd Pick

Williamsville, NY – 6’2″ – 200lbs – Shoots Left – Chicago Steel (USHL), @Dennis_Gilbert8

Current Stats:  29GP, 3G, 5A

Next Opponent:  Michigan, @ Michigan

Blake Hillman – LD – Junior at the University of Denver – ’16 6th Rd Pick

Elk River, MN – 6’1″ – 182lbs – Shoots Left – Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL), @Blake_Hillman8

Current Stats:  28GP, 2G, 6A

Next Opponent:  @ Colorado College, Colorado College

Chad Krys – LD – Sophomore at Boston University – ’16 2nd Rd Pick

Ridgefield, CT – 6’0″ – 185lbs – Shoots Left – US National Development Team (USHL)

Current Stats:  26GP, 5G, 15A

Next Opponent:  @ Connecticut, @ Merrimack

Interviewed Blackhawks prospect Chad Krys this afternoon for an upcoming story. He said he’ll return to game action tonight after missing recent games with a shoulder injury.

— Scott Powers (@ByScottPowers) February 9, 2018

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Jake Massie – LD – Freshman at the University of Vermont – ’15 6th Rd Pick (CAR)

Saint-Lazare, Quebec – 6’2″ – 177lbs – Shoots Left – Omaha Lancers, @JakeMassie3

Current Stats:  29GP, 1G, 5A

Next Opponent: Northeastern

Ian Mitchell – RD – Freshman at the University of Denver – ’17 2nd Rd Pick

Calahoo, Alberta – 5’11” – 173lbs – Shoots Right – Spruce Grove Saints (AJHL), @IanMitch15

Current Stats:  28GP, 2G, 20A

Next Opponent:  @ Colorado College, Colorado College

Fredrik Olofsson –  C – Junior at University of Nebraska-Omaha – ’14 4th Rd Pick

Broomfield, Colorado – 6’2″ – 204lbs – Shoots Right – Chicago Steel (USHL), @FreddyOlofsson

Current Stats:  28GP, 6G, 14A

Next Opponent:  North Dakota

Jack Ramsey – RW – Junior at the University of Minnesota – ’11 7th Rd Pick

Chanhassen, MN – 6’3″ – 201lbs – Shoots Right – Penticton Vees (BCHL), @Ramsey_16

Current Stats:  32GP, 3G, 6A

Next Opponent:  Ohio State

Ryan Shea – LD – Sophomore at Northeastern University – ’15 4th Rd Pick

Milton, MA – 6’1″ – 180lbs – Shoots Left – Youngstown Phantoms (USHL), @RyanShea2

Current Stats:  30GP, 1G, 12A

Next Opponent:  @ Vermont

Dylan Sikura – LW – Senior at Northeastern University – ’14 6th Rd Pick

Aurora, Ontario – 6’0″ – 166lbs – Shoots Left – Aurora Tigers (OJHL), @Dsikky11

Current Stats:  27GP, 14G, 27A 

Next Opponent:  Vermont

Dylan Sikura sets up Northeastern’s second goal in the Beanpot final pic.twitter.com/CecPTA0KoY

— Scott Powers (@ByScottPowers) February 13, 2018

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Beau Starrett – C – Junior at Cornell University – 2014 3rd Rd Pick

Bellingham, MA – 6’5′ – 222lbs – Shoots Left – South Shore Kings (USPHL), @Beau_Dangles

Current Stats:  24GP, 1G, 6A

Next Opponent:  Brown, Yale

The post Chicago Blackhawks NCAA Prospects Weekend Roundup: Feb 16-17 appeared first on The Rink.

After losing an embarrassing game to the Arizona Coyotes Monday night, the Blackhawks traveled to Las Vegas to take on the Golden Knights 24 hours later.  The lines continued to be shaken up as head coach Joel Quenneville sat Anthony Duclair and Vinnie Hinostroza for Patrick Sharp and Ryan Hartman.  Carl Dahlstrom started the game on the 1st defensive pairing with Duncan Keith in just his second NHL game.  The ‘Hawks seemed like they came out with more of a purpose tonight, wanting to reverse a bad streak of losses.

It was noticeable the Hawks knew they were going up against one of the top teams in the West.  They were heavy on the forecheck and were really skating with the Knights all night.  At least until the third period when the wheels came off the wagon, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

In the first period, the Blackhawks took advantage of an early power play when Tommy Wingels scored on a tipped Erik Gustafsson shot from the point.  Wingels started the game on the first line with Brandon Saad and Jonathan Toews and has been rewarded with power play time for his efforts.  He certainly cashed in on the opportunity.  But just minutes later, the Golden Knights’ Ryan Carpenter stuffed in a shot from behind the net that tied the game at one.  The Hawks were lucky to get out of the period tied because they had three minor penalties in the first alone.

In the second period, Tommy Wingels almost had another chance to score but Marc-Andre Fleury came out to challenge him and knocked the puck away.  Later in the period, Patrick Sharp was awarded a penalty shot because Fleury pushed a loose stick in his direction which is illegal.  Sharp however missed on the shot.  The only goal in the period was from the stick of rookie Alex DeBrincat who scored his 21st of the season on a one-time shot from the slot.

The Hawks started the third period on the penalty kill but couldn’t stop the Knights when Brad Hunt scored on a long point shot.  Two minutes later Riley Smith scored on the second shot in the period, then another two minutes later David Perron scored on the third shot of the period.  The Blackhawks pulled their goalie with three minutes left in the 3rd but Tomas Nosek put the game away with an empty net goal.

The Blackhawks ended the game being out-shot by the Golden Knights 37 to 31.  Jeff Glass wasn’t the best tonight, but I don’t think a cold Anton Forsberg could’ve saved this one either.  The Hawks let up a lot off odd-man rushes and a couple soft goals were let in.  It’s just disappointing that the Hawks went into the 3rd period up 2-1 and just laid an egg.

If you had to take away some positives from this game, you have to start with Alex DeBrincat.  This kid is throwing everything at the net and finding success.  Tommy Wingels was also noticeable with a goal tonight and a lot of good chances.

