The Chicago Blackhawks have the enviable position of having a lot of depth in all positions in the prospect area. The downside was that a very poor season allowed for management to give many prospects a look over the course of the season. Nineteen rookies saw action for the Blackhawks this year with varying degrees of importance and success.

 

Tuomo Ruutu

Age: 21
Date of birth: February 16, 1983
Place of Birth: Vantaa, Finland
HT: 6-0 WT: 200
Shoots: L
Drafted by Chicago in 2001 (1^st round/9^th overall).

Tuomo Ruutu had nothing short of a truly hectic year. In the summer, he and agent Billy Zito find themselves in a financial duel with former Blackhawks General Manager Mike Smith. Zito was quoted by TSN (Canada’s Major Sports Network) as saying that Ruutu was “the best player in the world,” and suddenly Ruutu’s expectations went through the roof. Finally, Smith signed Ruutu, the Blackhawks first round draft pick of 2001 (No. 9 overall).

Although Ruutu started on the second line, he spent most of the first half of the year on the third and fourth lines, frequently playing with players such as Travis Moen, which significantly affected Ruutu’s ability to score. Additionally, Ruutu had knee surgery during the previous hockey season, and was still feeling the effects when the season started. Through December, 21-year-old Ruutu had collected 3 goals and 4 assists, and some were already calling him a bust.

Things did start to improve for Ruutu, however. He was selected to play in the NHL YoungStars game during the All-Star break. After Alexei Zhamnov and Steve Sullivan were traded to the Flyers and Predators respectively, Ruutu found himself up on the first line. He found chemistry mainly with left wing Eric Daze and center Tyler Arnason, and from January until April, he had 20 goals and 17 assists, and was named the NHL Rookie of the Month for the month of March, when he had 8 goals and 8 assists for 16 points.

Despite ending the season with a team low –31, he was a force out on the ice. Ruutu is still feeling the effects of his knee surgery but hopes to be fully recovered by the time next season starts. He will probably remain on the top line for next season and probably a good portion of his career. The jury is still out on most of Mike Smith’s draft picks, but Ruutu is one that was truly a gem.

Player	Pos	GP	G	A	Pts	Ppg	+/-	PIM	ATOI	Shots
Tuomo Ruutu	C	82	23	21	44	0.54	-31	58	16:24	174

Brett McLean

Age: 25
Date of birth: August 14, 1978
Place of Birth: Comox, B.C., Canada
HT: 5-11 WT: 195
Shoots: L
Signed as a free agent in 2002

Brett McLean is an enigma of sorts. He signed with the Blackhawks from the Minnesota Wild in the summer of 2002, and had only seen one brief (two-game) call-up with the Blackhawks. He had a great start to the year in Norfolk (AHL), scoring 3 goals and 3 assists in 4 games. Once a few of the Blackhawks veterans began succumbing to injuries, McLean was called up. He scored his first NHL goal and point in his first game of the season on a 16-foot snap shot on October 16^th against Marc Denis and the Columbus Blue Jackets. He had a strong beginning of the season, getting most of his points before the All-Star Break.

Despite leading all Blackhawks rookies in ice time this (2003-04) season, McLean had a significant cool down at the end of the season. Still, the 25-year-old finished second overall for Blackhawks rookies with 11 goals and 20 assists for 31 points. He is a group VI free agent after this season. The ninth rounder (#242 overall in 1997 by Dallas) will have to face competition with new rookies fighting for a spot on the team.

Player	Pos	GP	G	A	Pts	Ppg	+/-	PIM	ATOI	Shots
Brett McLean	C	76	11	20	31	0.41	-11	54	17:33	125

Jim Vandermeer

Age: 24
Date of birth: February 21, 1980
Place of Birth: Caroline, Alta., Canada
HT: 6-1 WT: 220
Shoots: L
Acquired in a trade with Philadelphia on February 19, 2004.

