From Center Ice: Prospect Tournament Game 1

Hockey is back on my TV!

The 2019 Prospect Tournament in Traverse City, Michigan is upon us. As always, the Blackhawks have sent their top prospects to compete. The good thing about this tournament is there are a bunch of players who are fighting for NHL spots. But, if they can't make the big team - many of them will play for our IceHogs. It's a great chance to get a look at a few of our players before they hit the ice for NHL preseason or when the season starts in October.

I’m going to watch as many of the games as I can and see who sticks out and how they’re playing. I’ve identified a couple of players I wanted to watch in this game specifically – Kirby Dach, Adam Boqvist, Dennis Gilbert, and Alexis Gravel. So, there will be some thoughts on their games further down this piece.

Other than that, I’ll lay out each period and then discuss some of the things I observed in other aspects of the game. Enjoy!

Period 1

The Blackhawks and the Red Wings. A Storied rivalry – now back on the ice for the prospect tournament. The Red Wings take it to the Hawks early and hem them in their own zone going up 1-0 on the powerplay. The Blackhawks fight back for 4 unanswered goals. Things were looking positive going into the intermission.

Period 2

So, one of the criticisms of last year’s IceHogs team was that their second periods were garbage. It seemed like they could hold their own in the first and third periods, but the second periods would always kill them. Unfortunately, that happened here in this game as well. The Hawks entered the second period with a 4-1 lead and left the ice to a tie game 4-4.

They gave up two powerplay goals, ended up having to kill a 5 on 3 and were an overall mess. There wasn’t a single player who stuck out and looked good. Not even the big two – Kirby Dach and Adam Boqvist. Seeing as this game is being coached by Derek King, I am having some serious concerns going into the IceHogs season, but it’s only one game. We’ll see how the third period goes.

Period 3

Blackhawks look like they have more life than in period 2. Adam Boqvist comes out looking determined an draws a penalty. The Hawks still cannot convert on the powerplay. The Blackhawks couldn't get anything done in period three even though they looked much better than in the previous period. Thankfully, the Wings couldn't either. To overtime. . .

Overtime

Just what everyone loves and hates all at the same time. THEY SHOOT, THEY SCORE! Adam Boqvist pots the game winning goal less than a minute into overtime.

My three stars of the game

1.Mortiz Seider

2.Adam Boqvist

3.Joe Veleno

Now for some thoughts about different aspects of Game 1...

Slow Starts

The game did not start well for the team from Chicago. Detroit was all over them - which led to them drawing a penalty and ultimately getting the first goal of the game. Obviously, the Hawks caught some life and stormed back with four unanswered goals, but you cannot expect that to happen every game.

You have to hit the ice ready to play and fight for the puck. If they make a habit out of starting games like that, they’re going to get bit more often than not and end up on the wrong side of the scoreboard. Now, this is only one game so it’s impossible to say whether it’ll become a common thing, but it’s something to look for as this tournament goes on and leading into NHL preseason.

Special Teams

This is the one I wanted to have the best report on. Whether you’re watching the Blackhawks or the IceHogs, you’re likely going to be banging your head against the wall when they’re on special teams. For having such talent, they’re absurdly frustrating when on the PP or PK. That didn’t change here. In the first period, they gave up a goal on the PK and they didn’t convert on the PP. Puck movement was definitely more promising on the PP than we’ve seen during the regular season for both clubs, but it was a small sample size. In the second they gave up two more goals on the PK. This is not looking good.

Aggression

One thing I noticed immediately is that the Blackhawks were actually attacking the puck. There was a lot more puck aggression in their game and it was so refreshing to see. If they can keep that going and not get complacent, you’re going to have success. The forecheck and backcheck were aggressive. They were using an aggressive attack off the drive to get to the net. Those are the habits you want to see early and often.

The aggression is still missing from the penalty kill which is concerning.

Pace

Fast. Fast. Fast. We’ve got some good skaters in the system and that’s great to see. Adam Boqvist has to be the smoothest skater for the Blackhawks in this tournament, but I didn’t notice any slouches.

Kirby Dach

Dach came out in the first period and scored a beautiful goal getting through the defense and deking out the goalie. That move may not work right away at the NHL level with more experienced goaltenders, but it’s not the first time he’s converted on a shot like that. You have to admire the creativity and willingness to try things out. Kirby Dach is obviously a good player. He knows it and the team knows it. He can use these tournaments to test his limits.

Dennis Gilbert

Gilbert was on the top pairing with Boqvist which seems to bode well for Gilbert. Boqvist can roam around and lead the offense. He is more of the responsible defensive type with an aggressive edge. I’d like to have seen him use his body more as I know he can from seeing him in Rockford last year. But it’s only game 1. I didn’t notice him much which is good for a player like him.

Adam Boqvist

It’s still pretty amazing how smooth of a skater Boqvist is. One of the best things about his game that I’ve noticed is he gets the puck up the ice with a good first pass. He’s being used as a QB on the PP. Obviously they haven’t converted yet, but that’s where he’s meant to play.

He rifled the puck home and scored the game winning goal in overtime. You can't be anything but excited for this kid to make the team. IceHogs OR Blackhawks. He's going to make an immediate impact.

Alexis Gravel

What a frustrating game for the kid. He looked really good in period one. Things went way downhill in the second. I wouldn’t necessarily say he was bad, but he’s going to want that period back for sure. He did come up with some nice saves, and I need to see more out of him. He’s a very intriguing prospect.

He gets the win in overtime after making a game saving sprawled out save on his back with less than a minute to go in regulation.

There were two players that weren't on my "watch list" for today that will be going forward. Cole Moberg and Mikael Hakkarainen. They were all over the ice.

Overall game

When the Blackhawks looked good in this game, they were skating into the offensive zone and driving to the net. They were aggressive on the puck carriers while defending, and they weren’t looking to make unnecessary passes.

When things were bad, they were hemmed in their zone way too much. They would fall back into not pressuring the puck while pinned in their end, and they weren’t able to sustain any pressure. It was such an up and down game for them. Hopefully it’s first game jitters.

I’m obviously a critic of the coaching staff, and I’m going to give them a pass for game one. But, if this continues, a serious look needs to be given to the bench in Rockford. 

Looking forward to Game 2 against Toronto tomorrow afternoon at 2:00 pm on Fox Sports Go.