You have to wonder what the Hawks have to do to get out of this funk.  They have less than a 2% chance of making the playoffs, they have lost seven games in a row, and seem to be in a free fall of sorts.  Do they need to make a coaching change?  Do they need to make a big trade?  Do players need to be benched or given less minutes?  There are a lot of questions that need to be answered as we near this year’s trade deadline, but there’s no doubt something drastic needs to happen.  The number of under-achieving players on this team is unacceptable and seems to be a theme.  This team has packed it in.

The post Recap: Blackhawks at Golden Knights 5-2 Loss appeared first on The Rink.

The Blackhawks earned point in the standings in a game they should have won in Calgary Saturday night

With another opportunity to gain some ground in the Western Conference playoff race, the Blackhawks took on the Flames Saturday night in Calgary but only came away with one point.  We saw more of the same recurring problems the Blackhawks have had in the past few weeks of stale veterans, high-risk turnovers, and an overall inability to play a full sixty-minute game.  But despite the usual disappointment in underachieving stars, the ‘Hawks young players continue to keep the team in games.

The scoring for this game started eight minutes in when Patrick Kane dug out a puck from the corner boards and found Nick Schmaltz in the slot for a one-timer.  Schmaltz laid into the shot and beat Mike Smith over his left shoulder.  That was Schmaltz’s second goal in two games, and he has five points in his last five games.

The Blackhawks started the second period on the power play due to a too many men minor penalty on the Flames.  On the PP, Vinnie Hinostroza fed Brent Seabrook a nice pass at the point but his shot was fired wide of the net.  Patrick Kane was there to pass it back to a wide open Hinostroza for the goal.  The Blackhawks capitalized on their only power play of the night.  Hinostroza also has five points in his last five games.

Five minutes later in the second, the Blackhawks turned over the puck in the Flames zone when Travis Hamonic found Matt Stajan streaking up the ice who then beat Jeff Glass on the breakaway.  It seemed Brent Seabrook lost sight of Stajan and just couldn’t catch him in transition.  Then minutes later, the Flames forecheck forced a Duncan Keith turnover in the Hawks zone that led to a Johnny Guadreau one-timer goal that tied the game at two.

The ‘Hawks answered back when newcomer Anthony Duclair stole the puck from T.J. Brodie at the blue line and beat Mike Smith clean on the breakaway.  Blackhawks fans weren’t sure what they were getting in Duclair who at age 22 had already been traded by a couple teams, but he has been showing some promise.  He has great speed and is able to show his offensive talent on the ‘Hawks.

The Blackhawks led 3-2 going into the third period but the game was tied on a simple play.  The puck was dumped in to the ‘Hawks zone and when Connor Murphy tried to pass the puck backwards behind the net, Mikael Backlund intercepted the pass and found former Blackhawk Michael Frolik in front for the tip in.

The game went to overtime tied 3-3 but it didn’t take long for the Flames to take over.  Jonathan Toews brought the puck into the Flames zone in the first minute of overtime but missed on his shot.  The Flames quickly transitioned the other way and had a three-on-two rush with Brodie, Gaudreau, and Monahan.  Gaudreau fed Monahan who ripped a wrister past Glass for the overtime winner.

The frustration of Blackhawks fans boiled over on Twitter after the game with their team losing another important game.  We keep hearing things like urgency and pace, but this team continues to let us down in the worst way; underachieving.  It’s tough to fault Jeff Glass who played a great game, but he was let down by the defense too often.  The weird part about this game is that the ‘Hawks scored on a power play, they got more depth scoring, and they even had two leads in the game.

The ‘Hawks host the Flames on Tuesday at the United Center and hopefully Chicago’s stars will get their acts together.  Seeing Toews, Saad, and Keith struggle for production is literally letting the air out of the United Center and this fanbase.

The post Recap: Chicago Blackhawks 3, Calgary Flames 4 Final / OT appeared first on The Rink.

Every couple weeks or so this article is posted with the intent of informing fans about the Chicago Blackhawks prospects who are playing college hockey.  I also post a weekend recap on Twitter every week showing which players scored points.  But this week, almost every prospect we cover for this report spread awareness about mental health using the #BellLetsTalk hashtag.

This movement spread awareness around the world for a day and raised money for programs that help those struggling with mental issues.  It’s so important that we all take a step back sometimes and embrace important issues like these and dedicate time to make people know they have resources to find help.

One of the biggest promoters of #BellLetsTalk is Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock.

Toronto Maple Leafs head coach, Mike Babcock, defines ‘the measure of a man’ in support of #BellLetsTalk Day tomorrow.

Join the conversation. pic.twitter.com/77t9KjyRRW

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) January 30, 2018

Thanks to you, Bell will donate $6,919,199.75 to help support mental health initiatives: https://t.co/qga03vwHUI #BellLetsTalk

— Bell Let’s Talk (@Bell_LetsTalk) February 1, 2018

Thanks again for reading and enjoy the latest updates on your Chicago Blackhawks NCAA Prospects!

Updates on Blackhawks NCAA Prospects

Freshman Evan Barratt is given an opportunity alongside Chase Berger and Andrew Sturtz. His line with Alex Limoges and Lima Folkes has been tremendous this evening.

— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) January 27, 2018

Last year Penn State led the nation in faceoff percentage. Right now Nate Sucese and freshman Evan Barratt are leading the team.

— Penn State CommRadio (@PSUCommRadio) January 16, 2018

Evan Barratt – C – Freshman at Penn State University – ‘17 3rd Rd Pick 

Bristol, PA – 6’0″ – 187lbs – Shoots Left – U.S. National Development Team (USHL), @BarrattEvan

Current Stats:  22GP, 7G, 6A

Next Opponent:  Notre Dame

Liam Coughlin – C – Junior at University of Vermont – ’14 5th Rd Pick (EDM)

South Boston, MA – 6’2″ – 201lbs – Shoots Left – Vernon Vipers (USHL), @Liam_Coughlin7

Current Stats:  23GP, 5G, 3A

Next Opponent:  Providence

Coughlin had a breakout weekend two weeks again against UMass-Lowell where he scored four goals in two games, including a hat trick in Friday’s game.  He was the Hockey-East Player of the Week.