Jim Vandermeer was a pleasant surprise for the Chicago Blackhawks. He was acquired from the Philadelphia Flyers in a trade that saw Alexei Zhamnov and a fourth rounder go to the Flyers for Vandermeer, Colin Fraser, and a second round pick in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. Vandermeer combines a hard work ethic with a strong physical game and does have some offensive ability. In 23 games with the Blackhawks this year, Vandermeer had 2 goals and 10 assists for 12 points. Vandermeer stepped directly into the Blackhawks top 6 defensemen to average almost 19 minutes of ice time per game with a season high of 29:06 on April 3, 2004 versus Phoenix. With the defense of the Blackhawks wide open, with mostly rookies, sophmores and journeymen competing for jobs, Vandermeer will attend training camp in 2004-05 to solidify his position as a NHL regular.

Player		Pos	GP	G	A	Pts	Ppg	+/-	PIM	ATOI	Shots
Jim Vandermeer	Chicago	D	23	2	10	12	0.52	-6	58	N/A	37
	Philadelphia		23	3	2	5	0.22	-5	25	N/A	24
	Total		46	5	12	17	0.37	-11	83	18:54	61

Igor Radulov

Age: 21
Date of birth: August 23, 1982
Place of Birth: Nizhny Tagil, USSR
HT: 6-1 WT: 186
Shoots: L
Drafted by Chicago in 2000 (3rd round/74^th overall).

After scoring 5 goals in 7 games last year, it seemed that the Blackhawks had a gem in former third rounder (74th overall in 2000) Igor Radulov. In 2003-04, he made the Blackhawks out of training camp but he only played in 36 games before being sent down to Norfolk (AHL). With the Blackhawks, he had 4 goals and 7 assists for 11 points, and for Norfolk (38 games) he had 9 goals and 14 assists for 23 points. Radulov is a player that suffers from consistency problems. He is still developing and as a top 6 forward needs to find a consistent scoring touch to be effective. Radulov is the prototypical sniper but has not yet developed the complimentary skills to be an effective NHL regular. He will attend training camp in 2004-05 trying to earn a top two-line position.

Player	Pos	GP	G	A	Pts	Ppg	+/-	PIM	ATOI	Shots
Igor Radulov	C	36	4	7	11	0.31	-2	18	12:14	47

Mikhail Yakubov

Age: 22
Date of birth: February 16, 1982
Place of Birth: Barnaul, USSR (RUS)
HT: 6-3 WT: 204
Shoots: L
Drafted by Chicago in 2000 (1^st round/10^th overall).

Mikhail Yakubov had a difficult first professional season in 2002-03. Observers thought that his success in his first season in North America with the Red Deer Rebels of the WHL would make his transition into an NHL player all that much easier. This did not occur with Yakubov playing the entire season with the Norfolk Admirals of the American Hockey League. The first round pick (10th overall in 2000) had a much better year in 2003-04. Although he had only 1 goal and 7 assists in 30 games, he had one advantage over the other incoming Russian forward prospects: effort. Yakubov didn’t have many points, but he tried hard to keep his spot on the roster once it was offered to him. The 22-year-old will be given every chance to make the team during training camp next season. Yakubov plays smaller than he actually is (6’3”), and needs to use his size better. He is no defensive slouch, however, and led the Norfolk Admirals with a +10 rating. Yakubov needs to adapt his junior scoring tough to the professional game. He will compete for a regular spot at training camp in 2004-05.

Player	Pos	GP	G	A	Pts	Ppg	+/-	PIM	ATOI	Shots
Mikhail Yakubov	C	30	1	7	8	0.27	-12	8	13:44	32

Travis Moen

Age: 22
Date of birth: April 6, 1982
Place of Birth: Stewart Valley, Sask., Canada
HT: 6-2 WT: 210
Shoots: L
Acquired as a free agent in 2002

Travis Moen has never been a player who would dazzle you on the score sheet. With a lack of depth on the front end, Moen recognized the opportunity and seized a job out of camp as a third/fourth line winger. Moen provided physical play and energy, also showing a willingness to drop the gloves when called upon. Head Coach Brian Sutter seemed to want Moen to be the enforcer this year (with Ryan VandenBussche) instead of Shawn Thornton. He scored his first NHL goal and point on November 1, 2003 versus the St. Louis Blues. Moen will have to have a strong 2004-05 training camp to solidify his position on the Blackhawks.

