Today’s News Clips Jan. 19, 2020

Chicago Tribune

Jonathan Toews and Dominik Kubalik score twice and hits 999 career points in the Blackhawks’ 6-2 victory against the Maple Leafs for their 4th straight win

Jimmy Greenfield Jan. 18, 2020

Blackhawks fans not only will have a chance to see Patrick Kane pick up his 1,000th career Sunday at the United Center, they’ll welcome home the NHL’s hottest team.

Drake Caggiula scored 21 seconds into the game, Jonathan Toews had two goals and two assists and Brandon Saad scored in his first game back after missing a month with an ankle injury in the Blackhawks’ 6-2 rout of the Maple Leafs for their league-best fourth straight victory.

The Hawks improved to 23-20-6 and pulled within four points of the Canucks — who played the Sharks late Saturday — for the final Western Conference wild-card spot.

Kane’s first-period assist moved him within one of 1,000 points, but that’s a story for another night — perhaps Sunday when the Hawks play host to the Jets.

Saturday’s win belonged to every other Hawks player, it seemed.

Rookie Dominik Kubalik scored twice in the second period to give him 20 goals on the season and nine in his last seven games. His second Saturday came on an incredible play in which Toews sent a long, backhanded, cross-ice pass to the opposite side of the net, and Kubalik somehow hit the puck in midflight past goalie Frederik Andersen.

The Hawks scored three times in each of the first two periods, never letting the Leafs back in the game. Corey Crawford stopped 31 shots for his second straight win after dropping six of his previous seven starts.

Toews’ season-high four points gave him 12 in his last five games and 798 in his career. Caggiula had his second straight game with a and an assist, and Erik Gustafsson added a pair of helpers for his first multipoint game since the season opener in Prague.

As great as the individual efforts were, the most important outcome was picking up two points against a tough opponent to sweep a three-game trip and win for the seventh time in eight road games.

Chicago Sun-Times

Blackhawks rookie Kirby Dach has been a different type of player than expected

Ben Pope Jan. 18, 2020

TORONTO — Blackhawks coach Jeremy Colliton has been asked about rookie Kirby Dach’s nonexistent production a lot lately. A third overall pick having only one point in his last 27 games will do that.

But Colliton repeatedly has said he’s happy with Dach’s play. On Saturday, he elaborated more on the party line.

‘‘Of course, you’d love to see him break through,’’ Colliton said. ‘‘But as far as how we evaluate his progression, we’re very happy with how he’s improved as the year’s gone on. He’s playing very well defensively, he’s physical, he’s got a great stick.

‘‘The points haven’t been there, but he’s been part of the production of some of the other guys throughout this stretch, where he’s played really well but just happens to not touch the puck at the end. It doesn’t mean he’s not doing great things.’’

Colliton is correct that Dach has been unlucky not to have a few more points than the 11 (in 42 games entering Saturday) he has. Dach has scored or assisted on only 56 percent of the five-on-five goals he has been on the ice for. Only Ryan Carpenter and Matthew Highmore, two defense-first forwards, have gotten fewer box-score rewards for the goals they’ve helped produce.

But maybe Dach is a defense-first forward, too.

That’s not what his draft position, scouting report or prospects tournament performance indicated he would be — at least not immediately. He was pegged to be a two-way center, a Jonathan Toews-type guy down the line, but most young players develop their offense first.

Yet more than halfway through his rookie season, Dach is doing the opposite.

‘‘I’ve always wanted to be a complete centerman and find that two-way game, where you’re able to be counted on defensively and offensively,’’ Dach said Saturday. ‘‘I’ve worked hard on that aspect.’’

Dach’s season so far can be divided into three portions. In his first 11 games, he had no stable linemates and played few minutes (10 per game at five-on-five). The results were fine, but they weren’t very interesting.

In his next 16 games, he started to develop some line consistency. Carpenter and Zack Smith were alongside him more often than not, and his five-on-five minutes increased to just less than 12 per game. After a torrid four-game stretch, Dach really struggled. The Hawks were outscored 7-0 at five-on-five in a 12-game span with him on the ice, and his scoring-chance ratio was a miserable 42.1 percent.

In his last 15 games (entering Saturday), Dach has played a lot alongside Alex DeBrincat, and his five-on-five minutes are up to about 13.5 per game. He has been on the ice for seven Hawks goals (and six against), even though he has only one point individually. His offensive role has decreased, partly because of playing with a shoot-first guy such as DeBrincat. He has taken only 17.8 percent of the Hawks’ shots during his shifts, down from 23 percent before, which was already low.

And yet he has become fantastic defensively. For the season, Dach ranks second only to Highmore (and his 18 appearances) among 14 Hawks forwards in fewest opponents’ shots per minute. And he only has improved that rate in his last 15 games, despite playing with a defender as historically poor as DeBrincat.

The Hawks certainly want Dach’s offensive side to reveal itself — and the sooner, the better. But if this is the path he takes to stardom, there’s nothing wrong with it.

Chicago Sun-Times

Dominik Kubalik’s explosive January marches on as Blackhawks hammer Maple Leafs

Ben Pope Jan. 18, 2020

TORONTO — Wing Dominik Kubalik’s rise from overlooked European league star to bona fide NHL player is a nice story.

When Kubalik said last week that he entered training camp just hoping to make the Blackhawks’ roster and that he ‘‘can’t believe’’ the success he has had since, it was a heartwarming moment. The 24-year-old Czech’s humble approachability — he contentedly occupies his corner-of-the-locker-room spot among taxi-squad guys — has endeared him to teammates even more.

But Kubalik quickly is becoming more than a cool tale, more than a pleasant surprise.

With another big night in the Hawks’ 6-2 victory Saturday against the Maple Leafs, Kubalik is cementing himself as a should-be key piece of the team for years to come.

‘‘He showed right away, early in the season, that he’s a gifted goal-scorer,’’ Jonathan Toews said. ‘‘Now, if you get moved to a top line, you’re expected to play good two-way hockey against other teams’ top lines. And he’s shown that he can be a top player in all facets of the game.’’

The chemistry between Kubalik and Toews went up another notch late in the second period, when Kubalik batted in a lofted pass from Toews from knee height. It was a swing worthy of Wrigley — or Guaranteed Rate — Field.

It was Toews’ fourth point and Kubalik’s second goal of the night and extended impressive streaks for both players.

Toews has 12 points in his last five games and 28 in his last 20. And Kubalik has scored nine goals in his last seven games. He’s up to 20 this season, including 18 at even strength, tying him with Hawks teammate Patrick Kane and reigning Art Ross Trophy winner Nikita Kucherov for eighth in the NHL. Among rookies, he has more than doubled second-place Cale Makar and Martin Necas.

‘‘It sounds unreal,’’ Kubalik said.

‘‘He’s finding different ways to score,’’ coach Jeremy Colliton said. ‘‘It’s fun to watch. He’s shooting the puck, he’s going to the net, pucks are going in off him, he’s playing baseball.’’

When Kubalik scored the Hawks’ first home goal of the season on Oct. 10, he did so while playing on a line with Brandon Saad and David Kampf.

Kubalik’s career trajectory — a free agent at the end of this season, he suddenly looks poised for a sizable new contract — and role on the Hawks have changed dramatically and unexpectedly since. At this point, he needs to be viewed as an important piece of the Hawks’ young generation, not merely a productive complementary scorer.