Josh Ess ties it at 2 midway through the 3rd period. This is a big weekend for Wisconsin. Nice crowd in Madison #CawlidgeHawkey pic.twitter.com/2aBZmuVjqC

— Bucci Mane (@Buccigross) January 27, 2018

Josh Ess – RD – Freshman at the University of Wisconsin – ’17 7th Rd Pick

Lakeville, MN – 5’11” – 188lbs – Shoots Left – Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (USHL), @JoshuaEss

Current Stats:  29GP, 2G, 2A

Next Opponent:  @ Michigan

Parker Foo – LW – Freshman at Union College – ’17 5th Rd Pick

Edmonton, Alberta – 6’1″ – 190lbs – Shoots Left – Brooks Bandits (AJHL), @pfoo22

Current Stats:  27GP, 1G, 4A

Next Opponent:  @ Cornell, @ Colgate

Congrats to junior defenseman Dennis Gilbert, who is skating in his 100th career game! pic.twitter.com/tnIRaH7DEF

— Notre Dame Hockey (@NDHockey) January 21, 2018

Dennis Gilbert – LD – Junior at the University of Notre Dame – ’15 3rd Rd Pick

Williamsville, NY – 6’2″ – 200lbs – Shoots Left – Chicago Steel (USHL), @Dennis_Gilbert8

Current Stats:  25GP, 3G, 4A

Next Opponent:  @ Penn State

Today’s Birthdays ?

Michael Davies
Blake Hillman

Wayne Gretzky pic.twitter.com/aNcLYlgVWG

— Denver Hockey (@DU_Hockey) January 26, 2018

Blake Hillman – LD – Junior at the University of Denver – ’16 6th Rd Pick

Elk River, MN – 6’1″ – 182lbs – Shoots Left – Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL), @Blake_Hillman8

Current Stats:  26GP, 2G, 6A

Next Opponent:  Minnesota-Duluth

@TerrierHockey Chad Krys is out tonight after suffering an upper body injury in last night’s game! We are all wishing him a speedy recovery! pic.twitter.com/3mcosqEgqQ

— Ice Time Hockey SW (@icetimesw) January 28, 2018

Chad Krys – LD – Sophomore at Boston University – ’16 2nd Rd Pick

Ridgefield, CT – 6’0″ – 185lbs – Shoots Left – US National Development Team (USHL)

Current Stats:  24GP, 5G, 14A

Next Opponent:  @Umass, Harvard(Mon)

WATCH: Jake Massie wires a slap shot over the glove of Tyler Wall for his first collegiate goal! #VCats pic.twitter.com/Xw5Qm9fwp0

— UVM Men’s Hockey (@UVMmhockey) January 20, 2018

Jake Massie – LD – Freshman at the University of Vermont – ’15 6th Rd Pick (CAR)

Saint-Lazare, Quebec – 6’2″ – 177lbs – Shoots Left – Omaha Lancers, @JakeMassie3

Current Stats:  25GP, 1G, 5A

Next Opponent:  Providence

If you want to see 2 of the best young defensemen in @NCAAIceHockey check out Scott Perunovich of @UMDMensHockey & Ian Mitchell of @DU_Hockey Friday night at 9EST on @CBSSportsNet @TheNCHC
?????

— ben holden (@benholdenpxp) January 30, 2018

Ian Mitchell – RD – Freshman at the University of Denver – ’17 2nd Rd Pick

Calahoo, Alberta – 5’11” – 173lbs – Shoots Right – Spruce Grove Saints (AJHL), @IanMitch15

Current Stats:  26GP, 2G, 19A

Next Opponent:  Minnesota-Duluth

Fredrik Olofsson –  C – Junior at University of Nebraska-Omaha – ’14 4th Rd Pick

Broomfield, Colorado – 6’2″ – 204lbs – Shoots Right – Chicago Steel (USHL), @FreddyOlofsson

Current Stats:  26GP, 6G, 12A

Next Opponent:  @ St. Cloud State

Jack Ramsey – RW – Junior at the University of Minnesota – ’11 7th Rd Pick

Chanhassen, MN – 6’3″ – 201lbs – Shoots Right – Penticton Vees (BCHL), @Ramsey_16

Current Stats:  30GP, 2G, 6A

Next Opponent:  Off Week

Ryan Shea – LD – Sophomore at Northeastern University – ’15 4th Rd Pick

Milton, Ma – 6’1″ – 180lbs – Shoots Left – Youngstown Phantoms (USHL), @RyanShea2

Current Stats:  26GP, 1G, 11A

Next Opponent:  New Hampshire, Boston College

Head into the weekend by casting your daily vote for our Hobey candidates at https://t.co/sNekppX1V1! | #GoNU

• #Canucks prospect Adam Gaudette
• #Blackhawks prospect Dylan Sikura pic.twitter.com/dO8Ab7Kfe8

— Northeastern MHKY (@GoNUmhockey) January 26, 2018

Dylan Sikura – LW – Senior at Northeastern University – ’14 6th Rd Pick

Aurora, Ontario – 6’0″ – 166lbs – Shoots Left – Aurora Tigers (OJHL), @Dsikky11

Current Stats:  23GP, 13G, 22A 

Next Opponent:  New Hampshire, Boston College

Beau Starrett – C – Junior at Cornell University – 2014 3rd Rd Pick

Bellingham, MA – 6’5′ – 222lbs – Shoots Left – South Shore Kings (USPHL), @Beau_Dangles

Current Stats:  20GP, 1G, 5A

Next Opponent:  Union, Rensselaer

The post Chicago Blackhawks NCAA Prospects Help Raise $7M For #BellLetsTalk appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com caught up with Blackhawks prospect Fredrik Olofsson this weekend when his Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks took on the Denver Pioneers

DENVER–  Although it wasn’t the most impressive performance by the Omaha Mavericks this weekend against the Denver Pioneers, forward Fredrik Olofsson still showed the promise of a smart two-way forward.  Before the Denver series, the Chicago Blackhawks prospect tallied five goals and twelve assists in 22 games as a junior at Omaha.  In his last eight games, Olofsson has been a point-per-game player.