Player	Pos	GP	G	A	Pts	Ppg	+/-	PIM	ATOI	Shots
Travis Moen	C	30	1	7	8	0.27	-12	8	13:44	32

Burke Henry

Age: 25
Date of birth: January 21, 1979
Place of Birth: Ste. Rose, Man., Canada
HT: 6-3 WT: 206
Shoots: L
Acquired as a free agent in 2002.

The 25-year-old Burke Henry was the player that Brian Sutter called upon when he needed a defenseman, over Lasse Kukkonen, Anton Babchuk or Michal Barinka. Despite a 6’3” frame, Henry is a depth defenseman but did perform adequately over 23 games with the Blackhawks ending his season at even on the plus/minus scale. Henry was platooned down to Norfolk of the American Hockey League to allow the Blackhawks to look at other prospects within the organization. He is a group VI free agent at the end of the year. With the depth of quality prospects in the Blackhawks system, Henry will be hard pressed to find a long-term position on the team’s blueline.

Player	Pos	GP	G	A	Pts	Ppg	+/-	PIM	ATOI	Shots
Burke Henry	D	23	2	4	6	0.26	E	24	17:02	31

 

Matt Keith

Age: 21
Date of birth: April 11, 1983
Place of Birth: Edmonton, Alta., Canada
HT: 6-2 WT: 194
Shoots: R
Drafted by Chicago in 2001 (2^nd round/59^th overall).

Matt Keith played hard when called up to Chicago from Norfolk. After players started to come back from injuries in Chicago and after Keith was sent down to Norfolk, the Blackhawks called him up again because they needed the energy that he provided. Keith scored his first NHL point on February 27, 2004 versus the Columbus Blue Jackets and added his first NHL goal three days later against the Nashville Predators. The 21-year-old Keith is great on the forecheck, and doesn’t mind taking a few big hits to complete a play. The second rounder (59th overall) in 2001 was one of the most improved prospects this year, and will probably start next year with the Blackhawks.

Player	Pos	GP	G	A	Pts	Ppg	+/-	PIM	ATOI	Shots
Matt Keith	RW	20	2	3	5	0.25	-5	10	11:57	21

Pavel Vorobiev

Age: 22
Date of birth: May 5, 1982
Place of Birth: Karaganda, USSR (KAZ)
HT: 6-0 WT: 183
Shoots: L
Drafted by Chicago in 2000 (1^st round/11^th overall).

Vorobiev is a player that came to North American amongst high expectations. He was expected to come to Chicago, compete for a second line job, and be a tough player, but he did not have the type of year that the Blackhawks had hoped. He scored his first NHL point on October 18, 2003 versus the Atlanta Thrashers and scored his first NHL goal on October 25, 2003 against the Los Angeles Kings. A victim of tough transition to the North American game, Vorobiev has an impressive skill set but could use some added bulk for the NHL game. The former first round pick (11th overall in 2000) was demoted to Norfolk after only 18 games, where he did not see much more success. He’s yet another player who has all the skills necessary to make him a NHL caliber player. Vorobiev did not respond well to the demotion to Norfolk, and was a healthy scratch during the Norfolk Admirals’ playoff run. Vorobiev will have another opportunity to earn a scoring position with the Blackhawks in 2004-05.

Player	Pos	GP	G	A	Pts	Ppg	+/-	PIM	ATOI	Shots
Pavel Vorobiev	RW	18	1	3	4	0.22	+1	4	12:47	20

 

Anton Babchuk

Age: 20
Date of birth: May 6, 1984
Place of Birth: Kiev, USSR (UKR)
HT: 6-5 WT: 202
Shoots: R
Drafted by Chicago in 2002 (1^st round/21^st overall).

One of Chicago’s top prospects, Anton Babchuk got a cup of coffee with the Blackhawks in the second half of the season. He only played 5 games, but he had 2 assists scoring his first NHL point on January 14, 2004 versus Detroit. The 20-year-old played well in Norfolk, and was second only to Mikhail Yakubov in plus/minus with a +9. Babchuk has a very good shot, which the Blackhawks will need. The first round pick in 2002 (21st overall) is huge (6’5”), and can use his size well. Babchuk has all the skills needed to play in the NHL, and will probably be a regular either next year or the year after.

Player	Pos	GP	G	A	Pts	Ppg	+/-	PIM	ATOI	Shots
Anton Babchuk	D	5	0	2	2	0.40	-1