{"id":28131,"date":"2018-05-01T09:00:15","date_gmt":"2018-05-01T13:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=28131"},"modified":"2018-05-01T15:27:37","modified_gmt":"2018-05-01T19:27:37","slug":"chicago-blackhawks-youth-and-veterans-leading-in-rockford","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2018\/05\/01\/chicago-blackhawks-youth-and-veterans-leading-in-rockford\/","title":{"rendered":"Chicago Blackhawks\u00a0Youth and Veterans\u00a0Leading in Rockford"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Chicago Blackhawks<\/a> and their fans are in process of prepping for a turnaround in the 2018-19 NHL season. While missing the playoffs was a huge disappointment, there is playoff hockey happening near the Windy City. The Blackhawks AHL team, the Rockford Ice Hogs are in the AHL playoffs. Several of the Blackhawks youth and veterans are leading the way for the Ice Hogs. Fans of the team are watching as the future of the Blackhawks is on display. The upcoming 2018 NHL Draft<\/a> is also on everyone’s minds as the team is in rebuild mode.<\/a> What moves they make leading up to the draft may also come into play. General manager Stan Bowman<\/strong> is known for not being afraid to make late trades to improve his team.<\/p>\n

Chicago Blackhawks\u00a0Youth and Veterans<\/h1>\n

Ice Hogs Rolling<\/h2>\n

The Rockford Ice Hogs advanced to the second round of the AHL Playoffs with a 3-0 series sweep of the Chicago Wolves. It took triple overtime for the Hogs to prevail in game three, but they eventually defeated the Wolves. The Ice Hogs\u00a0were expected\u00a0to play a tough series, but very few expected a sweep. Blackhawks prospect Victor\u00a0Ejdsell<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0scored twice in the clincher, nailing the overtime winner late in the night.\u00a0Ejdsell\u00a0appears determined to push for a roster spot in the fall with the Blackhawks.<\/p>\n

Delia Solid<\/h2>\n

The Ice Hogs played inspired hockey the last month of the AHL season, locking up a playoff spot during the last week. This run to the playoffs\u00a0was led\u00a0by goaltender Collin Delia<\/a><\/strong>. Delia is one of the Blackhawks prospects turning heads among the Blackhawk faithful. In the regular season, Delia was a rock as he went 17-7-2 with a 2.72 goals against average and .900 save percentage. In the three playoff games, Collin Delia is on fire with a 1.52 goals against average and unworldly .949 save percentage.<\/p>\n

Veteran Presence<\/h2>\n

Didomenico Scoring<\/h2>\n

Leading the Wolves in playoff scoring is Chris\u00a0Didomenico<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0who has two goals and three assists.\u00a0DiDomenico was acquired by the\u00a0Blackhawks in the Ville\u00a0Pokka<\/strong>\u00a0trade with the Ottawa Senators<\/a> back in February. The trade went under the radar for most Blackhawk fans, but\u00a0DiDomenico\u00a0produced well since being picked up. He had 8 goals and 15 assists for 23 points in 22 games played for Rockford. The\u00a0well-traveled\u00a029-year-old\u00a0appears to have found his game since being traded.<\/p>\n

Franson Leads<\/h4>\n

Cody\u00a0Franson<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0has had an eventful season as part of the Chicago Blackhawks. He signed a Professional Tryout contract with the Blackhawks last off-season. After having a solid training camp,\u00a0Franson\u00a0made the Blackhawks roster to start the season<\/a>. He was in and out of the lineup all season until being\u00a0waived\u00a0back in January.\u00a0Franson\u00a0accepted the demotion like a pro and\u00a0was assigned\u00a0to the Ice Hogs.<\/p>\n

He has played well for the ice Hogs contributing nine goals, 19 assists for 28 points in 37 games. Franson was also second on the team during the season scoring six power play goals in just 37 games. He has continued to\u00a0contribute\u00a0during the playoffs scoring a goal and three assists in the 3-0 sweep.\u00a0Franson\u00a0has turned disappointment into being a leader for the young team. He\u00a0may be\u00a0able to secure another contract offer in the season ahead if he keeps up the scoring pace.<\/p>\n