Saad, who returned to the lineup after a month injured and scored one of the Hawks’ three goals in the first 11 minutes, said he saw it coming all along.

‘‘Even early on, getting a chance to play with him and see the things he can do, [I knew it was] only a matter of time,’’ Saad said. ‘‘He’s got the size and the speed and a great . The more he gets experience, the more confidence he gets, and you’re seeing that now. He’s a pretty special player.’’

Kubalik’s eruption this month has coincided with the Hawks’ most impressive extended run of the season. They have won four consecutive games, including all three on their road trip, and 10 of their last 14.

It all seems to be working, even attempting a baseball play on a hockey rink.

The Daily Herald

Blackhawks catching fire at right time

John Dietz Jan. 18, 2020

What in the heck is going on with the Blackhawks?

Left for dead in mid-December after a four-game losing streak, the Hawks are suddenly one of the hottest teams in the league after completing a 3-0-0 road trip by thrashing host Toronto 6-2 on Saturday.

Jonathan Toews and Dominik Kubalik had 2 goals each, and Drake Caggiula and Brandon Saad also scored against the Maple Leafs. It was Saad's first appearance since injuring his ankle in a win over Winnipeg on Dec. 19.

Patrick Kane now has 999 career points after recording an assist on Saad's first-period goal that made it 3-0. The Hawks (23-20-6) have won four straight, are 11-5-0 in their last 16 and are suddenly right in the thick of the wild-card race.

"We feel good about ourselves and believe in what we're doing," coach Jeremy Colliton told reporters. "But we've got to earn that feeling every day. It's important that we don't just think it's going to happen because we've been playing better.

"There's work that goes into it. We've got to prepare and then we've got to compete when it's time. Overall we've been doing that."

So, what's going on? Let's break it down:

• First and foremost, the Hawks are playing a better team game and aren't getting discouraged when things go against them. Cases in point: They scored 3 straight goals in a 4-2 win over Anaheim after falling behind 3:37 into the game on Jan. 11; they stayed patient after falling behind Ottawa 2-0 and came back to win in Tuesday; and they held firm after a Phillip Danault goal trimmed the lead to 2-1 in Montreal on Wednesday.

"Whatever situation we find ourselves in, we're playing good hockey. It's fun," Toews said. "We're playing a complete game right now, so we're showing each other what our potential really is if we play the right way."

• Kubalik and Toews are absolutely dominating. With 20 goals on the season and 9 in the last seven games, Kubalik has to be a serious contender for the Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie. His second goal against Toronto came when he batted a pass from Toews out of midair and smacked it into the net to make it 6-2.

"That is the goal of the night in the ," Eddie Olczyk said on the NBC SportsChicago broadcast.

Said Colliton: "He's finding different ways to score. It's fun to watch. He's shooting the puck, he's going to the net, pucks are going in off him, he's playing baseball. He's a great kid, so happy to see him have some success."

Toews, meanwhile, has 28 points in the last 20 games, with 4 coming against the Leafs.

• The kill has been ridiculous. Led by Toews, Ryan Carpenter, Zack Smith, Connor Murphy, Duncan Keith and Olli Maatta, this unit has stopped 32 of 35 power-play opportunities since Dec. 18.

• Young players like Kirby Dach, Matthew Highmore and defenseman Adam Boqvist are playing with more confidence.

• And let's not forget about Kane, who extended his point streak to nine games against Toronto. The 31-year-old superstar is on pace for a third 100-point season and continues to strike fear in opponents every time he comes over the boards.

The Hawks now return home to face Winnipeg on Sunday and Joel Quenneville's Florida Panthers on Tuesday. They'll then have 10 days off before playing at Arizona on Feb. 1.

The Athletic (Chicago)

London calling: Patrick Kane returns to the rink where it all began

Mark Lazerus Jan. 18, 2020

LONDON, Ontario — Everything had come so easily to Patrick Kane all season: the goals, the points, the wins. During a dizzying 2006-07 regular season with the , playing absurd minutes at an even more absurd level with linemates and Sergei Kostitsyn, Kane simply tore up the .

He had seven hat tricks, including a four-goal game to push him over the 60-goal mark in the penultimate game of the season. He had 11 three-point nights, 10 four-point nights, six five-point nights and one seven-point night. He led the league with a ridiculous 145 points in 58 games, still the league record for an American-born player. Kane became a puck-carrying playmaker in the NHL, but back then? He was a pure sniper.

“You couldn’t get a good picture of him,” said longtime London Free Press photographer Mike Hensen. “Because the puck was never on his stick. The second he got it, he already shot it.”

But then came the OHL playoffs, and Kane was suddenly human again. The Knights had blown a 3-0 series lead to Sault Ste. Marie in the second round and were facing a Game 7 on home ice. Kane had one point in Games 4 and 5 combined and just one goal in the three straight losses. Something was off. He was in pain, having trouble eating. He thought it might be an ear infection. Turned out his wisdom teeth were impacted.

On the morning of Game 7, Kane had them removed. Anyone who’s had their wisdom teeth out knows there’s plenty of lingering pain and grogginess from the procedure. But mere hours later, Kane had a goal and four assists in an 8-4 victory.

“He took over Game 7,” Gagner said. “He’s always had that ability — and you’ve seen it in the NHL — to not let the moment faze him. He’s always been a big-moment guy who scores important goals. He’s there when you need him. You’ve seen him doing it in the NHL in the Stanley Cup (final) and all that? Well, it started back then.”

It all started back then. During that one glorious season in the little slice of hockey heaven that is London, Kane transformed from a tiny kid into a giant of the sport, from a kid with huge shoes to fill to a superstar whose shoes others would try to fill, from a middling NHL prospect to the No. 1 overall pick.

And on Friday night, Kane’s No. 88 — he was the 88th pick in the 2004 OHL draft, taken from a team called Detroit Honeybaked — was raised to the rafters of Budweiser Gardens, never to be worn by another Knights player. He joined the likes of Brendan Shanahan, Dino Ciccarelli, Darryl Sittler, Corey Perry and Dave Bolland in those rafters.

“I told them it was just going to go right up and cover Bolland,” Kane joked before the ceremony, before turning more wistful. “It’s just amazing that I’m getting honored in the first place.”

So much was the same for Kane. The name of the rink had changed, but other than that, it might as well have been frozen in 2007. The dressing room was the same, the sombrero given out for hat tricks was the same (he still has a few in his parents’ house in Buffalo), the roar of the standard 9,000-fan sellout was the same.

Roaming the dressing room before the game, Kane sifted through the annual team photos to find his year’s group.

It was considerably farther from the end than he expected.

“Things always seem to go by pretty quickly, and it’s crazy to think I’m in my 13th (NHL) year now,” he said.

When he arrived in London on Friday night, he was a conquering hero. Hordes of fans pressed themselves into a metal barrier outside the Knights dressing room to get a glimpse, a photo, an autograph. There were red Blackhawks jerseys, white ones, black ones — all with No. 88 stitched onto the back. One young fan had Kane’s image on his socks, the poor guy’s face stretched beyond recognition around the kid’s calves. Kane’s parents were there. His sisters were there. His girlfriend was there. Blackhawks brass Stan Bowman, Norm Maciver and Al MacIsaac were there.