Nice feed by @FreddyOlofsson but the play gets broken up #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/Zm92jcnzGN

— Aaron Goldschmidt (@lateinthegoldie) January 20, 2018

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A 4th round pick of the ‘Hawks in 2014, Olofsson has played his college hockey in the NCHC which is considered one of the toughest divisions in college hockey.  In 91 career games he has 24 goals and 34 assists.

.@FreddyOlofsson with some nice moves down low and creates a chance for @OmahaHKY #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/d7AA7F5jBT

— Aaron Goldschmidt (@lateinthegoldie) January 20, 2018

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In the series this weekend against Denver, you can tell that Olofsson has refined his game to be much more poised.  He uses his 6-2 frame to protect the puck well, especially below the goal line.  His skating up the middle of the ice shows his great speed, vision, and a knack for making the smart play.  Now that he plays a lot more of the center position, Olofsson has a lot more ice to cover and defensive responsibility.  A positive is that his passing looked pretty good in this series that created some good chances for the Mavericks.

Here is our interview with Fredrik on his series against Denver and his progress so far this year.

#Blackhawks prospect @FreddyOlofsson on a tough series against @DU_Hockey and his progress this season. Just pretend I didn’t hold my phone upside-down ?‍ pic.twitter.com/YJD6COAy8B

— Aaron Goldschmidt (@lateinthegoldie) January 21, 2018

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You can follow Fredrik on Twitter at @FreddyOlofsson

The post Blackhawks Prospect Report: Fredrik Olofsson appeared first on The Rink.

For the last decade or so, the Chicago Blackhawks have been cup chasing.  The Stanley Cup “window” has been wide open for the star-studded Hawks, but this season depth and age has finally caught with them.

Sitting in last place in the Central Division and with Corey Crawford’s health a major concern, there is a serious possibility that Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman cuts his losses and sells some expiring contracts at the trade deadline.  This is following last season where the ‘Hawks were bounced from the playoffs in the first round for the second consecutive season and deemed “unacceptable” by Bowman.

So how does this affect the Blackhawks farm system?  Hopefully it continues to grow because the cupboard has been bare the last few season.  With Alex DeBrincat making the Blackhawks out of camp and the possibility of Dylan Sikura joining the team later this season, the ‘Hawks still need more top end talent to fill out their prospect pool.

The Blackhawks currently don’t have their 2nd and 4th round picks in this years draft because of previous trades so Bowman may want to get back into those rounds with deadline trades.  And if the Blackhawks put Corey Crawford on LTIR, they will have significant cap space to help a team out by taking on a bad contract for the rest of the year.  It’s a scary thought to think the Blackhawks are using a method that bottom-feeders like the Coyotes or Hurricanes have used in the past, but if it means moving up in the draft then so be it.

With hard decisions to make this next month, Blackhawks fans will soon know their fate and it’s leaning towards the harsh reality of having better luck next year.  I think Chicago fans know by now to “trust the process.”

Updates on Blackhawks NCAA Prospects

Evan Barratt — who was in the penalty box on the OSU PPG — responds on the PP just minutes later, making it 3-1 Penn State. pic.twitter.com/AmtDt8HZ97

— Patrick Burns (@PatrickBurns_) January 13, 2018

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Evan Barratt – C – Freshman at Penn State University – ‘17 3rd Rd Pick

Bristol, PA – 6’0″ – 187lbs – Shoots Left – U.S. National Development Team (USHL)

Current Stats:  18GP, 7G, 5A

Next Opponent:  @ Michigan

Barratt is coming off a three-point game against Ohio State last Saturday and is finding his stride after a slow start to the season.  Penn State plays a tough opponent when they travel to Michigan this weekend which should make for an exciting series.

WATCH: Christian Evers wires a wrist shot past Ryan Wischow to bring the #VCats within a goal! Assists from Liam Coughlin and Jarrid Privitera pic.twitter.com/WIkhq2oQP6

— UVM Men’s Hockey (@UVMmhockey) January 14, 2018

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Liam Coughlin – C – Junior at University of Vermont – ’14 5th Rd Pick (EDM)

South Boston, MA – 6’2″ – 201lbs – Shoots Left – Vernon Vipers (USHL)

Current Stats:  19GP, 1G, 3A

Next Opponent:  UMass-Lowell

Josh Ess – RD – Freshman at the University of Wisconsin – ’17 7th Rd Pick

Lakeville, MN – 5’11” – 188lbs – Shoots Left – Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (USHL)

Current Stats:  21GP, 1G,2A

Next Opponent:  @ Notre Dame

Parker Foo – LW – Freshman at Union College – ’17 5th Rd Pick

Edmonton, Alberta – 6’1″ – 190lbs – Shoots Left – Brooks Bandits (AJHL)

Current Stats:  24GP, 1G, 3A

Next Opponent:  @ Yale / Brown

Dennis Gilbert – LD – Junior at the University of Notre Dame – ’15 3rd Rd Pick

Williamsville, NY – 6’2″ – 200lbs – Shoots Left – Chicago Steel (USHL)

Current Stats:  21GP, 3G, 4A

Next Opponent:  @ Wisconsin

The Bauer #NCHCHockey Defenseman of the Week for week 12:@DU_Hockey Jr. Blake Hillman #DU1NATION?‍?

Career-high-tying 3? in 4-3 loss Fri. | Also career-high 7 SOG and +3 Fri. | 5 SOG, 2 blocks & helped PK go 3-3 in win Sat.

