*NOTICE: STATISTICS MAY BE DIFFERENT DUE TO GAMES BEING PLAYED BEFORE THE ARTICLE IS PUBLISHED.
With only 18 games remaining in the 2016-2017 regular season, the Blackhawks look poised for yet another lengthy run in the Stanley Cup playoffs. That could be a fairly surprising thing to say when you take a minute to think of the way this team was viewed back in early September. Six rookies suited up for the Blackhawks on opening night and it would be pretty difficult at that time to imagine that this same team could be sitting third in the entire league but that is exactly where they are. There was talk of this season being more of a transition year that would not necessarily see the Blackhawks flex their dominance but instead be a year for their crop of younger players to learn the ropes and maybe even grow comfortable in coach Joel Quenneville’s system. What we have seen is a crowd of young players, a handful of them being rookies, not only fit into the system but also contribute quite consistently.
Ryan Hartman has been all over the lineup throughout the year and has done well in each place. Hartman has found a more permanent home in the bottom six but definitely has shown that he possesses the skill to fill in a top six role when called upon. He also provides some toughness to the lineup and has shown that he is more than willing to jump in to defend a teammate.
59 Games Played, 15 Goals, 11 Assists = 26 Points, +11, 12:29 TOI
Nick Schmaltz is a player that many believed was at least a season away from making the roster out of training camp. He has spent some time with the Blackhawks AHL affiliate, the Rockford Icehogs and the effects of that extra playing time in Rockford has been visible especially over the last couple of weeks. The confidence that Schmaltz has been playing with has been visible as well. He has found a home on the top line playing alongside Jonathan Toews. Only time will tell if that will become his permanent place in the lineup. Do not let his stats fool you; the puck has been finding Schmaltz. His defensive ability is above average and he is a pure playmaker, just take a look at his set-up for Patrick Kane’s goal in a 4-1 win against the Penguins back on March 1st.
44 Games Played, 6 Goals, 13 Assists = 19 Points, +9, 12:19 TOI
Tanner Kero was called up from the Rockford Icehogs and has shown that the call-up was well warranted. Kero has slotted into a bottom six center role and it looks like he will continue centering a line with veteran winger, Marian Hossa and newly acquired winger Tomas Jurco as long as all roster injuries remain short-term. Kero has been a fixture in the Blackhawks bottom six and that can be attributed to his responsible defensive play along with the occasional contribution on the score sheet.
29 Games Played, 5 Goals, 6 Assists = 11 Points, +13, 13:29 TOI
These three young guns have played pivotal roles in the Blackhawks season to this point and there is little doubt that their roles will continue to grow as the regular season comes to a close. I would highly recommend catching a game as soon as possible as this Blackhawks team has a much different swagger than previous years. This team, by all accounts, should be playing their tails off just to ensure a spot in the playoffs but instead of that, the Blackhawks are in the hunt for the top spot in the Western Conference. This team might just have what it takes to bring the Stanley Cup home to Chicago for the 4th time since the 2010 season.
Next week I will take a look at what stands out in regards to the rest of the roster.
Stay tuned!
*all statistics presented are taken directly from nhl.com.
