Top pick Teravainen turning some heads

Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville and general manager Stan Bowman are taking names and remembering numbers.

That's what they have done the last few prospects camps and it has paid off.

Last summer, it was Andrew Shaw, Brandon Saad and Jimmy Hayes making lasting impressions.

Two years ago, Marcus Kruger was the story of prospects camp.

Saad is back again this week, but so far it has been 2012 No. 1 pick Teuvo Teravainen opening most eyes with his flashy play.

His 2 goals and 2 assists in two scrimmages tied for the scoring lead.

“He's the youngest guy here, but one of the best,” Bowman said Friday. “He's going to be a special player for sure.”

Quenneville saw the same things.

“Teravainen looks like he can be a nice player,” Quenneville said. “He made two or three nice plays (in Wednesday's scrimmage.) He looks like he has some strength on his stick.

“He's going to be one of those tricky-type players, real handy with the puck. I think with his vision and how he anticipates plays, he'll be fun to watch.”

But if you want to watch Teravainen this season, you'll need to do it in Finland, because that where he'll be playing.

“It was a great, great camp,” said Teravainen, the 18th pick in the first round. “Now it's over and I'll go back to Finland and practice. I need to get stronger and maybe my defense can be improved.”

Bowman raved about Teravainen's future.

“It's great to see a young kid like Teuvo be as good as he is,” Bowman said. “That bodes well for the future.

“Teuvo has shown in a short time here that he's got incredible talent. But he's not even 18 years old yet.”

Saad didn't play in his first scrimmage until Thursday but stood out on Thursday and Friday.

“We really like Saad,” Quenneville said. “He had a terrific start to his season and he had great season at junior (Saginaw). The reports were outstanding. And then here in the playoffs, we liked what we saw there as well.

“His size, he looks like he has learned to play. I think he can not just make our team; I think he can do more than that.”

Defenseman Adam Clendening also had a strong week and is expected to start the season at Rockford.

“Adam is the one defenseman with the most potential to make a jump,” Bowman said. “This will be a learning year for him, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have the potential to make an impact for us.”

Meanwhile, Bowman was asked again about standing pat with the same roster that finished last season.

“If you're counting on going in the free agent market to improve your team that's a tough strategy to be successful at,” Bowman said. “We're in a good position relative to some teams which is we have a good group of players already under contract. Some of them are young so you can always push them down if you have to. I think it's going to be a competitive camp right now without even adding any players.”

Bowman sounds content with what he has.

“It's not just bringing back the same guys,” Bowman said. “There's growth in their game. We didn't really have Brandon Saad last year. We had him for three of four games. Andrew Shaw we didn't have for a full season. These guys aren't just bit players. They're players that are going to play a significant role on our team.

“When you have a lot of holes to fill I could see a need to dip into the free agent market more often. If July 1 proved one thing it proved it's really difficult to improve your team through free agency.”

“He's the youngest guy here, but one of the best,” Bowman said Friday. “He's going to be a special player for sure.”

Quenneville saw the same things.

“Teravainen looks like he can be a nice player,” Quenneville said. “He made two or three nice plays (in Wednesday's scrimmage.) He looks like he has some strength on his stick.

“He's going to be one of those tricky-type players, real handy with the puck. I think with his vision and how he anticipates plays, he'll be fun to watch.”

But if you want to watch Teravainen this season, you'll need to do it in Finland, because that where he'll be playing.

“It was a great, great camp,” said Teravainen, the 18th pick in the first round. “Now it's over and I'll go back to Finland and practice. I need to get stronger and maybe my defense can be improved.”

Bowman raved about Teravainen's future.

“It's great to see a young kid like Teuvo be as good as he is,” Bowman said. “That bodes well for the future.

“Teuvo has shown in a short time here that he's got incredible talent. But he's not even 18 years old yet.”

Saad didn't play in his first scrimmage until Thursday, but stood out on Thursday and Friday.

“We really like Saad,” Quenneville said. “He had a terrific start to his season and he had great season at junior (Saginaw). The reports were outstanding. And then here in the playoffs, we liked what we saw there as well.

“His size, he looks like he has learned to play. I think he cannot just make our team; I think he can do more than that.”

Defenseman Adam Clendening also had a strong week and is expected to start the season at Rockford.

“Adam is the one defenseman with the most potential to make a jump,” Bowman said. “This will be a learning year for him, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have the potential to make an impact for us.”

Meanwhile, Bowman was asked again about standing pat with the same roster that finished last season.

“If you're counting on going in the free agent market to improve your team, that's a tough strategy to be successful at,” Bowman said. “We're in a good position relative to some teams, which is we have a good group of players already under contract. Some of them are young so you can always push them down if you have to. I think it's going to be a competitive camp right now without even adding any players.”

Bowman sounds content with what he has.

“It's not just bringing back the same guys,” Bowman said. “There's growth in their game. We didn't really have Brandon Saad last year. We had him for three of four games. Andrew Shaw we didn't have for a full season. These guys aren't just bit players. They're players that are going to play a significant role on our team.

“When you have a lot of holes to fill, I could see a need to dip into the free agent market more often. If July 1 proved one thing, it proved it's really difficult to improve your team through free agency.”