?: https://t.co/QdKub9dx5G pic.twitter.com/o8pFsLYkjI

— The NCHC (@TheNCHC) January 9, 2018

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Blake Hillman – LD – Junior at the University of Denver – ’16 6th Rd Pick

Elk River, MN – 6’1″ – 182lbs – Shoots Left – Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL)

Current Stats:  22GP, 2G, 6A

Next Opponent:  Nebraska-Omaha

In their last series against Miami University, Hillman tallied three assists in one game and was a plus four.  Hillman said he wanted to be more offensively productive this season, but wanted to focus on defense to help him generate those chances.  With just eight points in 22 games, Hillman and the Pioneers will start to become more aggressive in the second half.

Chad Krys – LD – Sophomore at Boston University – ’16 2nd Rd Pick

Ridgefield, CT – 6’0″ – 185lbs – Shoots Left – US National Development Team (USHL)

Current Stats:  22GP, 5G, 14A

Next Opponent:  @ Merrimack, Merrimack

Krys is having an outstanding season with 19 points in 22 games.  This weekend Boston University takes on Merrimack in a home-and-home so look for Krys to continue producing.  It should be interesting to see if he’s physically ready to go pro at the end of his sophomore season but it could be a possibility.

One change in UVM lineup, D Jake Massey (day-to-day) injured; Fr D Brian Kelly inn; otherwise same as in Friday’s 2-2 tie@UVMmhockey @UMassHockey@bfp_news #HEA

— Ted Ryan (@TedRyanVT) January 13, 2018

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Jake Massie – LD – Freshman at the University of Vermont – ’15 6th Rd Pick (CAR)

Saint-Lazare, Quebec – 6’2″ – 177lbs – Shoots Left – Omaha Lancers

Current Stats:  21GP, 3A

Next Opponent:  UMass-Lowell

? Happy Birthday, @IanMitch15 ? pic.twitter.com/wet6eii9NH

— Denver Hockey (@DU_Hockey) January 18, 2018

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Ian Mitchell – RD – Freshman at the University of Denver – ’17 2nd Rd Pick

Calahoo, Alberta – 5’11” – 173lbs – Shoots Right – Spruce Grove Saints (AJHL)

Current Stats:  22GP, 1G, 14A

Next Opponent: Nebraska-Omaha

Fredrik Olofsson –  C – Junior at University of Nebraska-Omaha – ’14 4th Rd Pick

Broomfield, Colorado – 6’2″ – 204lbs – Shoots Right – Chicago Steel (USHL)

Current Stats:  22GP, 5G, 12A

Next Opponent:  Denver

Olofsson and the Omaha Mavericks travel to Denver to take on the No. 5 Pioneers this weekend.  Here is a review of the series, and also a great story of Olofsson by Pucks and Recreation.

Pretty sure Ramsey copied this from Cowboy Dwayne from D2: The Mighty Ducks.

Either way it counts! #Gophers pic.twitter.com/9rAIj0mhZt

— Minnesota M Hockey (@GopherHockey) January 18, 2018

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Jack Ramsey – RW – Junior at the University of Minnesota – ’11 7th Rd Pick

Chanhassen, MN – 6’3″ – 201lbs – Shoots Right – Penticton Vees (BCHL)

Current Stats:  26GP, 1G, 5A

Next Opponent:  @ Michigan State

Ryan Shea – LD – Sophomore at Northeastern University – ’15 4th Rd Pick

Milton, Ma – 6’1″ – 180lbs – Shoots Left – Youngstown Phantoms (USHL)

Current Stats:  22GP, 1G, 10A

Next Opponent:  @ UMass, UMass

.@GoNUmhockey forwards Adam Gaudette & Dylan Sikura nominated for prestigious @HobeyBakerAward. #GoNU https://t.co/12WDH7JPrj

— Northeastern U. (@Northeastern) January 17, 2018

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Dylan Sikura – LW – Senior at Northeastern University – ’14 6th Rd Pick

Aurora, Ontario – 6’0″ – 166lbs – Shoots Left – Aurora Tigers (OJHL)

Current Stats:  19GP, 12G, 18A 

Next Opponent:  @ UMass, UMass

Sikura continues his tear in NCAA hockey scoring 8 points in his last 4 games.  Blackhawks shouldn’t assume he is going to come in and save the team, but there sure is a lot to be excited about.

Beau Starrett – C – Junior at Cornell University – 2014 3rd Rd Pick

Bellingham, MA – 6’5′ – 222lbs – Shoots Left – South Shore Kings (USPHL)

Current Stats:  16GP, 1G, 5A

Next Opponent:  Colgate, @ Colgate

The post Chicago Blackhawks NCAA Prospects Weekend Roundup: Jan 19-20 appeared first on The Rink.

If there was one thing I took away from reading Sean Avery’s memoir Ice Capades, it was that you should never judge a book by its cover.  A hockey pest by trade, Avery made his presence known around the NHL using his mouth but also his hockey skills.  And in today’s NHL that is becoming faster and more skilled each day, Avery’s services would be valued heavily in my opinion because of his unique ability to throw star players off of their game.  But what makes this memoir so interesting is Avery’s passion for adventure beyond the rink.

Ice Capades is hardly just about hockey.  Avery was never an elite player, although he does claim to be the most famous 3rd liner while he was playing in the NHL.  Ice Capades  gives you an inside look at what it’s like being a professional hockey player and shows readers a different kind of stardom.  Avery fearlessly lived life to the fullest during his NHL career and took advantage of every opportunity that presented itself to him.

What really hooked me while reading Ice Capades was Avery’s voice.  He touched on many sensitive subjects and really spoke his mind, which may or may not be appropriate for all ages.  With the little I knew about Avery, I was surprised how in depth he got when it came to interpersonal relationships.  There was so much that I didn’t know about Avery that comes at you so fast, the chapters seem to fly by.

For the general hockey fan, you will love Avery’s stories of being a young player in the Detroit Red Wings system and him proving his value on a veteran team.  His ups and downs with the minor leagues is typical of any young player, but his determination to be physically ready every year combined with his integrity made him a unique player.  Avery goes in-depth about every coach he’s had, his team mates, and even team executives.  He does a great job discussing issues like salary cap, the lockout, and is even pretty open about his salary.