But when Kane arrived in London all those years ago, he was nobody, really. Just another teenaged prospect trying to make it big. Oh, he was on draft boards, but nowhere near the top. He was pegged as a third- or fourth-rounder, not fast enough to make up for the fact that he was not big enough. And it pissed him off. When Knights coach Dale Hunter and GM Mark Hunter sat down with him and told him where he was projected, it ate at him.

“I couldn’t believe it, to be honest with you,” he said. “Because I thought I was a lot better than that. I just had a 100- point season at the U.S. development program. We won U-18 gold there, and I saw a lot of my teammates getting drafted that year in the first round. Erik Johnson was first overall, and he was on my team. So all these guys are getting drafted, and I’m getting told I’m a third-round pick in the next year’s draft. It kind of threw me off a little bit.”

Gagner, who became one of Kane’s closest friends in London, saw a lot more potential right away.

“It’s his size, and it’s not like he’s the fastest player in the world,” Gagner said. “His speed is underrated, but when you get those initial prospect rankings, everyone’s looking at size and speed and all that stuff. You have to see him play to see how talented he is. Early on I saw the rankings, and he was ranked fourth round of something. Then you see him in the preseason and you’re like, how is that possible with the amount of skill he has?”

It didn’t take Kane long to shoot up the charts. Two points in his first game. Three in his second. Three in his third. Four in his sixth. Five in his seventh.

Word traveled fast.

“Guys would ask me what he’s like in the gym, and I’m like, he doesn’t really care about it,” Gagner said. “At the time, he didn’t. I know he’s changed a little bit in that regard, but at that time, he worked on his hands, he made sure he was sharp, he watched games and he tried to better himself that way. Everyone at that age is telling you you’ve got to get bigger and stronger and faster in the gym. But for him, it was always, ‘I want to be a better hockey player. I don’t want to be better at training.’ He never really listened to people in that regard. He knew what was going to make him successful, and he just went out and did it. He just took over games. He has a hockey IQ maybe higher than anyone I’ve ever seen, and he’s always working at it. That’s what sets him apart.”

It helped playing for Dale Hunter’s Knights. Kane and Gagner were essentially replacing Bolland and Rob Schremp, who had 57 goals each the previous season. Thrown into the fire on the top line with — in his second season with the Knights — it was more alchemy than chemistry, instant and magical. Kane was the gunner, and Gagner and Kostitsyn were the setup men, but really, all three of them could do it all. Kostitsyn finished with 91 assists, the highest total in the OHL of the past 25 years. Kane and Gagner each had 83 assists. Their point totals: Kane 145, Kostitsyn 131, Gagner 118.

Hunter let them run wild, playing them 25-30 minutes most nights. In the playoffs, the trio frequently played more than half the game. They’d play all two minutes of every power play, and boy oh boy were there power plays. The OHL had adopted the new NHL rules that came out of the 2004-05 lockout. The crackdown on obstruction was real, and it was spectacular.

“I remember nights when you’d have 11 or 12 power plays,” Kane said. “When you’re playing two minutes on the power play every time, that’s 24 minutes right there. It feels like you’re playing the whole game. Lot of fun. Fun hockey. (Gagner and Kostitsyn) were really skilled, offensive-minded players that were never really satisfied with one or two points. They always wanted to be up there (with) three, four, five, six points. It was fun to play with those guys.”

Still, it took some time for the spoiled Knights community to see what it had in Kane.

“He was a third- or fourth-rounder,” said veteran London Free Press beat writer Ryan Pyette. “We knew he was a good player, but we had just seen Schremp and Bolland. So when he started scoring, I was like, ‘Ehh, I’ve seen this before.’ I was used to it. But when he came back from world juniors, I’ve never seen anybody control a game the way he did.”

Indeed, that’s when Kane made the switch from light speed to ludicrous speed. He had five goals and four assists in seven games at the world juniors, as the Americans finished in third place. He came back from Sweden a man possessed, posting 27 points in nine January games, leaving his linemates in the dust. Pyette recalled the way he simply dominated the competition, even bigger, stronger guys. With his wide base, he’d go into a board battle with a player 6 inches taller and 50 pounds heavier, and they’d bounce off him. Pyette can still see 6-foot-1, 210-pound Josh Godfrey of Sault Ste. Marie trying to smoke the little guy along the boards and instead buckling himself, losing his balance and the puck.

Kane had leveled up.

“Right before we left for world juniors, we were tied in scoring,” Gagner said. “The last game before we left, in Windsor, he got five points and I got none. He ran off on me, and I never had a chance again.”

Gagner’s dad, Dave, was a Knights assistant coach. About a quarter of the way through the season, Dave Gagner approached Kane to give him a pat on the back and tell him how well he was doing.

“I’ve got better,” Kane responded.

“My dad was like, ‘What? You’ve got better? You’re tearing it up!” Sam Gagner recalled, laughing. “And he did have better. Because the last half of the season, he took off — and he never looked back.”

The lone blemish on Kane’s remarkable 2006-07 season is that the Knights didn’t win the Memorial Cup, falling to eventual champion Plymouth in the third round.

“They had James Neal and a big, punishing team,” Pyette said. “And Plymouth’s strategy was: ‘We’re going to slam Kane and Gagner right through the boards. We don’t care if we take penalties; we’re going to hit them from behind.’ They said that. (The Knights) took a physical beating, and it just wore them down. That was the end.”

Despite not even making the final round, Kane won the postseason scoring title with 31 points (10 goals, 21 assists). He was just that dominant. He and his line were just toying with people all season.

It was just as much fun off the ice, a bunch of teenagers living far from home, forgoing college to chase their NHL dreams.

“He’s a little more reserved now than he was back then, but we had a lot of fun together,” Gagner said. “He’s always really loved the game, and he’ll do whatever is necessary to be the best player he can be. And it was no different back then. He always was really hard on himself in that regard. It made him the player he is today.”

And that was Kane’s message to the newest crop of London Knights, which includes four NHL first-round picks and a potential future teammate: Blackhawks defensive prospect and Knights co-captain Alec Regula. Make the most of your time in London, because it’ll help make you the player you one day become.

“I remember when I was a young kid,” Kane said. “I just kind of told them, ‘Enjoy being a London Knight. Enjoy playing here.’ These guys know what they’re doing; they’re super smart, and obviously they have a great track record. The biggest thing is to enjoy it. You’ve got to have fun; you’ve got to enjoy the game.”

Because one season — hell, 13 seasons — goes by in a blink.

The Athletic (Chicago)

The Wraparound: Their confidence soaring, the Blackhawks are leveling off and leveling up

Mark Lazerus Jan. 18, 2020

TORONTO — I was inartfully asking a question, as I so frequently do, about the Blackhawks’ remarkable resiliency but also their maddening need for said resiliency, cramming two or three separate thoughts into one largely incoherent query.

But Robin Lehner got the gist.

“You mean the roller coaster you keep using?”

Ah, yes. I keep forgetting he’s seeing all those tweets.

But yes, I essentially meant the roller coaster GIF I keep tweeting after every hot streak, every cold snap, every blown lead, every miraculous comeback victory — the endless ups and downs of this most unusual and most fascinating Blackhawks season. Every time you write them off, they pull out an unlikely win or two. Every time you think they’ve figured it all out, they lay an egg against a lousy team. Every time you think a game’s over, it’s not — for better or for worse.

