Hard work paying off for Chicago Blackhawks' Dano

As a half-dozen or so Slovakian reporters walked away from Marko Dano on Monday night in the victorious Chicago Blackhawks locker room, the local reporters moved in, looking for a few comments after Dano's season debut.

"What?" Dano said, smiling. "Didn't you guys get all that?"

Funny, loose and talented, this Dano kid. And that's quite the change from last year for the 20-year-old winger.

But more on that in a minute.

Back in the opening days of training camp, many pundits figured Dano would simply slide into Brandon Saad's spot on the top line with Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa. Logically, it made sense, as Dano - who came to the Hawks as part of the Saad trade in late June - tore it up for Columbus in the second half of last season.

But after an underwhelming preseason, Dano was told he would play in Rockford, the Hawks' AHL affiliate. How he reacted to that decision would determine when he'd get a chance to play for coach Joel Quenneville and the defending champs.

For some players, demotions to the AHL cut deep.

Said Quenneville: "It's a process when you tell a guy (they're going down) - especially guys that feel that they're close or they deserve a chance. It's almost like, 'I want to start the season (in the NHL). I want to make the team in the worst way.' And then they go down and they don't handle that situation very well."

Fortunately for the Hawks, Dano learned a valuable lesson last year when he was assigned to Columbus' AHL squad in early November after he played in eight games for the Blue Jackets.

"I knew what to expect (when the Hawks sent him down) … because last year I was a little bit (ticked) off. I didn't (do) that well. I stayed there (in the AHL) for a half season," Dano said.

"Now I realize I have to keep working hard and just be positive and my chance will come soon. And it did. I'm here right now and I'm glad I can be here, so hopefully I'll stay here for a while."

While some may have been surprised by Dano's demotion, he certainly wasn't.

"I felt like I didn't (do) a good job in the preseason games, so I kind of expected it," he said. "And I saw there's guys who played better than me. It was obvious why I didn't stay here and some other guys (got) a chance."

During his nine-game stint in Rockford, Dano played on the power play and the penalty kill. He registered a goal and 7 assists. "A lot of ice time," he said. "It helped me a lot."

It also helps that now he's on the same line with fellow Rockford teammates Tanner Kero and Ryan Hartman. The trio impressed Quenneville during the Hawks' 4-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Monday night.

"They had some good shifts," Quenneville said. "They got scored on one play, but they positionally were aware. … In a tight game like that, I think it was a good education. …

"That's all part of that process of learning how to become a pro and looking like you're ready to take that next step and get that consistency in your game that we're hoping for."