Chicago Blackhawks

Chicago Blackhawks

Team Depth Chart of NHL Prospects
Strengths
  • Skilled and versatile center prospects.
  • Quantity and quality at each position.
Weaknesses
  • May not have a potential NHL starter among goaltending prospects.

About Prospect Scores and Probability

Prospect Criteria

Legend of Players' Leagues
Pro
Playing in N.A. Pro (NHL, AHL, ECHL, etc.)
CHL
Playing in CHL (OHL, QMJHL, WHL)
NCAA
Playing in NCAA
Europe
Playing in Europe
Junior
Playing in Junior 'A' (USHL, BCHL, AJHL, etc.)
N/A
Not Categorized Yet

Goaltenders

 League Prosp. talent Prob. of success
1. Brandon Whitney CHL 7.0 D
2. Kent Simpson Pro 7.0 D
3. Carter Hutton Pro 6.5 C
4. Mac Carruth CHL 6.5 C
5. Matt Tomkins Junior 6.5 D
6. Johan Mattsson Junior 6.0 D
7. Alec Richards Europe 6.0 D

Right Wing

 League Prosp. talent Prob. of success
1. Jimmy Hayes Pro 7.0 C
2. Maxim Shalunov Europe 7.0 D
3. Ben Smith Pro 6.5 B
4. Chris Calnan Junior 6.5 C

Left Wing

 League Prosp. talent Prob. of success
1. Brandon Saad Pro 7.5 C
2. Jeremy Morin Pro 7.0 C
3. Terry Broadhurst Pro 6.5 C
4. Kyle Beach Pro 6.5 C
5. Max Sauve Pro 6.5 D
6. Garret Ross Pro 6.0 C
7. Dan DeLisle NCAA 5.5 D
8. Brandon Bollig Pro 5.0 A

Centers

 League Prosp. talent Prob. of success
1. Teuvo Teravainen Europe 7.5 C
2. Brandon Pirri Pro 7.0 C
3. Drew LeBlanc Pro 7.0 C
4. Kevin Hayes NCAA 7.0 C
5. Mark McNeill Pro 7.0 C
6. Phillip Danault Pro 7.0 C
7. Alex Broadhurst CHL 6.5 C
8. Joakim Nordstrom Pro 6.5 C
9. Byron Froese Pro 6.5 C
10. Vince Hinostroza Junior 6.5 D
11. David Gilbert Pro 6.0 D

Defensemen

 League Prosp. talent Prob. of success
1. Adam Clendening Pro 7.0 C
2. Stephen Johns NCAA 7.0 C
3. Dylan Olsen Pro 7.0 C
4. Shawn Lalonde Pro 7.0 D
5. Joe Lavin Pro 6.5 C
6. Michael Paliotta NCAA 6.5 C
7. Klas Dahlbeck Pro 6.5 C
8. Nick Mattson NCAA 6.5 C
9. Justin Holl NCAA 6.5 C
10. Dillon Fournier CHL 6.5 C
11. Kirill Gotovets NCAA 6.5 D
12. Joe Gleason NCAA 6.5 D
13. Ryan Stanton Pro 6.5 D
14. Sam Jardine NCAA 6.5 D
15. Paul Phillips NCAA 6.0 C
16. Braden Birch NCAA 6.0 C
17. Travis Brown CHL 6.0 C

Blackhawks: Smith Speaks His First Words

by Bill Placzek
on

Today the Chicago Blackhawk management announced that Mike Smith would take the job of attempting to resurrect a franchise that is considered the laughing stock of the original six. Many felt he would only take the job if he was given complete control. It is still uncertain as to whether he will actually be the outsider given true power over the powers that be.(Mr. Potter a.k.a. Mr. Wirtz)

“I don’t have any real detailed plan. I think the initial process is simply to sit down with the people who work here and find out what they’re doing and get a sense of how things operate. I know there’s a challenge ahead of us, but in sports there is a challenge every day. To win and have a winning franchise you need good people and you need good people who are good players. Through it all, the bottom line will be we’ll have good people who are good players and good people in all positions within the organization.” Pulford retains the title of GM, but he claims in name only.

“He is (the GM),” said the 63-year-old Pulford. “He has all those duties. He has the power to make all the hockey decisions, trades, scouting, everything.
Read more»

Ty Jones and Nathan Perrott: Blackhawks future…

by Bill Placzek
on

At the Sept. 19th Blackhawk exhibition, I spent some time talking to Ty Jones and Nathan Perrott. I approached Jones and identified myself as the Hockey’s Future Hawk editor and asked if I could talk to him about training camp.

He agreed and I asked about his experiences starting with the 1998 training camp through this 1999 camp. I told him everyone I talked to in the organization had him tabbed as a can’t miss NHL caliber player, but that last preseason he seemed very tentative and a step behind the play, and I wondered was going through his mind then.

Ty: When you finally come to a camp where the parent club is taking a long look at you, you feel afraid of making any mistakes. You could look at many of the guys brought into Hawk camp and their biggest problems on ice were just that fear of error.

Q2: Ty, I am wondering how you felt going back to junior, just waiting to get back here this September and then ending up unable to get any ice time (due to tailbone and finger injuries).

Ty: Going back to junior was a change. Here in the NHL the play and abilities are so accelerated that junior was much less challenging.

Q2:Did the Hawks have things they asked you to specifically work on in junior?