What I was trying to ask is how do you level that thing out? Somehow, someway, the Blackhawks have elbowed their way back into the playoff picture. There is ground to make up and there are teams to leapfrog, but it’s there. Against all odds, it’s feasible. But with that hope comes an urgency, a need to stop squandering points. No more 7-1 losses to the Devils, no more blown third-period leads to the Canucks.

These guys have more character than any Blackhawks team since the indomitable 2015 Stanley Cup champions. But how do they get to the point where they don’t need to lean on that character so heavily?

“I don’t know exactly,” Lehner said. “We’re still not there, we still have our letdown games, obviously. We’re trying to get better at that. But I think for the last 15 games, maybe, we’re starting to be a little more patient. We’re sticking with it. We’re not trying to chase the game and stuff like that. It’s no secret formula. We know we have to win games, and we know we have a good enough team. It’s just trying to mentally prepare to be as ready as we can every single game now. We know every point till the break is crucial for us to be within striking distance for a push after the break. That’s the mindset right now.”

Marching across Eastern Canada is an awfully good start. The Blackhawks capped a three-game road sweep of the Senators, Canadiens and Maple Leafs with a rare laugher — a 6-2 victory that was never really in doubt. Jonathan Toews continued his torrid play with two goals and two assists, Dominik Kubalik scored two more goals, including a baseball swing for the ages, to hit the 20-goal mark, and Brandon Saad returned after a 12-game absence and scored. About the only thing that didn’t go right was Patrick Kane remaining stuck on 999 points after picking up just one assist. He’ll get a chance to reach 1,000 at home Sunday night against the Jets.

That’s four straight wins for the Blackhawks, and 10 wins in their past 14 games. There are sure to be bumps along the way, but is the roller-coaster ride finally over? After all, they went 8-4 without Saad — arguably their most consistently effective all-around player this season — and now have him back, with Dylan Strome likely on the way following the All- Star break and bye week.

Theoretically, it should only get better, right? We should be, at the very least, looking at meaningful hockey in March?

“We’ve made some great strides as a team (during Saad’s injury),” Toews said. “It’s always nice to be able to do that when you’re dealing with injuries and some adversity. When we start getting some of our key guys back in the lineup, Saader being one of them, it’s only going to give us another boost. Guys are feeling good, we’re excited, we’re happy with how far we’ve come and how hard we’ve had to work to get our team game where it’s at right now. I don’t think anyone’s forgetting the rough patches we hit earlier in the season, but it’ll be nice to get a guy like Saader back in and just get him back on board.”

Confidence is clearly at a season high for this team. The players were all smiles and laughs and wisecracks in the postgame locker room, a far cry from the frequent morose scenes we saw in October, and late November, and mid- December and… well, you get the idea. The roller-coaster has been real.

The playoffs are still a long shot for the Blackhawks. They entered this game with a 24 percent chance of making the postseason, per The Athletic’s model. That’ll only go up a few ticks after throttling the Leafs. But the fact is, the Blackhawks have just five fewer points than the Leafs — who not too long ago were still being billed as Cup contenders — through 49 games.

There’s hope. There’s confidence. There’s momentum. And for the first time all season, there might be some stability, too.

“We’ve got to make sure we keep this momentum going,” Drake Caggiula said. “We’ve got to keep playing with confidence and play the way we’ve been playing. We’ve been doing a really good job lately, and we’ve got to make sure we close it out the next two games going into the break. Keep the train rolling.”

Who knows? Might be time to find a train GIF.

2. “What’s with this Koo-BAH-lick guy?”

I had at least three members of the massive Toronto press contingent ask me some variation of that question — all with the same mispronunciation — at Blackhawks practice on Friday.

By the end of Saturday night, they knew all about him.

Kubalik has forced his way into the Calder Trophy discussion by scoring nine goals in seven games, including two beauties against the Leafs. His first was a snipe on a breakaway, your standard Kubalik goal (many of his teammates already have declared him the best shooter on the team, ahead of even Kane and Alex DeBrincat). Kubalik’s second was unlike any we’ve seen in years. Toews carried the puck all over the ice before flinging a backhand pass across the goalmouth; it never touched the ice. Kubalik batted it out of the air and in for a ridiculous baseball-style tally. Even Toews was amazed, throwing his arms in the air and then clasping his hands over his head in disbelief.

“I don’t know what happened there,” Kubalik said with a sheepish grin. “I was just going to the net and tried to hit it, and it went in. It was actually a nice goal, but lots of luck there.”

Kubalik leads all rookies with 20 goals, and his nearest competitor, Buffalo’s Victor Olofsson, is out until sometime in February at the earliest with an injury. Colorado defenseman Cale Makar is still the clear frontrunner, but Kubalik has caught the attention of the hockey world.

“He’s got a great, great shot,” Toews said. “There’s a lot of great players in the league that can shoot the puck these days, but he just seems to have a nose for anticipating when myself or whoever’s on our line is going to get the puck in an open area and be able to find him. He’s always hitting those open areas where he’s ready to catch and shoot and create something off of that. He’s getting more and more comfortable and he’s just thinking the game better and better every single night. So it’s nice to see and pucks are going in for him right now. It was just a matter of time for a guy like him, with his level of ability.”

Kubalik laughed in disbelief when I asked him what it’s like to score nine goals in seven games in the NHL.

“Sounds unreal,” he said.

And for the record, it’s KOO-bah-leek.”

3. In the five games since he returned from a two-month absence because of a concussion, Caggiula has seen Toews post four goals and eight assists, while Kubalik has potted seven goals. So yeah, it’s a fun line to be on.

“Yeah, it makes it real easy when you throw a backhand sauce pass six feet in the air and somehow it gets batted in,” Caggiula said with a laugh. “It’s fun to watch. It’s fun to be a part of. It’s a fun ride right now.”

His linemates are getting the points, but Caggiula deserves much of the credit. He had a goal and an assist for the second straight game — tallying just 21 seconds in — and has been visible in all corners of the rink. His two-month absence was excruciating, both physically and mentally as he just couldn’t quite clear the final hurdle of his recovery. But it also left him with fresh legs and a renewed sense of urgency. An Andrew Shaw-style energy guy, when Caggiula gets going, it gets everyone else going.

“He creates energy,” Toews said. “Similar to paying with John Quenneville out there, where it makes my life a lot easier. I can just watch him go buzz in the corners and create loose pucks, then we get a good cycle going. I just think we’re predictable for each other right now, and Cags is making great plays. It doesn’t matter who’s getting the chance or the goals, it’s nice to get those pluses as a line.”

Caggiula tried to make the most of his absence, doing some intense video study to find flaws in his game and things he could improve — the kind of stuff you simply don’t have time for during the season.

“Throughout the summer, it’s hard to know exactly what you need to work on because you’re kind of out of the hockey mode,” he said. “And once you get into the season, it’s hard to practice that individual stuff because you’re just doing the team stuff and you’ve got to get your rest. I watched a lot of individual video and found areas of the game I can really grow and better myself, and I’ve been able to apply those to the game. I feel a lot more comfortable on the ice. It’s been a good little stretch for me, but I can’t get complacent. I’ve got to keep growing.’