As a fan of the arts, I was very impressed with his interests in music and fashion.  Fans generally don’t get to read about hockey player’s personal interests but seeing Avery mention bands like Sparta, Radiohead, and Dashboard Confessional was really cool.  His love for vinyl and attending music festivals took his mind off of hockey and made him a more well-rounded individual.  Avery also spoke in length about his internship with Vogue Magazine, an opportunity he created for himself out of passion and curiosity.  His crazy stories of interacting with celebrities and high-profile fashion icons do not disappoint.

On a deeper level, Avery touched on some issues today like gay marriage, homophobia, CTE, drugs, and addiction that really resonated with his strong character.  Being a player known for his antics on the ice, a lot of people including me assumed he was the same off the ice which just isn’t true.  Avery even says he loved playing the villain but that wasn’t who he truly was.

I took about a week to read Ice Capades and am glad I spaced it out because I didn’t want to put the book down.  If you’re a hockey fan, this book will probably be more than you expected.  But if you’re more than just a hockey lover, this book is satisfying on many more levels.  As much as you hated Avery when he lined up against your favorite team years ago, you may respect him a lot more after reading his memoir.

Here is a link to Ice Capades on Amazon if you’re interested

You can follow Sean on Twitter at @imseanavery

The post Reviewing Sean Avery’s Memoir ‘Ice Capades’ appeared first on The Rink.

As the first half of the college hockey season comes to a close, Blackhawks prospects in the NCAA are finishing up strong.  Northeastern University forward Dylan Sikura had a four-point performance last week and he continues to shine as one of the ‘Hawks top prospects.  On the blue line, Notre Dame’s Dennis Gilbert got on the scoresheet with a couple goals, while Boston University’s Chad Krys continues to be a point machine for the Terriers.

There has been a lot of debate recently about the Blackhawks and what they will do at this year’s trade deadline.  GM Stan Bowman will most likely stand pat and make it seem like Dylan Sikura is his big trade deadline acquisition, but that’s not guaranteed.  It seems like Sikura has interest in signing with the Blackhawks, but should he be a finalist or win the Hobey Baker Award there might be a possibility he hits the free agency market.

But let’s assume he signs with Chicago.  The question becomes where does he fit in?  He’s a small winger at 165 pounds and probably can’t play a bottom six role effectively in the NHL.  He has great vision and playmaking skill which has enabled him to finish well, but it’s debatable if that can translate to the NHL level.

From what I saw at prospect camp over the summer, Sikura’s hockey IQ is through the roof and he can simply make plays.  Other players were raving about his skill level and enjoyed playing with him.  Some players just have a knack for playing hockey despite any physical attributes that may discount their abilities, much like Alex DeBrincat’s situation.

It sure will be interesting to see where Sikura ends up and if he gets some NHL ice time.  Whether the Blackhawks decide to keep the playoff window open or continue on with the youth movement, hopefully Dylan Sikura is a 100% a part of it going forward.

Updates on Blackhawks NCAA Prospects

Evan Barratt – C – Freshman at Penn State University – ‘17 3rd Rd Pick

Bristol, PA – 6’0″ – 187lbs – Shoots Left – U.S. National Development Team (USHL)

Current Stats:  14GP, 4G, 4A

Next Opponent:  Wisconsin 1/5-1/6

Liam Coughlin – C – Junior at University of Vermont – ’14 5th Rd Pick (EDM)

South Boston, MA – 6’2″ – 201lbs – Shoots Left – Vernon Vipers (USHL)

Current Stats:  14GP, 1G, 1A

Next Opponent:  St. Lawrence 12/29, Harvard 12/30

Josh Ess – RD – Freshman at the University of Wisconsin – ’17 7th Rd Pick

Lakeville, MN – 5’11” – 188lbs – Shoots Left – Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (USHL)

Current Stats:  21GP, 1G,1A

Next Opponent:  @ Penn State 1/5-1/6

Parker Foo – LW – Freshman at Union College – ’17 5th Rd Pick

Edmonton, Alberta – 6’1″ – 190lbs – Shoots Left – Brooks Bandits (AJHL)

Current Stats:  18GP, 1G, 1A

Next Opponent:  @ University of Nebraska-Omaha 12/29-12/30

Dennis Gilbert w/ the shorty!

Irish take a 2-1 lead after Gilbert goes high blocker on Hayton for his 2nd of the year pic.twitter.com/jF4vEnpEPp

— Notre Dame Hockey (@NDHockey) December 10, 2017

Dennis Gilbert – LD – Junior at the University of Notre Dame – ’15 3rd Rd Pick

Williamsville, NY – 6’2″ – 200lbs – Shoots Left – Chicago Steel (USHL)

Current Stats:  19GP, 3G, 4A

Next Opponent:  @ Michigan 1/5, Michigan 1/7

Gilbert scored two goals and an assist last weekend contributing to Notre Dame’s 13th win in a row.  They are the hottest team in college hockey and don’t show any signs of slowing down.

Blake Hillman – LD – Junior at the University of Denver – ’16 6th Rd Pick

Elk River, MN – 6’1″ – 182lbs – Shoots Left – Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL)

Current Stats:  16GP, 2G, 1A

Next Opponent:  Dartmouth

Chad Krys – LD – Sophomore at Boston University – ’16 2nd Rd Pick

Ridgefield, CT – 6’0″ – 185lbs – Shoots Left – US National Development Team (USHL)

Current Stats:  19GP, 5G, 13A

Next Opponent:  US U18 Development Team 1/5, Maine 1/6

Krys had another good weekend scoring a goal and three assists.  He did block a shot during the UMass-Lowell series which sounded like it was painful but returned to finish the game.

Chad Krys has to be helped off the ice on one leg… and returns to the game and SCORES two minute later.

