Blackhawks add another prospect in Kero
It took five years, but Tanner Kero finally got a recruiting visit out of his ability to play hockey.
Kero, an undrafted, free-agent forward from Michigan Tech, attended the Blackhawks game against the Los Angeles Kings on Monday courtesy of the Hawks' front office.
Three days later, with his list of interested NHL teams whittled to two, he signed a two-year, entry-level contract to become the latest college prospect to enter the Hawks' system.
The Hawks also signed Colgate's Kyle Baun on March 26 and signed two of their own draft picks out of colleges recently: senior defenseman Michael Paliotta from Vermont and forward Vincent Hinostroza after his sophomore year at Notre Dame.
"They've always been pretty active with college free agents," said Peter Rutili, who represents Kero through Acme World Sports. "Their scouting staff does a good job of getting out and identifying talent. If they see a guy they think can fit what they're looking for, they're going to try and get him into their system."
Kero, a senior who was named the Western Collegiate Hockey Association's player of the year, appears to fit pretty well.
He's listed by Michigan Tech at 5-feet-11, 180-pounds and has developing skills to go with excellent skating ability. This season he had 46 points (20 goals) in 41 games and was one of 10 finalists for the prestigious Hobey Baker Award.
Kero will report to the Rockford IceHogs to finish the season on an amateur tryout contract and will start the clock on his entry-level deal with the Blackhawks next season.
His father works for Michigan Tech, so it was almost a foregone conclusion that Kero would play there in college. That meant a lack of recruiting trips elsewhere, which Rituli reminded him of Monday at the United Center.
"He just deserves this," Rutili said. "I'm very happy for him. It was a hard decision. He had another team that he was quite fond of, too. In the end, he wanted to sign (a contract) with the Blackhawks."
Intrigued by latest second line:
It's not the way most saw the Blackhawks' lineup shaping up after they acquired Antoine Vermette, but coach Joel Quenneville thinks he might've stumbled onto something with the most recent rendition of the second line.
Rather than playing center, Vermette is at Patrick Kane's spot on the right wing. Brad Richards is centering the line and Patrick Sharp is on the left.
"We don't have Kaner, we didn't like the way we were playing some of the games, and it's easy to try things," Quenneville said. "Sometimes they work, and in this situation, so far, so good on all the lines."
Carving out a role:
It has been a month since the Hawks acquired Andrew Desjardins from the San Jose Sharks for Ben Smith, and the gritty forward might be starting to win over coach Joel Quenneville.
"I think he gives us some jam, and defensively, offensively, the puck seems to hang around him," Quenneville said. "His awareness to how he has to play … I think he's got a pretty good understanding of how to do it, and I like the consistency he brings to it, as well."