School’s Out For Leddy
One year of college hockey is all he needed. The Blackhawks are set to announce the newest addition to an ever-expanding farm system, Nick Leddy. A reported three year, $2.7 mil deal has been reached. We’ll certainly have to keep on eye on the 19-year-old, who only played one year with the University of Minnesota.
Leddy had turned a lot of heads at the prospect camp and will most likely be headed to Rockford to start out the season. Some speculate he could replace Brian Campbell in as little as one season. This kind of thinking may be a bit premature but nevertheless he has potential.
Leddy was drafted 16th in the 2009 draft by the Minnesota Wild and then acquired by the Hawks in the Cam Barker trade along with Kim Johnsson.
Posted by keith, on Jul 28, 2010 • Category: Hawks• Tags: blackhawks, chicago, leddy, nick • No Comments • Spread on Twitter
Hawks to Attend Rookie Tourney
The Chicago Blackhawks have announced they will compete in the Toronto Rookie Tournament, when saying it out loud you have to pronounce it with a hard “OUR” since it’s being held in Canada. The event will begin Sept. 11, at John Labatt Centre in London, Ontario including other rookie teams from the host Toronto Maple Leafs, Pittsburg Penguins, and Ottawa Senators.
The announcement comes as a bit of a surprise as the Blackhawks have excluded themselves from rookie tournaments for years; a possible sign that the push for a deep and talented farm system is in effect.
The tournament will be an opportunity for some of the Hawks prospects to make a bid for the opening day roster as they compete in three games. Among the announced youngsters is Kyle Beach, the Hawks first-round draft choice in 2008 who tallied an impressive 52 goals last year in the WHL. He will be joined by Shawn Lalonde, Jeremy Morin, and newly acquired talents in Chris Didomenico and Phillipe Paradis who, interestingly enough, were traded away from Toronto this summer.
We will most likely not see Jack Skille or Bryan Bickell as they have a few years of AHL as well as significant NHL time under their belts. The full roster will be posted soon.
2010 Toronto Maple Leafs Rookie Tournament Schedule
| Date | Game | Time | Venue |
| Sat., Sept. 11 | Pittsburgh vs. Ottawa | 1:00 pm | John Labatt Centre |
| Sat., Sept. 11 | CHICAGO vs. Toronto | 6:00 pm | John Labatt Centre |
| Sun., Sept. 12 | CHICAGO vs. Ottawa | 1:00 pm | John Labatt Centre |
| Sun., Sept. 12 | Toronto vs. Pittsburgh | 6:00 pm | John Labatt Centre |
| Mon., Sept. 13 | Practice (All Teams) | TBA | John Labatt Centre |
| Tues., Sept. 14 | CHICAGO vs. Pittsburgh | 1:00 pm | John Labatt Centre |
| Tues., Sept. 14 | Toronto vs. Ottawa | 6:00 pm | John Labatt Centre |
Posted by keith, on Jul 27, 2010 • Category: Featured, Hawks• Tags: Attend, Hawks, Rookie, Tournament • No Comments • Spread on Twitter
Forming a Dynasty
Ever since the 1994-95 lockout and the hard salary cap that ensued, teams with big bucks and recent championship runs could no longer gain an edge by buying up all-star players year in and year out. A new model for forming a dynasty had to be created and I’m not too proud of a Chicago fan to admit that Detroit has executed this to perfection. For more than a decade the Red Wings have been contenders but now is our time.Immediately after an incredible playoffs and Stanley Cup victory the attention was turned to the large elephant that could no longer fit through the door. The Hawks were inevitably going to lose key players and fan favorites due to cap issues and it didn’t take long for the nightmare to begin. We all hoped that moving Big Buff along with Eager and Sopel would be the worst of the casualties but then came the loss of big contributors in Versteeg and Ladd as well as regulars Madden, Burish, Barker, and Fraser. However, the model requires that we dump off these caliber players to stockpile draft picks and solid prospects while locking in the core group. Kane, Toews, Campbell, Keith, and Hossa all have four or more years left in their contracts while Hjalmarsson and Bolland have three. Brent Seabrook will likely get an extension before the years end and all that leaves is Patrick Sharp.
The Blackhawks front office has been filing in young players who will have a year or two to fill a supporting roll or get traded for yet another batch. With a few nice prospects already waiting in the wings the Hawks may very well pick up next season right where they left off.
So quit whining that Big Buff is gone and don’t worry about losing our goons. I loved watching them play as much as the next guy -I especially enjoyed watching Sopel play defense during those playoffs, being a Chicago guy it’s probably not surprising- but last year is over and there is much to be excited about as a Blackhawks fan. The next five years should see at least two more extended playoff runs and many victories over the Red Wings. Sit back and enjoy the ride, you won’t have to throw away those Kane and Toews jerseys any time soon, if ever.
Posted by keith, on Jul 21, 2010 • Category: Featured, Hawks• Tags: Black, chicago, Dynasty, Hawks • No Comments • Spread on Twitter