Ty: All I was asked to do is go out and play. Concerning my inability to play in preseason, all I could do now is lift and train.

Q3: Are you expecting to go down to Cleveland and play?
Read more»

Blackhawk News and Notes

by Bill Placzek
on

Tonight’s exhibition pitted lines centered by two centres picked within two spots of each other in the first round of the 1998 Draft. In fact the Maple Leafs traded down, out of the #8 slot, where the Blackhawks took Mark Bell, because the Leafs management knew that Nikolai Antropov was a project and would be there at #10. .

They both won about the same amount of face-offs. Antropov was bigger but was less able to maneuver in the jammed spaces that occur during the game. In the open ice he moved easily and passed the puck quickly, always looking to set up scoring opportunities for his linemates. In the first period, Bell was behind the Leaf’s net moving out.. Antropov attempted to take control, but Bell maneuvered back and forth behind the net, gaining room on Antropov. But as he started out, Glen Healy poke checked the puck away in what looked to surprise Bell.

In the third period Bell came in on defenseman D.J. Smith and Jimmy Waite, and was able to let off a lightning quick snap shot which Jimmy waite stopped chest high. On the way back up the ice Smith checked Bell. Then att the end of the shift Bell lost it and cross-checked Smith, and continued after the whistle to let Smith know his displeasure. He saw an early dressing room.

Another Hawk prospect who obviously came to play was Geoff Peters. When Leaf centre Kevyn Adams tried to get the puck loose from Thibault, Peters followed him to the corner and dropped the gloves. Peters put him to the ice with a solid left hand.
Read more»

“Possibilities at #4″

by pbadmin
on

Why would the Blackhawks management bring in Brendl, Lundmark, and Connolly to Chicago as they did June 12th? Well, if you don’t bring them in, the other teams won’t think you are really interested in dropping unless they see you doing interviews….

Well because you may drop down if you feel that ”The GUY” is someone really rated lower. (Remember how Toronto knew this when they traded down two slots from #8 to #10 with the Bell -Antropov switch.) You could work the board and add picks by dropping one slot at a time….

You don’t know what teams might offer for #4 until right before the draft, what do you do, when and if the hawks see the FEEDING FRENZY…so what “might-could” happen?

Here are some off the wall possibilities
1)LA offers Aki Berg plus #8
2) You do trade with Isles and drop one….or
3) Or maybe Rangers are working the proposed Palffy deal with Isles and they will need to get to Hawk pick in some trade combo where they want the Hawk pick TO DEAL WITH ISLANDERS, or the palffy trade will yield picks for the Isles that may be used to get the #4 pick.
4) Or maybe the reported trade talks with Vancouver yields Mogilny and McCabe, so the Blackhawks get “respectable” instead of a potential star.
4) Hawks acquire Bryan Allen and Mogilny a more than fair return at #4
5) Hawks acquire Olhund one up for the pick. (Doubtful because he is untoucable)
6) Hawks deal the 4th for all for all Washington’s second rounders or a combo of #7 + Read more»

Draft prediction round by round

by Bill Placzek
on

These are best case optimist choices for the 1999 draft with the hopes these guys drop in most spots.
# 4 Henrik Stefan C 6’2” 190 RH MoDo
# 23 Nick Boynton D 6’2″ 210 RD Ottawa
# 36 Evan Lindsay G 6’1” 180
(watch the name he is climbing up the charts)
# 57 Tony Samuelson LW 5’10″ 177 RH IFK
# 91 David Inman C 6’1″ 190 LH Notre Dame
#123 Konstantin Panov RW 6’0” 180 RH Kamloops (WHL)
#179 Adam Jihnson D 6’6” 220 LD Greenway, Minn (HS)
#180 Tom Kostopolous RW 6’1” 205 RH London (OHA)
#207 Michael Leighton G 6’2’ 175 SR Windsor (OHA)
#234 Andre Lakos D 6’6” 210 RD Barrie (OHA)
#235 Ivan Rachunek F 5’8” 165 LH ZPS Zlin

Top Prospects

  1. Brandon Saad
  2. Teuvo Teravainen
  3. Adam Clendening
  4. Phillip Danault
  5. Mark McNeill
  6. Brandon Pirri
  7. Stephen Johns
  8. Ben Smith
  9. Jimmy Hayes
  10. Jeremy Morin
  1. Kevin Hayes
  2. Dylan Olsen
  3. Dillon Fournier
  4. Michael Paliotta
  5. Kyle Beach
  6. Chris Calnan
  7. Alex Broadhurst
  8. Justin Holl
  9. Klas Dahlbeck
  10. Maxim Shalunov

Notable Prospects

  1. Braden Birch
  2. Brandon Bollig
  3. Terry Broadhurst
  4. Travis Brown
  5. Mac Carruth
  6. Dan DeLisle
  7. Byron Froese
  8. David Gilbert
  9. Joe Gleason
  10. Kirill Gotovets
  11. Vince Hinostroza
  12. Carter Hutton
  13. Sam Jardine
  1. Shawn Lalonde
  2. Joe Lavin
  3. Nick Mattson
  4. Johan Mattsson
  5. Joakim Nordstrom
  6. Paul Phillips
  7. Alec Richards
  8. Garret Ross
  9. Max Sauve
  10. Kent Simpson
  11. Ryan Stanton
  12. Matt Tomkins
  13. Brandon Whitney
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