That would be a major failure by the Blues.
- JRoenick97

They offered Parayko 2 years at $3.5 AAV in arbitration. He countered at one year $4.85m. I guess you always lowball in arbitration but that number is just an insult.

Sucks to be a budget team. They went all in for 16 and blew it. Now the owner is looking at the bottom line again. Shattenkirk developed and lost..... Maybe Parayko next. Almost a farm team for the elite franchises.

Barrett is blogging from camp. Always like the player perspective on how the team handles these things. https://www.nhl.com/black...ing-the-ropes/c-290424592

Side note - feel very old. He talks about catching 90210 on Netflix. Of course, he wasn't born when it originally aired.

They offered Parayko 2 years at $3.5 AAV in arbitration. He countered at one year $4.85m. I guess you always lowball in arbitration but that number is just an insult.

Sucks to be a budget team. They went all in for 16 and blew it. Now the owner is looking at the bottom line again. Shattenkirk developed and lost..... Maybe Parayko next. Almost a farm team for the elite franchises.

- tredbrta

I'd take arbitration offers with a grain of salt. Max is 2 years and teams always low ball. If they don't sign him outside of arbitration, then they have failed.

I'd take arbitration offers with a grain of salt. Max is 2 years and teams always low ball. If they don't sign him outside of arbitration, then they have failed.
- JRoenick97

Not sure if still the same but I think the club can pic k 1 or 2 years for arb term and that can be more important than the money.

Not sure if still the same but I think the club can pic k 1 or 2 years for arb term and that can be more important than the money.
- Al

That is still how it is. He's not UFA until 27, so I'm not sure 2 years would benefit the team at all.

I just find their draft years and google "2014 NHL combine results." You'll get a couple sites with reviews of the top 10 in each category. I haven't found any with the full results for each player that participated.
- JRoenick97

Simple enough. Thanks!

These prospect camps are a lot of fun, a lot to be excited about a la the baseball hot stove league often in January.

Anyway, what these camps really mean to the Blackhawks and their prospects, is they work on certain aspect of their game and take direction or input on what the Blackhawk coaches etc al want them to work on.

Now this is something many are aware about, yet I do not know what specific things Sikura might be directed to improve upon as he can in his collegiate season.

I want to also look at the bigger picture. I am thinking that eventually either a Sikura or Schmautz prove to be, not be the answer as the #2 center in Chicago. You have to project where they might wind up. Because neither us going to be long term solution as a #3 center. They may prove good depth, offensive players early on in their maiden NHL journey.

As I said it is a lot of fun to watch and dream about the newest skill prospects. Eventually they and Mr Toews back will tell us a lot more than we might guess right now
- jhawk59

Great points. I believe Schmaltz improved over his years at North Dakota because of feedback the Hawks coaching staff gave him during camps. Same with Sikura. IIRC, Sikura has also been moved to wing at Northeastern even though he was drafted as a center which I assume is his natural position. My guess is that the Hawks coaches want Sikura to gain experience at wing while in college and maybe that will accelerate his development so he is more versatile to the Hogs and Hawks once he goes pro.

In terms of where Schmaltz and Sikura (or any other prospect for that matter) may project to slot if/when they hit their potential, I believe both of them are best as top-9 players and ideally top-6. So the move of Sikura to wing at Northeastern may be some foresight or future planning by Hawks management so they have more forward options for the top-6.

Besides Sikura, DeBrincat, and Fortin, I see all other prospects projecting as bottom-6 role players. From, Foo, and Soderlund are intriguing prospects, though, who could have top-6 (at least top-9) potential several years down the road.

And he looks like his dad.
- John Jaeckel

Glad to hear that; I was afraid someone was going to say he looks like Sharp!

Glad to hear that; I was afraid someone was going to say he looks like Sharp!
- stanleyhawk

That's Hartman according to my wife and adult daughters...

Soupy had a real tough time getting through this one. Kudos to a great guy.

https://twitter.com/BySco...status/887366732133912576

That is still how it is. He's not UFA until 27, so I'm not sure 2 years would benefit the team at all.
- JRoenick97

Not sure but generally the team wants the max cost certainty.

Soupy had a real tough time getting through this one. Kudos to a great guy.

https://twitter.com/BySco...status/887366732133912576
- walleyeb1

Soup, always a top shelf, 1st Class dude.
Thanks!

Soupy had a real tough time getting through this one. Kudos to a great guy.

https://twitter.com/BySco...status/887366732133912576
- walleyeb1

Love that speech by Campbell. Happy that the Hawks have retained him to do outreach and youth work which is definitely a worthy effort by a pro sports franchise in a city with so much potential for creating pipelines and inroads to make the game more accessible.

Are NHL players permitted to take things like creatine?
- Bjm84

There should be no reason why not. Creatine naturally is in food the supplement helps not having to eat 10lbs of steak!

IMO every player at the pro level should be in the weight room. And as I'm sure you know that in this day and age strength training is a science with a workout designed for each individual. A weak analogy would be a linemen and wide receiver strength train in a completely different way for specific needs to their position.

And to go further a farm boy has a different kind of strength than a city boy gym rat does.

