Former Hawks prospect Aliu travels tough road back to Chicago

He was selected by the Blackhawks 55 picks after they took Patrick Kane No. 1 overall in the 2007 NHL entry draft.

This summer he was traded with Stanley Cup champions Dustin Byfuglien, Ben Eager and Brent Sopel to Atlanta but he finds himself in Chicago with the Thrashers' minor-league affiliate Wolves.

Right wing Akim Aliu had a lot of promise as an 18-year-old prospect. Not bad for a kid who didn't start playing hockey until he was 12.

“The first time I saw him I thought, ‘Oh, my goodness,' ” said Thrashers general manager Rick Dudley, who was the Blackhawks' assistant general manager from 2006-2009.

“We scouted him for a long time, and there are certain things you like to see. His size-skill-speed ratio was off the charts. He wasn't perfect, but he had that.”

Listed at 6-feet-3, 225 pounds, Aliu has taken a strange journey in his quest to play in the NHL. Born to a Nigerian father and a Russian mother, the family moved to Ukraine and eventually made it to Canada.

In Canada Aliu began to learn about hockey.

“Everyone was doing it,” he said. “I felt left out. A good buddy at school told me to give it a try and play on his house-league team.”

Aliu's play drew the attention of Double-A and Triple-A coaches in just one season. Before he knew it he was selected by the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League.

As Windsor's first-round draft choice, Aliu and his fellow rookies were going through some team hazing. Aliu declined to participate with the rest of the rookies, and this didn't go over well with veteran players especially former Philadelphia Flyers first-round pick Steve Downie.

Three weeks later, Downie cross-checked Aliu in the face, leaving the 16-year-old with three fewer teeth. Aliu returned to the ice and proceeded to drop the gloves with Downie.

“It definitely follows me,” Aliu said. “Any reputation, good or bad, stays with you. Your name is out there. I don't let it bother me.”

The bad reputation continued to follow the right winger. This along with the incident in Windsor could have led to the prospect's fall in the draft.

“It wasn't the best day,” Aliu said. “I thought I'd go higher, but there were some things that caused my stock to drop that I could've prevented.”

Last season he found himself playing for the Rockford IceHogs in the American Hockey League and later in the East Coast Hockey League with the Toledo Walleye.

“Last year wasn't much fun,” Aliu said. “I didn't have the year I would've liked. I didn't get the opportunity I would've liked, but I guess there are a lot of kids in the minors who probably feel that way, too.”

So here he is now, getting a fresh start in the Atlanta Thrashers organization with the man who helped draft him.

“I give second chances,” Dudley said. “I have a tendency to like projects, and Akim is the perfect project.”

According to Dudley, Wolves coach Don Lever and general manager Wendell Young are perfect for the 21-year-old.

“If you want to learn, you will learn if you're in Chicago,” Dudley said. “It's a perfect situation for him, but it's up to him to learn the things he needs to.”

Dudley wants Aliu to take his physical attributes and skill and start to play with an edge.

“When you have (size, skill and speed), the game is tailor-made for you,” Dudley said. “If you play with an edge, you can't be held up.”

In order for Aliu to reach the NHL sooner rather than later, he needs to establish his forechecking and make use of his size, skill and speed.

“Guys like (Patrick) Kane and (Jonathan) Toews are rare,” Aliu said. “You can put them in (the NHL) right out of juniors and they're so good offensively the good outweighs the bad.

“The next tier of great players coming from juniors usually play on third and fourth lines. The coaches want energy and for players to put pressure on the other team.”

A perfect example is Blackhawks center Dave Bolland, a prolific goal scorer with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League who accepted his role with the Hawks to play in the NHL.

“(Dave) Bolland accepted the fact that his job was in a defensive role,” Aliu said. “He was smart enough to know that's what he needed to do to play in the NHL. Eventually the scoring will come.”

Since the end of camp, Atlanta and the Wolves are happy with the progress Aliu is making. He hasn't recorded a point yet, but the organization can see he's getting better.

“He's trying to be a good teammate,” Dudley said. “He's trying to fit in.”

The Wolves take on Aliu's former team in Rockford on Satuday before coming home Sunday to play the Milwaukee Admirals.