Drafting Down<\/h2>\n

The Chicago Blackhawks lost out in the NHL 2018 Draft Lottery<\/a> last weekend. They\u00a0were moved\u00a0down to the eighth pick from the seventh pick when the lottery\u00a0was finalized. With the eighth overall pick, the Blackhawks\u00a0may be\u00a0able to draft a player who can help out in the very near future. The question is which one of the team needs does general manager Stan Bowman<\/strong> want\u00a0to address\u00a0first?<\/p>\n

On a team with a glaring weakness on defence, do the Blackhawks look to add to their current defence corps? The six\u00a0defensemen\u00a0signed for next season had a rough season and\u00a0will be expected\u00a0to improve dramatically.<\/a> Can Duncan Keith<\/a><\/strong> and Brent Seabrook<\/a><\/strong> recover their high level of play and lead this young group to a better year defensively? Beyond these two\u00a0blue-liners, only Connor Murphy<\/a><\/strong> has played more than 300 NHL games in his career. The other three\u00a0defensemen\u00a0have a combined total of 213 pro games under their belts.<\/p>\n

Defence Needs<\/h3>\n

The Blackhawks defence corps is a work in progress that could use\u00a0an infusion of\u00a0offensive skill. The 2018 draft prospects feature several\u00a0defensemen\u00a0who could help out the team.\u00a0The addition of\u00a0a defenseman who can move the puck and create offence would be a welcome addition. The Blackhawks also lack size and grit on the back-end, another need in today\u2019s NHL.<\/p>\n

Here are Ben Kerr’s rankings ahead of the 2018 NHL Draft<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Five of the top 10 draft prospects listed, and six of the top 11 are\u00a0defensemen. With the eighth pick, the Blackhawks\u00a0should be<\/span>\u00a0able to draft a skilled defenseman. The team will hope this player can make the jump to the NHL sooner\u00a0rather than\u00a0later.<\/p>\n

Pick Two<\/h3>\n

The team also has a late first round pick acquired from the<\/a> Nashville Predators<\/a> in the Ryan Hartman<\/a><\/strong> trade. That pick\u00a0can be\u00a0used to draft another defender or add to their forward group.<\/p>\n

After the two first-round picks the Blackhawks don’t pick again until the third round where they have two picks. Combined they have 8 picks in the upcoming draft and\u00a0there are\u00a0many fingers crossed hoping the team is successful.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Hawks could also consider moving picks for a goaltender. Hopefully, the Blackhawks will have a better handle on the status of Corey Crawford<\/a><\/strong> before the NHL Draft in June. The ability for Corey Crawford<\/a><\/strong> to recover from the injury\/illness is imperative for a successful 2018-19 season.<\/p>\n

Beyond Delia, the Hawks have Ivan Nalimov<\/strong> as their best goalie prospect. They may want to use Nashville’s pick or one of their third rounders on finding a prospect that they can develop at the position. This can put them in a better position when Crawford is ready to move on in a few years.<\/p>\n

Moving On From Last Season<\/h2>\n

Blackhawks faithful everywhere are counting on forgetting last season’s debacle as quickly as possible. As the Ice Hogs youth and vets continue on in the AHL playoffs, a long run will help fans refocus on what’s ahead for the Blackhawks. Seeing prospects like Victor\u00a0Ejdsell\u00a0and Collin Delia shine can only bring hope for next season.<\/p>\n

Draft day is another important part of the Blackhawks summer. Stan Bowman and his scouting staff\u00a0have\u00a0to score big during this draft. Anything less\u00a0will not be\u00a0accepted by the fanbase who are still in turmoil after last season. With a productive summer, good times may be ahead for the original six team.<\/p>\n

Main Photo:
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>