4. With family and friends in town for his jersey-retirement ceremony in London on Friday night, Kane was very much trying to pick up point No. 1,000 late in the game, but couldn’t make it happen. The bright side? He’ll have two chances to do it at home before he goes to St. Louis for the All-Star break.

“It’ll be exciting,” Toews said. “I’m sure he’s almost looking forward to getting it over with so people will stop asking him about it. But it’ll be a moment we’re excited to share with him, too.”

5. Toews joked before the game that he was getting sick of hearing about Kane’s race to 1,000. And the way Toews is going, it’s almost like he wants to get there first.

Toews has four multi-point games in his past five outings, and five games with at least three points in his past 20. In his past 22 games, he’s got 10 goals and 19 assists. After a frustratingly slow start to the season, he’s on pace for 72 points, which would be the third-highest total of his career.

“Well, he’s a great player and he has the ability to put up numbers, no question,” coach Jeremy Colliton said. “Just like anyone else, though, I just look at how he plays. And of course, I want him to score, and it’s good for the team because they count up the goals at the end. That’s what’s important. But you play well, you get rewarded. … You know he’s one of the guys doing a really good job, and it’s nice to see the puck go in the net for him.”

Toews is approaching his own round number, as he currently sits at 798 career points. That sets up the fun possibility of a goal in the next game or two on which Duncan Keith gets his 100th goal, Kane gets his 1,000th point, and Toews gets his 800th point.

“I got some work to do,” Toews said. “I got a ways to go.”

6. Kirby Dach has one goal and no assists in his past 28 games. For most 18-year-olds, that would be a crushing, confidence-wrecking drought. Hell, for most 18-year-olds, that would mean scratches or demotions or, heaven forbid, being sent back to juniors.

But Dach isn’t most 18-year-olds.

“(My confidence) is still high,” he said. “I think I’m still playing good hockey and I’m getting chances. When the chances start to go away, then I’m going to get worried. But I’ve just got to find a way to stick with it and keep playing my game. I think there’s areas in my game that have improved quite a bit from the start of the season, but I think I need to shoot the puck a little bit more and be more selfish there.”

That’s quite a veteran perspective for a youngster with all of 42 NHL games under his belt. Hanging out with the old guys helps.

“There’s a lot of veteran guys in the locker room I can learn from,” he said. “I live with (Brent Seabrook) and still talk to him daily. He’s helped me out a lot and (Duncan Keith, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane) — the list goes on and on in this dressing room with a bunch of guys I have a ton of respect for and (who have) accomplished so much in their careers. It’s good for me to learn from those guys.”

Dach’s not wrong, either. At even strength, the Blackhawks have played to an 18-18 tie with Dach on the ice. Among Blackhawks regulars, only Connor Murphy is on the ice for fewer shot attempts against per 60 minutes, and only Calvin de Haan and Dylan Strome are on the ice for fewer goals-against per 60 minutes. He’s playing sound defensive hockey and he’s helping create offense, even if he’s not getting on the scoresheet. His work along the boards in puck battles and his presence in the goalmouth have been valuable.

Just ask his coach.

“When the puck goes in the net, it’s good for the team, so of course you’d love to see him break through,” Colliton said. “But as far as how we evaluate his progression, we’re very happy with how he’s improved as the year’s gone on. He’s playing very well defensively, he’s physical, he’s got a great stick, he’s making a lot of plays. The points haven’t been there, but I think he’s been part of the production of some of the other guys throughout this stretch where I think he’s played really well, but he just happens to not touch the puck at the end. It doesn’t mean he’s not doing great things. And he will break through — he’s too great a player, he’s too skilled, he’s very smart, he’s going to be a big part now of this season, helping us get better.”

It’s still an adjustment, though. After all, Dach had 25 goals and 48 assists in 62 games with the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades last season. He’s a smaller fish in a much bigger pond, and it takes some time to get used to.

“It’s a little bit different going from being the top dog of your team to kind of learning the ropes and finding your way in the league,” Dach said. “But I’ve gone through that before coming into junior at 15-16. You kind of have to learn you can do things in certain situations and maybe get away with it against certain team’s defensive schemes. But you have to know who you’re out on the ice against all the teams and make the plays accordingly.”

7. Through his first seven seasons, Saad had never missed more than four games in a campaign. In all, he had missed just 10 games, and two of them were healthy scratches. So to miss a full month and a dozen games with an ankle injury was particularly frustrating for the durable power forward.

“It’s tough, sitting and watching from home,” he said. “Mentally is the biggest thing. You’re going to the rink every day, you’re doing your rehab, you’re away from the guys. It almost feels like you’re in summer training or the season’s over. But there’s still lots of hockey to be played.”

Since the Blackhawks fared quite well in Saad’s absence, the injury could prove a blessing in disguise. Thanks to the coming break, aside from these few games, Saad will have had nearly seven weeks off in the middle of the season.

“Anytime you can let the body heal, it’s good,” he said. “We play a lot of games, so you get a lot of wear and tear. So that part of it is good. But you never want to be injured, out and sitting and watching hockey. It has pros and cons.”

8. Colliton, in his 15th month as Blackhawks coach, already is the 16th longest-tenured coach in the NHL. One of the many new faces behind benches around the league is Toronto’s Sheldon Keefe, who, like Colliton, had to replace a giant in the business in Mike Babcock. Colliton actually worked alongside Keefe at a Leafs development camp when he was still coaching in Sweden, joking that he “stole a couple things.”

“There’s been a lot of changes,” Colliton said. “More than anything, it just reinforces that the demands are high in the job, and there’s a lot of pressure on everyone to get results. And that’s the way it is. Doesn’t really change how you approach it. Every day, you try to be as efficient as you can be and move it ahead and show you want to build. We’re trying to build our game and let everything else sort itself out.”

9. Brandon Hagel joined the team in Toronto for Friday’s practice but didn’t make his NHL debut Saturday night. With Strome unlikely to return before the All-Star break, it’s possible he gets in Sunday against Winnipeg or Tuesday against Florida.

In his first pro season, Hagel has 13 goals and eight assists in 38 games with the Rockford IceHogs. He likely translates more into a bottom-six forward in the NHL, but Colliton likes the potential of the former sixth-round pick of the .

“He’s played really well in Rockford,” Colliton said. “He brings something similar to (Matthew) Highmore in just his work ethic. He’s a great skater, he wins races, he plays with a little edge. He does have some skill, he showed he can produce in the Western League last year (41 goals and 61 assists in 66 games with Red Deer). We like that mentality in our team: relentless, hard to play against. He’s got a little bit of rat in him, and we like that. When he gets in, I don’t know exactly. But we definitely brought him here with the intention that he would get in at some point.”

10. There are just two more games on the schedule before the Blackhawks get 10 days off for the All-Star break and their bye week. The players, of course, can’t wait to scatter to the winds (or, more accurately, to Mexico), but Colliton sort of wishes he could spread those days off around the season so he could squeeze a few more practices into the hectic schedule.

