Jokiharju one of many hoping to make Blackhawks roster
From a fan's standpoint, this isn't exactly the most exciting week on the hockey calendar.
But for the 40-plus young Blackhawks hopefuls taking part in the team's development camp Monday at MB Ice Arena, it's one of the biggest of their summers.
Led by Henri Jokiharju, Adam Boqvist, Nicolas Beaudin, Ian Mitchell and Chad Krys, this camp features an abundance of up-and-coming defensemen who could be part of an impressive blue line for years to come.
The biggest question is, just how quickly can they contribute?
Most are a few years away, but one - Jokiharju - has an outside shot of starting the season on the opening-night roster. The Hawks drafted Jokiharju in the first round (29th overall) last year and he proceeded to put together an impressive 71-point season for Portland in the Western Hockey League.
The 6-foot-1, 180-pound Jokiharju is a coveted right-shot defenseman who has plenty of offensive upside - and confidence that he could be playing with Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and Co. in less than three months.
"You want to set the bar high," said Jokiharju, who signed a three-year, entry-level deal on June 12. "You don't want to set the bar too low. I want to dream big, and that's the dream."
Jokiharju just turned 19, however, and as we saw with Gustav Forsling and Jan Rutta last season, it can be awfully difficult for inexperienced D-men to excel in the NHL.
Not that he's worried about that.
"I don't focus on that kind of thing. I just focus on my own things," Jokiharju said. "Obviously it's a big step, but I don't want to think about that too much. I just want to enjoy (this week) and give 100 percent."
We're still about two months away from training camp, but if no other moves are made, the Hawks' top defenders will likely be Keith, Seabrook, Connor Murphy, Brandon Manning, Jan Rutta and Erik Gustafsson. Gustav Forsling, Blake Hillman, Carl Dahlstrom, Lucas Carlsson, Dennis Gilbert and possibly Jokiharju figure to fight for the seventh spot.
"I was impressed with the way Dahlstrom and Forsling played in the playoffs in Rockford," Stan Bowman said before the draft. "I thought they had a really good final couple months of the season. They both had time in Chicago last year. They're going to be pushing to show that they belong in the NHL."
Bowman also said the team was working with the NHL to determine if Jokiharju can be assigned to the AHL or if he must return to Portland if he doesn't make the Hawks out of camp.
For Jokiharju to even be in the conversation, though, he must really shine this week at development camp against players he should have a step up on.
"(I need to) work on my physical game," Jokiharju said. "I'm not that kind of guy that can hit hard or stuff like that. I need to be hard on the battles and be more physical."