My point is a Schmaltz will train much more similar to Kieth than he would Toews or Hossa. And as far as being big/strong enough to absorb contact again it's different depending on your foundation of play. Barry Sanders took many fewer hits than an Earl Campbell cuz he's so slippery, quick with instincts that allowed for him to rarely be hit solidly. I think a TT or Schmaltz falls into that category and would have a workout designed for explosiveness not power.
- Mr Ricochet

Ehhh, maybe, but Keith has worked to become as strong as he can be at his size and frame. When he came up he was like 170 and today he is a rock solid 190-195. Still gets manhandled by 220 pounders but that is sheer mass—or as Kevin Bieksa once said of Dustin Byfuglien, like trying to handle "270 pounds of loose meat."

There is only so much size/mass that a guy like Schmaltz can or should even try to add.

Most top trainers I think will agree, it's all about functional strength, ie strength that enables you to do more athletically. A guy can be weight room strong, dead lift and bench a house, but can't climb a rope or do a pullup or sprint 50 yards. Byut a guy like Keith has added significant strength in a range of meaningful, funcational areas and its made him a premier player.

Looking at Schmaltz' pic, it's hard to imagine he's functionally very strong at all. I mean he looks like a kid who plays a lot of hockey and never trains otherwise, honestly. Hopefully he's gotten a bit more serious the last couple of months. Big opportunity for him this year, and his talent will not be fully realized in the NHL until he does.

There should be no reason why not. Creatine naturally is in food the supplement helps not having to eat 10lbs of steak!
- SaskHawkFan

Correct. I also do not thing creatine is banned. And FWIW, I don't put a lot of stock in it clinically.

Correct. I also do not thing creatine is banned. And FWIW, I don't put a lot of stock in it clinically.
- John Jaeckel

I have had very good success adding Creatine to my workout regiment. I suppliment with it and Protien and in 9 months have added 30lbs of lean muscle mass.

Correct. I also do not thing creatine is banned. And FWIW, I don't put a lot of stock in it clinically.
- John Jaeckel

Creatine is not on the USADA list, however, its amazing how many common prescribed items are on the list.

https://www.usada.org/wp-...17-prohibited-list-en.pdf

Pilates....it's all about the core
- dpard

Some might laugh at that but even US Special Forces do some Pilates moves in their daily core training.

Best core exercises IMO
Suitcase dead lifts
Overhead squats
Side Presses and windmill presses
Turkish get ups
GHD situps
back extensions
And a host of trunk/ab functionality moves

All with weight added of course

I have had very good success adding Creatine to my workout regiment. I suppliment with it and Protien and in 9 months have added 30lbs of lean muscle mass.
- SaskHawkFan

Damn dude, 30 lbs of lean muscle in 9 months? You "supplementing" the creatine with a little juice? LOL

Creatine never did poop for me. Except well, give me gas.

One supplement I used to use that was legal and I got some gains from was HMB. But i was also doing German Volume Training then and some crazy hormone manipulation through fasting/bingeing calorie cycles.

Damn dude, 30 lbs of lean muscle in 9 months? You "supplementing" the creatine with a little juice? LO

Creatine never did poop for me. Except well, give me gas.

One supplement I used to use that was legal and I got some gains from was HMB. But i was also doing German Volume Training then and some crazy hormone manipulation through fasting/bingeing calorie cycles.
- John Jaeckel

I went the other route, I gained 30 lbs of not so lean muscle mass. It was easy to achieve by bingeing on Pizza, burgers, fries, shakes, and fried chicken. I augmented it with a rigorous channel surfing program flipping from hockey to racing to rugby to football and back again.

Damn dude, 30 lbs of lean muscle in 9 months? You "supplementing" the creatine with a little juice? LOL

Creatine never did poop for me. Except well, give me gas.

One supplement I used to use that was legal and I got some gains from was HMB. But i was also doing German Volume Training then and some crazy hormone manipulation through fasting/bingeing calorie cycles.
- John Jaeckel

No juice, just good old fashion hard work. I had to initially drop a bunch of body fat so i leaned down to 158, i work at home so have alot of time to workout roughly 2-3 hours a day. So i did some mass building programs and am now sitting at 191 lean.

I went the other route, I gained 30 lbs of not so lean muscle mass. It was easy to achieve by bingeing on Pizza, burgers, fries, shakes, and fried chicken. I augmented it with a rigorous channel surfing program flipping from hockey to racing to rugby to football and back again.
- riozzo

I'm guessing you are a "large-boned" individual to begin with. 30 pounds is alot of muscle to pack on but big dudes can do it relatively speaking much easier than small guys.

I have packed on 30 pounds over several months of living in a hotel in Toronto, steak dinners and lots of Stella Artois. But that was not "functional" (haha) weight.

Soupy had a real tough time getting through this one. Kudos to a great guy.

https://twitter.com/BySco...status/887366732133912576
- walleyeb1

His daughter seemed to get through it pretty well.

No juice, just good old fashion hard work. I had to initially drop a bunch of body fat so i leaned down to 158, i work at home so have alot of time to workout roughly 2-3 hours a day. So i did some mass building programs and am now sitting at 191 lean.
- SaskHawkFan

Damn, that is impressive. (SLOW CLAP)

Having all that time is key though too. Ever try German Volume Training? 10x10 protocol? Getting YUGE the old school way.

Epic soreness, lotta training time, gotta eat like a horse, too, but incredible size gains.