“Selfishly, you’d love to practice a little more, but it’s the same for all the teams,” he said. “So I guess the challenge is how do you make use of the time you have and do it more efficiently than everyone else. That’s what you try to do. I think for the players, it is nice to get away. For coaches, too, to just be able to turn your brain off for a few days and not think about everything all the time. I think that’s a benefit. Obviously to get yourself ramped up again physically might be a challenge, but I think the quality of play right after the bye week, once they get the kinks out, is better.”

NBC Sports Chicago

Jonathan Toews leading the way for bounce-back Blackhawks

Scott King Jan. 18, 2020

Patrick Kane is the one a hair away from 1,000 career points, but Saturday night it seemed liked Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews was the one hungry for a major milestone.

Toews sits at 798 career points after a four-point outing (two goals, two assists) in the Hawks' 6-2 win in Toronto over the Maple Leafs, giving Chicago their fourth straight win and a perfect three-game road trip through Eastern Canada with the first two wins coming against the Ottawa Senators and .

After a mostly up-and-down season, the Hawks are now three games above .500 (23-20-6) and four points out of a Wild Card spot with two games at home (Sunday and Tuesday) before heading to the All-Star break.

"We take it one game at a time and I think we're doing a great job of focusing on the task at hand and whatever situation we find ourselves in, we're playing good hockey," Toews said. "It's fun. I think we're playing a complete game right now. We're showing each other what our potential really is if we play the right way and we're getting the results for our hard work."

The Blackhawks captain has 12 points (four goals, eight assists) in a five-game point streak. After a slow start to the season, the 2010 Conn Smythe trophy winner is performing beyond a point-a-game pace since Nov. 2.

Toews scored five-hole on Maple Leafs goalie Frederik Andersen at 5:32 of the first period, then scored on a wraparound at 3:19 of the second. He later assisted on Dominik Kubalik's goal to put the Hawks up 5-1 at 10:58 of the second and set up Kubalik's marker at 17:42 of the second to give Chicago a 6-2 lead and the final score.

"Not a whole lot of leads you feel comfortable with against this team," Toews said following the contest. "They're pretty explosive offensively, so I think all five guys were pretty cognizant of who you're playing against and just making sure we're trying to frustrate them, take away their ability to create and our offense kind of came from that."

The captain's assist on Kubalik's second goal of the game was one of the most impressive plays of the season across the league. Toews backhanded the puck towards the net from the right wall and Kubalik hit it in cleanly with his blade in mid-air in front of the net past Andersen.

"I (thought) it was maybe a foot or two lower, like on the ice," Toews said of his impressive pass from the boards. "It was probably more my intention, but just kind of floated one in there and as they say, you can't give a good player a bad pass, I tried my best on that one and he still found a way to get a stick on it."

Toews seems to have Andersen's number. He's scored 10 goals on the goalie in his career, including five during the regular season and five across seven days in the 2015 Western Conference final.

NBC Sports Chicago

3 Takeaways: Jonathan Toews grabs 4 points, Blackhawks grab 4-straight wins

Scott King Jan. 18, 2020

Here are some takeaways from the Blackhawks fourth-straight win as Patrick Kane continues his quest for 1K:

Streaking Hawks

The Blackhawks won their fourth straight game on Saturday in Toronto 6-2. The victory gave the Hawks a perfect three- game sweep to close out their road trip in Eastern Canada.

The Hawks won 3-2 against the Senators in Ottawa on Tuesday and 4-1 over the Canadiens in Montreal on Wednesday.

Chicago is now three games over .500 (23-20-6) and four points out of a Wild Card spot.

Drake Caggiula scored 21 seconds in to set the tone and put the Hawks ahead 1-0 with a trick shot, bouncing the puck over goalie Frederik Andersen's back, from behind the goal line and later picked up an assist. Caggiula has points in two straight after grabbing a goal and an assist in Montreal.

His energy and buzz around the net has been incredibly noticeable and something that's given Chicago a lift during the streak and since he returned from a concussion five games ago.

The Blackhawks play the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday and the Florida Panthers on Tuesday (Q!!!!), both at the United Center before the All-Star break.

Saad returns

Blackhawks forward Brandon Saad returned to the lineup after being sidelined since Dec. 19 with a right-ankle injury. The Hawks were missing the winger who can be effective anywhere in the lineup and was one of the most consistently good players on the team prior to his injury.

Saad was given a big opportunity on Saturday, being thrown on the left wing of the Hawks' second line with Ryan Carpenter centering and Patrick Kane on the right.

Saad had 19 points (11 goals, eight assists) in 36 games with the Hawks this season before being injured. On Saturday, he scored at 11:02 of the first period, putting the Hawks up 3-0 and giving Kane, who assisted on the goal, career point No. 999.

Johnny be good

Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews kept up his stellar play of late and extended his point streak to five games, grabbing four points in Toronto.

Toews scored five-hole on Andersen at 5:32 of the first period, then scored on a wraparound at 3:19 of the second. He later assisted on Dominik Kubalik's goal to put the Hawks up 5-1 at 10:58 of the second.

Toews also set up Kubalik's marker at 17:42 of the second to give Chicago a 6-2 lead, backhanding the puck towards the net from the right wall to Kubalik, who hit it in cleanly with his blade in mid-air past Andersen.

Toews has 12 points (four goals, eight assists) during his streak. NBC Sports Chicago

Blackhawks star Patrick Kane’s legacy will live on forever in London after jersey retirement

Charlie Roumeliotis Jan. 17, 2020

LONDON, Ont. — Patrick Kane will forever be linked to the London Knights after having his No. 88 jersey retired on Friday in a special pregame ceremony. And it was an emotional moment for the Blackhawks superstar, which doesn’t happen often.

“I didn’t really expect that,” Kane told NBC Sports Chicago. “I didn’t know what to expect, to be honest with you. I spent one year here. It was a great year. It felt like more than one year with all the memories I made here and all the friends and relationships I have today.

"The video was pretty special. Obviously with the things that happened in London but even more-so maybe the things that happened in Chicago and everything coming together. You’re just standing there and that’s your career over 13 years, so I think that started hitting me.”

Kane became the ninth player in Knights history to have his number retired, but the first to receive the honor after playing just one season. It’s because it was a historic one.

As a 17-year-old, Kane registered 62 goals and 83 assists for a league-leading 145 points in 58 games during the 2006-07 campaign and was named the ’s Rookie of the Year. He went on to post 31 points (10 goals, 21 assists) in 16 playoff games before falling short in the Conference finals.

But before he committed to the Knights, Kane wasn't drawing as much attention as he would've thought. Draft experts projected him to go in the third round and Kane wasn't buying it.

“I couldn't believe it to be honest with you,” Kane said. “I thought I was a lot better than that."

Did he ever prove them wrong.

Kane quickly started to separate himself from the pack in London, and after a strong performance at the 2007 IIHF World Junior Championship, his name was now being discussed for No. 1 overall. And that's exactly what happened.

“Just coming here, not really worrying about that stuff,” Kane said of the draft hype. “I mean, obviously there's outside noise when it's your draft year but I always said the ice rink is my sanctuary out there. That's what I love to do the most and feel the most comfortable, is being on the ice and playing hockey, making plays and trying to score goals.”

Back in London, Kane got a chance to reflect on how far he's come since his days with the Knights. He's a three-time Stanley Cup champion and a former Hart Trophy winner who's still at the top of his game at age 31.

But touring his old locker room — which he said "looks the exact same" — was a reminder for Kane on how quickly his hockey career has flown by.