— 86to97to13 (@86to97to13) December 10, 2017

Jake Massie – LD – Freshman at the University of Vermont – ’15 6th Rd Pick (CAR)

Saint-Lazare, Quebec – 6’2″ – 177lbs – Shoots Left – Omaha Lancers

Current Stats:  17GP, 3A

Next Opponent:  St. Lawrence 12/29, Harvard 12/30

Blackhawks prospect Ian Mitchell is tied for 25th among college defensemen with 12 points. He scored his first college goal last night. He has one goal and 11 assists in 15 games as a freshman at Denver.

— Scott Powers (@ByScottPowers) December 9, 2017

Ian Mitchell – RD – Freshman at the University of Denver – ’17 2nd Rd Pick

Calahoo, Alberta – 5’11” – 173lbs – Shoots Right – Spruce Grove Saints (AJHL)

Current Stats:  16GP, 1G, 11A

Next Opponent:  Dartmouth

Mitchell scored his first NCAA goal last weekend against Colorado College on a nice wrap-around.  Denver faces a 2-7-1 Dartmouth team that hasn’t won a game on the road yet this season.  Mitchell will have plenty more offensive zone opportunities to continue producing from the point.

Fredrik Olofsson –  C – Junior at University of Nebraska-Omaha – ’14 4th Rd Pick

Broomfield, CO – 6’2″ – 204lbs – Shoots R – Chicago Steel (USHL)

Current Stats:  16GP, 2G, 10A

Next Opponent:  Union 12/29-12/30

Jack Ramsey – RW – Junior at the University of Minnesota – ’11 7th Rd Pick

Chanhassen, MN – 6’3″ – 201lbs – Shoots Right – Penticton Vees (BCHL)

Current Stats:  20GP, 1G, 2A

Next Opponent:  @ Army 12/29-12/30

WATCH: Jake Ryczek blasts home his first career goal. Freshman Bailey Conger also tallies his first career point on the play. pic.twitter.com/uKpOPIrnl0

— PC Men’s Hockey (@FriarsHockey) December 9, 2017

Jake Ryczek – LD – Freshman at Providence College – ’16 7th Rd Pick

Ludlow, MA – 5’10 – 179lbs – Shoots Right – Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL)

Current Stats:  5GP, 1G

Next Opponent: Arizona State 12/29

After being out several games battling mono, Ryczek finally scored his first NCAA goal with Providence last Friday.  Hopefully he’s back to 100% and will have a strong 2nd half of the season.

Ryan Shea – LD – Sophomore at Northeastern University – ’15 4th Rd Pick

Milton, MA – 6’1″ – 180lbs – Shoots Left – Youngstown Phantoms (USHL)

Current Stats:  16GP, 1G, 9A

Next Opponent:  @ Merrimack 12/16

Also a 4 point game for Dylan Sikura (CHI) vs. BC. Sikura now has 22 points in 14 NCAA games this season. @ByScottPowers

— Corey Pronman (@coreypronman) December 10, 2017

Dylan Sikura – LW – Senior at Northeastern University – ’14 6th Rd Pick

Aurora, Ontario – 6’0″ – 166lbs – Shoots Left – Aurora Tigers (OJHL)

Current Stats:  14GP, 9G, 13A 

Next Opponent: Merrimack, @ Merrimack 12/16

Sikura had a four point night last week against Boston College scoring two goals and two assists.  The line of Sikura, Gaudette, and Stevens has been one of the best in college hockey.  With a weak Hockey East this year, Northeastern could end up at the top of the Conference by season’s end.

Beau Starrett – C – Junior at Cornell University – 2014 3rd Rd Pick

Bellingham, MA – 6’5′ – 222lbs – Shoots Left – South Shore Kings (USPHL)

Current Stats:  11GP, 1G, 5A

Next Opponent:  Canisus 12/30

The post Chicago Blackhawks NCAA Prospects Weekend Roundup: Dec 15-16 appeared first on The Rink.

Chicago Blackhawks (15-11-5) at Winnipeg Jets (18-8-5)

7:00PM Central

RADIO: WGN 720

TV: NBC Sports Chicago

PROJECTED GOALIES:

Chicago:

Corey Crawford (14-7-2, 2.20 GAA, .933 SV%)

Winnipeg:

Connor Hellebuyck (16-3-4, 2.44 GAA, .920 SV%)

PROJECTED LINES/PAIRINGS:

Chicago

Saad-Toews-DeBrincat

Schmaltz-Anisimov-Kane

Sharp-Hinostroza-Hartman

Bouma-Wingels-Hayden

Keith-Oesterle

Forsling-Kempny

Murphy-Seabrook

Winnipeg

Connor-Scheifele-Wheeler

Ehelers-Little-Laine

Copp-Lowry-Tanev

Perreault-Hendricks-Armia

Morrissey-Trouba

Kulikov-Myers

Chiarot-Poolman

STATISTICAL COMPARISONS:

Power play:

Chicago 15.2% (29th)

Winnipeg 25.9% (4th)

Penalty kill:

Chicago 83.8% (5th)

Winnipeg 79.5% (22nd)

Corsi For % (5-on-5)

Chicago 52.4% (9th)

Winnipeg 48.9% (20th)

Faceoffs:

Chicago 48.8% (25th)

Winnipeg 52.7% (3rd)

SUMMARY:

Here, on the road against a very good divisional opponent, the Hawks’ recent “improvement” is put to the test. This year’s Jets team is big and nasty (as always) but also mobile and skilled. I’ve seen them play once in person this year and they were very impressive in all phases.

Dustin Byfuglien and Tobias Enstrom are out tonight for Winnipeg, and that’s good news for the Hawks who may find some advantage versus a more patchwork Winnipeg blueline corps.

Jan Rutta did not travel with the Blackhawks to Winnipeg and it looks like Michal Kempny will take his place in the lineup tonight.

Joel Quenneville is putting Michal Kempny back in the lineup after the defenseman has been scratched in each of the last 13 games. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/Hou2wmnIYh

— Eric Lear (@BHTVeric) December 14, 2017

If you follow me on Twitter, you probably saw the trade discussion rumor I posted this morning, that has the Hawks talking to Ottawa about Michel Kempny and a Rockford blueliner. Bear in mind, Ottawa is rumored to be talking to several teams about several players. Still, all indicators, both this rumor and a steady robust presence of opposing clubs’ senior scouts in Rockford suggests the Hawks are in conversations with perhaps a handful of teams. To date, two I have heard are Buffalo and Ottawa. Stay tuned.

