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Hawks lose again + Rockford IceHogs update |
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The Blackhawks lose once again. Stop me if you've heard this before.
Another stinker game that was overshadowed by the Marc Crawford news, as well as the fact the Hawks didn't have enough players to fill an actual lineup.
So, they lose their 3rd game in a row to a Central Division foe. Not good.
Yes, Jeremy, it does need to happen now.
I have a lengthy IceHogs update below, courtesy of our 'Hogs correspondent AEL_Fox, so I won't spend too much more time on the Hawks. However, there have been some developments this afternoon; let's run through them:
* Duncan Keith will not travel to Boston or New Jersey. His absence will be missed. I vote to call up Adam Boqvist.
* Dylan Strome and Drake Caggiula both skated again today and appear to be on track to play on Thursday.
* Kevin Lankinen has been reassigned as Robin Lehner is feeling much better. Apparently, he was dealing with food poisoning (something I am very familiar with lately… thanks a lot Mexico).
* Andrew Shaw is in concussion protocol. This isn't great news as Shaw has suffered multiple concussions in his career. He plays a reckless game at times and I love it as a fan but hope he takes the time to recover from this. He may be out for a while.
* Marc Crawford and the review of past occurrences are still under review and I assume a decision will take a week or so.
* Jeremy Colliton mentioned that the Hawks will not play with 17 skaters again on Thursday if they are short-handed.
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Ok, now, without further ado, here is AEL_FOX's latest update on where the Rockford IceHogs are at these days at the quarter poll:
The IceHogs are now one game past the quarter pole sitting in 5th place of the 8-team Central Division of the AHL (7th place in the 15-team Western Conference) with an 11-8-0-1 record. Like the NHL, teams, and players are starting to find their water level in the AHL as well.
Rather than give an analysis of each player since I try to chime in at appropriate times on the message board with player updates and trends that I observe watching Hogs games, I want to use this particular blog to highlight which prospects may project to be future Blackhawks including a predicted lineup spot and possible timeline.
Note: The projected year indicates the season in which a prospect may be ready to be an NHL regular given overall development and maturity. Although a prospect may be ready by the year indicated, he may not make the big club due to no spots available. He may just have another year then as a tweener with an I-90 shuttle pass between Rockford and Chicago.
2020-21
MacKenzie Entwistle, 4th line
Matthew Highmore, 4th line
Dylan Sikura, 3rd line
Anton Wedin, 3rd line
Adam Boqvist, 2nd pair
Lucas Carlsson, 3rd pair *
Dennis Gilbert, 3rd pair *
* see additional note below about Carlsson and Gilbert
2021-22
Brandon Hagel, 3rd liner
Philipp Kurashev, 3rd liner
Tim Soderlund, 4th liner
Nicolas Beaudin, 3rd pair
Chad Krys, 3rd pair
2022-23
Reese Johnson, 4th liner
Incomplete
Mikael Hakkarainen, injured all season save for the 1st game
Career minor leaguers
Nick Moutrey (F)
Jacob Nilsson (F)
Tyler Sikura (F)
Philip Holm (D)
Keep in mind that some of the prospects who project to be NHL players may ply their trade in another franchise as it is inevitable for there to not be enough room on the Hawks roster or they don't fit what the Hawks need at that particular point in time. This may be the fate of players like John Quenneville, Ian McCoshen, Joni Tuulola, and either Carlsson or Gilbert (perhaps even both).
I used to think Alexandre Fortin fit in this category but a light bulb seems to have gone off for him over the past half dozen games. He may have finally realized that he can be an effective checking winger with disruptive speed. Let's see if he can maintain consistency and not let this just be a flash in the pan.
Then there are the goalies.
Let's say one of Corey Crawford or Robin Lehner is retained as the Hawks starter for 2020-21. Kevin Lankinen could step in as the backup given his solid play as an AHL sophomore. One thing to remember about Lankinen is that he played 4+ years of pro league in Finland before crossing the pond to North America so he's got experience and pedigree at age 24.
Matt Tomkins could then remain as the Rockford starting netminder so he can continue his development. He has been one of the pleasant surprises this season for the Hogs thus far and has flipped his fortune from career minor leaguer to potential hopeful.
As for Collin Delia, I wouldn't kick him to the curb just yet. He does show potential despite going from #1 goalie in the system to #3 in a quarter of a season. He still has time to emerge as the premier tender within the ranks.
However, Delia or even one of Lankinen or Tomkins could also be a trade chip for another team looking for goaltending depth to either stock their farm or even take a risk as the 2nd or 3rd string goalie for the parent club. A trade would help open a Rockford spot for Alexis Gravel next year.
Lastly, a prevalent question is where does Ian Mitchell fit in assuming he signs an ELC once his NCAA season ends. While I am confident he will sign with Chicago, I am not sold he will step in right away as a starter on the Blackhawks blueline. He has to get in line and earn it like any other prospect. Please no gift-wrapping of spots to prospects (a la Kevin Hayes).
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Thanks for the breakdown, FOX.
At least the IceHogs are rolling. They take on Manitoba Moose tonight at 7 pm CT and for those interested it's Taco Tuesday ($2 Tacos) at BMO Harris Bank Center.
See ya out there!
TC
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Chicago Blackhawks Blogger • 
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