"It's crazy to think I'm in my 13th year now," Kane said. "We were just looking for our team picture in the room and I was way too far from the recent teams to where I should've been looking. A little bit of time has passed."

A lot of time has passed, but Kane's impact on the organization and community is everlasting.

Screaming young fans in No. 88 Blackhawks jerseys were in awe that Kane was within reaching distance. He signed autographs, took pictures with as many as he could, shook the hand of longtime faculty members and arena workers that he recognized from his playing days in London and smiled his way around the Budweiser Gardens — which Kane knows as The John Labatt Centre.

Kane even gave the Knights a pep talk in the locker room before the game. Even though he didn't play in London very long, it says something about your legacy when aspiring players are choosing to play for the Knights because they look up to No. 88.

“That’s what it’s all about right there,” Kane said. “I remember being a little kid and looking up to certain hockey players too and wanting to be just like them, so if that’s the way this younger generation looks at me, that’s what it’s all about for me. I enjoy that. That excites me, that makes me happy.”

Blackhawks.com

THREE THINGS: Go Jonny Go, Kubalik on Fire and Saad's Happy Return

Chris Kuc Jan. 18, 2020

Jonathan Toews had two goals and two assists and Dominik Kubalik added two scores and an assist to lead the Blackhawks to a 6-2 victory over the Maple Leafs on Saturday night in Toronto. The Blackhawks swept their three-game road trip that also included stops in Ottawa and Montreal and have won four in a row overall.

"We're doing a great job of focusing on the task at hand," Toews told reporters in Toronto. "Whatever situation we find ourselves in we're playing good hockey. It's fun. We're playing a complete game right now. We're showing each other what our potential really is if we play the right way. We're getting the results for our hard work."

Drake Caggiula added a goal and an assist and Brandon Saad also scored to support the goaltending of Corey Crawford, who made 31 saves to earn his second consecutive win.

Alexander Kerfoot and William Nylander scored for the Maple Leafs but netminder Frederik Andersen allowed six goals on 34 Blackhawks shots.

With wins in eight of their last 11, the Blackhawks stand at 23-20-6 on the season. The Blackhawks have also won seven of their last eight road games.

"Guys are scoring goals, we're also playing well defensively (and) the goaltenders have been great all season so it's all kind of clicking," Saad told reporters. "It's fun to be a part of."

Here are three takeaways from the Blackhawks' victory:

GO JONNY GO

Toews remained red-hot with his four-point night, which included his 13th and 14th goals of the season as well as two primary assists. The captain extended his points streak to five games during which Toews has four goals and eight assists.

The four points gave Toews 798 for his career and after the game joked about a competition with Patrick Kane, who had an assist to come within one point of reaching 1,000 for his career.

"I guess there's a race there," Toews said with a smile. "It's a matter of time before (Kane) gets it so we're excited and hopefully he gets it (Sunday night against the Jets)."

In Toews' last eight games he has five goals and 10 assists and now has 14 goals and 29 helpers this season.

"He's a great player and he has the ability to put up numbers," Blackhawks coach Jeremy Colliton said. "Just like anyone else, though, I just look at how he plays. Of course, I want him to score-it's good for the team because they count up the goals at the end … but if you play well you get rewarded. Maybe you don't produce but you set the table for other guys to produce and I think that's the mentality we need to have in our group.

"You want to get your points but more important it's the job you do for the team when you're on the ice and (Toews) is one of those guys doing a really good job," Colliton continued. "It's nice to see the puck go in for him."

KUBALIK ON FIRE

No rookie in the NHL is as hot as Kubalik, who has at least one goal in six of seven games and two-goal efforts in three of last four. In his last eight games, Kubalik has nine goals and four assists and leads all first-year NHLers with 20 goals.

"It's almost unreal," Kubalik told reporters about his recent run. "I mean, I'm just still trying to do the small things … (and) shoot the puck if I can."

Kubalik's second goal was one for the highlight reel. Toews sent a backhand pass sailing across the ice and Kubalik batted it out of midair and into the top of the net.

"I don't know what happened there, I was just going to the net and I tried to hit it and it went in," Kubalik told reporters. "It was actually a nice goal but it was lots of luck there."

SAAD'S HAPPY RETURN

Saad returned to the lineup after missing 12 games with a ankle injury and didn't miss a step. The winger logged 17:08 of ice time and matched Kane with a team-high four shots on goal.

One of those shots found the back of the net to give the Blackhawks a 3-0 lead after one period. The goal was Saad's 12th of the season and first since Dec. 15.

Before he was injured, Saad was among the Blackhawks' best players this season and his presence in the lineup should provide a big boost.

"I wanted to keep it simple and play good hockey early on and for me to get a goal out of the way, too, always gives you that confidence," Saad told reporters.

The Athletic (Winnipeg)

‘I came out of the womb yelling’: Jets defenceman Anthony Bitetto has always had a personality

Ken Wiebe Jan. 17, 2020

The Long Island accent stands out, though not in a nails-on-the-chalkboard kind of way.

When Anthony Bitetto is in the room, it’s impossible not to notice him.

The Winnipeg Jets defenceman is filled with energy, an infectious quality that helped endear him to a new batch of teammates.

Jets head coach Paul Maurice joked earlier this year that Bitetto hasn’t shut up since he arrived after signing as an unheralded free agent in July — and he meant it in the most positive way possible.

“I was born with that. I think I came out of the womb yelling,” Bitetto said this week. “I don’t know, it just stuck.”

Bitetto is loud and proud.

That’s who he is and he doesn’t apologize for it, nor should he.

“He’s a really caring guy. He’s got a good relationship with every guy in the room,” said Jets forward Andrew Copp. “He’s a guy that keeps the room really light. He’s a jokester and is always in a good mood and ready to laugh. So, it’s great to have a guy on the team like that – especially because we have some serious guys on here – that can elevate the mood of the room, depending on the situation.

“I’ve had guys like that who don’t shut up ever – and he’s definitely one of them. But it’s never at the wrong time. He knows when to keep the room light and if something bad happens, he’s not joking around and being an idiot. He’s a great guy to have on the team and he has the temperature of the room. He’s such an important guy on our team.”

What’s the biggest thing Bitetto has brought to this group?

“Just great vibes. A great guy to have around,” said Jets forward Mathieu Perreault. “He’s always upbeat. Before games, in the room, he’s a guy that’s always talking. On the road, he’s a guy that will set up dinner for the boys to get together and stuff like that. This year has been a lot of fun and part of it was because he’s been around.

“On the ice, he plays hard. He’s blocking shots and doing all of the right things for the team to be successful.”

In an age where most things can be measured, the value of a glue guy remains.

“I don’t know how you quantify it. I can just tell you from being behind the bench there are people that bring your bench up and bring your room together and get you more wired to play,” said Maurice. “He’s done that all year, but his game has solidified here.

“He’s got a good thing going on there. He’s heavy, he moves the puck, he’s bringing an awful lot of energy every night. He’s been very consistent.”

Prior to this season, finding a consistent spot in the lineup had been a challenge for Bitetto, who worked his way onto the but struggled to keep his place in the lineup, stuck on the depth chart behind the likes of Roman Josi, Ryan Ellis, Mattias Ekholm and P.K. Subban.