We’ll recap tonight or tomorrow AM.

Follow: @jaeckel

The post Preview: Blackhawks at Jets appeared first on The Rink.

It wasn’t clear how Notre Dame would return this season after their defeat in the Frozen Four in 2017 and losing captains Cal Petersen and Anders Bjork to the NHL.  But 20 games into the season, the Fighting Irish are back.

Lead by captain Jake Evans and standout defenseman Jordan Gross, the Irish have strung together 13 straight wins including a sweep of the Wisconsin Badgers this past weekend.  Their record of 16-3-1 should put them in the top three ranked teams in college hockey in the USCHO poll come Monday.

One of the strong qualities of the Irish is their defense which includes Blackhawks prospect Dennis Gilbert.  Selected 91st overall in the 3rd round by the Blackhawks in 2015, Gilbert has spent the last two seasons in South Bend.

At 6’2 220lbs., Gilbert is a stay-at-home defenseman known for his physicality and defense, a kind of player the Blackhawks don’t have a lot of.  On the year Gilbert has three goals, four assists, and is a +14.  Three of his points came this weekend against Wisconsin.

? Dennis Gilbert’s shorthanded snipe! pic.twitter.com/ddxvz18KC6

— Notre Dame Hockey (@NDHockey) December 10, 2017

Gilbert is currently in his junior year at Notre Dame and could sign pro with the Blackhawks after this season depending on his development and readiness.  The ‘Hawks and IceHogs have a lot of young defenseman competing for spots in the NHL, but many are smaller and of the puck-moving style.  Even Henri Jokiharju and Ian Mitchell who were drafted in 2017 are more offensively minded defenseman.  Should he end up on the Blackhawks someday, he may have big shoes to fill is he choses to continue wearing the #4, previously worn by fan-favorite Niklas Hjalmarsson.

Whether Gilbert decides to stay at Notre Dame for his senior year or sign an entry-level contract with the Blackhawks, he’s getting some valuable experience at the college level competing against top programs like the University of Minnesota and the University of Denver.  Should his Fighting Irish make it back to the Frozen Four this year, he’ll do his best to make sure the results are different this time.

Gilbert and the Fighting Irish will be taking on the Wisconsin Badgers on January 21st at the United Center if you wanted to see him play in person.  You can buy tickets here.

You can also follow Dennis on Twitter at @Dennis_Gilbert8

The post Blackhawks Prospect Dennis Gilbert Excelling With Red-Hot Fighting Irish appeared first on The Rink.

Blackhawks Prospect Evan Barratt broke out with a couple of big games against Arizona State

It’s been interesting following the Blackhawks college prospects to say the least.  There are the obvious top players and the late-round picks, but it seems like different players take turns having great weeks.  Dylan Sikura started the season off hot and recently came down to earth while freshman Evan Barratt only recently found his scoring touch.

With the World Juniors tournament approaching, several of the Chicago Blackhawks in college hockey and other leagues will be participating putting prospects on full display.  With the NHL not sending players to the Olympics anymore, I imagine the World Juniors will be the next best thing.

Lastly, I hope everybody had a great Thanksgiving!  Enjoy the latest updates to your Chicago Blackhawks NCAA prospects.

Updates on Blackhawks NCAA Prospects

ICYMI: It was a weekend of firsts in the desert as Penn State earned it’s first sweep of the season and @sternschein21, @BarrattEvan, @brettmurrayy & @DerianHamilton all registered their first career goals! #WeAre #HockeyValley pic.twitter.com/9HTXVGJMAg

— Penn State Men’s Hockey (@PennStateMHKY) November 19, 2017

Evan Barratt – Penn State University – 2017 3rd Round Pick

Current Stats:  11GP, 4G, 2A

Next Opponent:  @ Ohio State

Barratt broke out the last two weekends scoring four goals in four games, three of which came on the powerplay.  He had a pair of goals against both Arizona State and Michigan State.  The video below shows Barratt’s great backhand rebound-goal against ASU that contributed to a 7-0 win.

Here’s a look at the Evan Barratt goal to give the Lions the 1-0 lead. pic.twitter.com/ImXwI6zN9U

— Black Shoe Diaries (@BSDtweet) November 18, 2017

Liam Coughlin – University of Vermont – 2014 5th Round Pick (EDM)

Current Stats:  12GP, 1G

Next Opponent:  @ Maine

Wisconsin up 2-0 after 1. Defenseman Josh Ess (CHI) scored his first collegiate goal, while Max Zimmer (CAR) has the other. These two teams can get up and go.

— Chris Peters (@chrismpeters) November 18, 2017

Josh Ess – University of Wisconsin – 2017 7th Round Pick

Current Stats:  17GP, 1G,1A

Next Opponent:  @ Minnesota

Parker Foo – Union College – 2017 5th Round Pick

Current Stats:  15GP, 1G, 1A

Next Opponent:  Brown, Yale 

JUST ANNOUNCED: The @NDHockey vs. @BadgerMHockey game skates into Chicago on January 21, 2018!

?ON SALE: 11/17 (10 AM)
?INFO: https://t.co/poAEaqwQlD pic.twitter.com/CzHRwSB3iU

— United Center (@UnitedCenter) November 13, 2017

Dennis Gilbert – University of Notre Dame – 2015 3rd Round Pick

Current Stats:  15GP, 1G, 3A 

Next Opponent:  @ Michigan State

Gilbert’s Fighting Irish may be the hottest team in college hockey right now.  Winners of nine in a row, the Irish have earned themselves the #4 overall ranking in the USCHO poll.  It was also announced the Fighting Irish will return to the United Center January 21st to play the University of Wisconsin.

Blake Hillman – University of Denver – 2016 6th Round Pick