Chicago Blackhawks rookies poised to contribute
A lot of noise has been made in the past week about the Blackhawks starting this season with six rookies on their roster, five of whom are 22 or younger.
Isn't that a bit extreme? Won't the pressure make them fold like a cheap tent? Isn't that a recipe for disaster?
No way, says coach Ken Hitchcock, whose St. Louis Blues were in town to open the season against the Hawks on Wednesday.
"It's easy to play young guys now because they're all good," Hitchcock said. "There's no coach in the league that's going to put a young guy in that's not ready to play.
"I coached against these guys that are in Chicago. They're all ready to play. There's not going to be big (growing pains)."
There had better not be in this salary-cap era, which forces GMs like Stan Bowman to shed players like Andrew Shaw, Brandon Saad, Teuvo Teravainen and Nick Leddy and do one of four things:
• Find veterans like Jordin Tootoo to play for less than $1 million.
• Promote from within, as the Hawks did with Vinnie Hinostroza or Ryan Hartman.
• Convince players like Nick Schmaltz or Tyler Motte to leave college early.
• Find capable free agents like defensemen Gustav Forsling or Michal Kempny.
Now Bowman, coach Joel Quenneville and the organization must hope the six rookies can take the next step.
"Yeah, it's an adjustment maybe for our coaching staff and our team to have that amount of young guys," Toews said. "But it doesn't mean that they're not capable, it doesn't mean that they can't find that role and where they fit in on this team."
It was a bumpy ride for some rookies in the 5-2 loss to the Blues as Schmaltz and Hinostroza had Corsi ratings of minus-10 and minus-12, respectively. On the flip side was Hartman, who scored his first NHL goal, and Motte, who kept that play alive for his first assist.
Last season, Hitchcock learned a lot about this "Youth Gone Wild" thing as the Blues used wingers Robbi Fabbri (20 years old) and Dmitri Jaskin (22), and defensemen Colton Parayko (22) and Joel Edmundson (22) for 65 or more games.
Fabbri racked up 18 regular-season goals, and 6-foot-6, 226-pound Parayko scored twice in the Blues' successful seven-game series over the Blackhawks. One of those goals came in Game 7 on a laser shot from just inside the blue line that gave St. Louis a 2-0 lead in a contest they would win 3-2.
As poised as Parayko was in the postseason, though, he said it took him about two months to feel like he wasn't a fish out of water.
"There's so much to learn," he said. "Every day I felt like I was learning new things."
So what's the key to succeeding?
"Just make sure that you don't take any days for granted and approach every day with a great attitude," Parayko said.
That seems to be a recipe all six Hawks are following.
Said Hawks defenseman Brian Campbell: "The best thing is they work hard. All these kids, they put extra time in after practice. They're willing to learn, they're willing to ask questions."
The best part for the Hawks is that they have an extremely talented and experienced core and aren't relying on their six rookies to shoulder the load.
Let's pause here for a reminder that some teams with baby-faced rosters have been successful. Look no further than the 1982-83 Blackhawks, a squad that went 47-23-10 with Steve Larmer, Denis Savard, Bill Gardner, Steve Ludzik, Troy Murray and D-man Doug Crossman checking in at 22 or younger. Those six combined for 120 of the team's 338 goals.
Or how about the 1981-82 Oilers, who won a division title with their top five scorers all 21 or younger? Or the 1981-82 North Stars, who won the division with their top five scorers 23 or younger?
And - as we just pointed out - these Hawks don't need Hinostroza, Motte, Schmaltz, Hartman, Forsling and Kempny to be world beaters. They just need them to improve every day, contribute here and there and gain enough confidence by April to be ready to charge head-first into the postseason.
"It's hockey. It's something they're familiar with all the time," Quenneville said.
"Don't get too excited knowing that you're playing against some of the best players in the world. Be comfortable. You're here for the right reasons, and show what you can do."
Scouting report
Blackhawks vs. Predators, 7 p.m. Friday at Bridgestone Arena
TV: Comcast SportsNet; NBCSN; Radio: 720-AM
The skinny: Niklas Hjalmarsson returns from his suspension for the Hawks. "You almost feel uncomfortable watching the game because you can't help the team out," Hjalmarsson said. "It's done and over with now, so I'm just looking forward to playing." ... Plenty of pundits picked Nashville to reach the Stanley Cup Final, and with good reason as they acquired defenseman P.K. Subban from Montreal for Shea Weber. The Predators, now with perhaps the best D corps in the league, finished in fourth place in the Central Division at 41-27-14 last season. After taking out the Ducks in seven games, they fell to the Sharks in the second round in seven. Offensively, Nashville is led by 22-year-old Filip Forsberg (33 goals last season) and James Neal (31). ... Watch for Trevor van Riemsdyk to be the healthy scratch on defense. Corey Crawford starts in net for Chicago.
Next: Nashville Predators at United Center, 7:30 p.m. Saturday
- John Dietz