Joining a Jets club that has endured a high volume of turnover among the defence corps ended up being a bonus for Bitetto, who joined the organization as a depth guy who had an opportunity in front of him but had no guarantees of being on the opening-day roster.

“It was easy for him to find his voice, certainly on a team that didn’t have a strata, we didn’t have a caste system here,” said Maurice. “There weren’t five veterans that were eating up 25 minutes (of ice time) and there weren’t Norris Trophy winners where when you would sit down, you were allowed three words a day on your plan. So, he came in and figured, ‘Hey, I’m as good as most of you, so let’s get after it.’”

Going into Friday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Bitetto had chipped in four assists in 37 games while averaging 15:15 of ice time, which is just over two minutes higher than his career average.

What makes the Bitetto story all the more impressive was that while he got into hockey at a young age, he briefly stepped away from the sport as a teenager.

It wasn’t that he was burned out, but his priorities had shifted.

“When I was 13, I actually quit playing for about six months,” said Bitetto, noting he was a huge New York Rangers fan growing up and wears No. 2 because of Hall of Famer Brian Leetch. “It was at a time where I was focused on playing baseball and I was doing other things. I was working in the pro shop there and (his former team) needed someone for a game. So, I came back and I was like ‘Wow, I miss it.’ So I started playing again.”

Does Bitetto ever wonder how different things might have turned out if he wasn’t pressed into duty that day?

“You could always say ‘What if’ about anything,” said Bitetto. “It was just the right timing to get me back into the game. It could have been a week later that I realized that I missed it. When I got back into it, I had a really good year.”

Even after getting back into hockey full-time, Bitteto’s career goals didn’t include chasing an NHL dream.

“I was going to be an electrician,” said Bitetto. “I did that when I was 14, with my uncle. Every summer I would go to him and we would work together. I found a liking to it. I liked the business aspect of it and the work. He had a group of guys that was good. I always liked that atmosphere and the camaraderie.”

As it turns out, Bitetto’s big break was unexpected.

Playing Tier II hockey with the New York Apple Core, Bitetto left the rink one day, only to be called back by his head coach, Chris Cosentino.

News that he had been traded to the Indiana Ice of the USHL was difficult to process.

“What the hell is in Indiana? I was completely confused,” said Bitetto. “I wasn’t planning on playing college hockey. It was something I was having fun with and then I was going to go and work.

“(Cosentino) felt that I had a future. He traded me for the right reasons. His quote was, ‘Do what you do and do it well.’ That’s stuck with me for my whole career so far.”

That trade ended up changing the course of history for Bitetto.

“I went to Indiana and my coach there at the time was Jeff Blashill,” said Bitetto, referring to the current coach of the Detroit Red Wings. “We wound up winning the whole thing and things opened up from there. It kind of escalated. It propelled my career, I guess.”

Blashill had a big impact on Bitetto’s maturity and growth, both as a player and a person.

But the player also had an impact on the coach and the team he joined.

“Great person, great personality!” Blashill said in an email. “When we traded for him, Anthony was a very strong, tough D-man with good hands but very raw. He needed to work on his skating, balance, and learn how to play defence at a high level.

“Anthony instantaneously became a big piece of our team. He brought a great ‘it’ factor. His fun-loving, high energy and positivity, as well as his physicality and toughness, were needed elements for our team. We made a few trades that year that were extremely important to us winning. Certainly trading for Anthony was one of them. He is simply a great person and teammate. I loved coaching him and enjoy his friendship to this day.”

Following a second season with Indiana in the USHL, Bitetto earned a scholarship at Northeastern University and was chosen by the Predators in the sixth round of the 2010 NHL Draft.

“Tough kid, really tough. Fearless,” said Greg Cronin, who coached Bitetto during his freshman season and is now the bench boss of the AHL’s Colorado Eagles. “That’s the first thing that I noticed, he had a presence about him. He was mature and he was a real transparent person. That translated in terms of the way that he played the game and also the way he was off the ice. He was very reliable. And he’s a very likeable kid. A very strong leader. He checked all of the boxes for character.”

At that stage of his career, Bitetto wasn’t just a physical presence. He put up 35 points over two seasons.

“He tried to be tough to play against and defend with an edge. He had enough hockey sense offensively to be an efficient puck distributor and he was obviously good on the power play,” said Cronin. “I knew that he could play at some level. I didn’t know if it was going to be as a one-way NHL defenceman or a call-up guy or whatever. I didn’t think he would be a top-four guy, but I knew he would have a role as a 6-7.”

Bitetto left Northeastern after his sophomore season, joining the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL for the playoffs while getting a quick taste of the pro lifestyle.

He’d get reintroduced to the business side of hockey that fall after arriving for his first pro training camp with the Admirals.

With the NHL lockout in full effect, the trickle down meant Bitetto was demoted to the ECHL for 21 games.

Following parts of five seasons with the Predators, Bitetto was placed on waivers last January and claimed by the Minnesota Wild — whose GM, Paul Fenton, was quite familiar with the blue liner from his time as Nashville’s assistant GM.

Bitetto became an unrestricted free agent on July 1 and chose to sign a two-way deal with the Jets, making it three teams in roughly six months.

“When I was a free agent this summer, we went back and forth with the Jets and felt it was a good fit,” said Bitetto. “I didn’t know what to expect coming to Winnipeg. I just wanted to come and be myself. I just came in with the mentality of not trying to do too much. I was just going to compete hard, play hard. Just be a first-pass guy and compete. To be a PK guy, block shots and be physical and stuff like that. I try to have fun as much as possible.

“I’ve always been a team guy. It wasn’t really a challenge for me to fit in. That’s just how I am. I don’t think it’s something you can fake, if that makes sense.”

The Athletic (Winnipeg)

Why Jets prospect David Gustafsson came back to North America after winning his bronze medal

Ken Wiebe Jan. 16, 2020

The easy play for David Gustafsson would have been to take his puck and go home.

After all, the second-round pick (60th overall) of the Winnipeg Jets in 2018 had already enjoyed the thrill of experiencing so many firsts in his NHL life — including his first game, first goal and many others.

Fresh off helping Sweden claim a bronze medal at the 2020 World Junior Hockey Championship in the Czech Republic, the Jets’ top centre prospect was left with another important decision to make.

Would he remain in Sweden and finish out the final few months of his contract with his club team, HV71 Jonkoping, or was he ready to accept an assignment to the Manitoba Moose of the ?

“I know a lot of people at HV71 and they’ve been really good to me,” Gustafsson said in a phone interview after returning to Winnipeg. “So, it was hard, as a 19-year-old, to call them and tell them that I wasn’t going to play for them anymore.”

As difficult as that was, Gustafsson knew precisely why he made the choice.

“The reason I decided to come back here and play for the Moose was because I want to do everything I can to be an NHL player,” he said. “I felt that if I would go back to Sweden, I would kind of take a step back, going back to European hockey again. Then, it would be harder to get back up to the NHL.

“If I go (to the Moose), I will keep going on what I’ve been building up this season and hopefully get another chance to play in the NHL again.”

Before Gustafsson makes his AHL debut with the Moose, he’s scheduled to visit the Jets team doctor during the next couple of days to have a shoulder issue looked at.

“I got hit in the Russia game and I still have some pain. (The doctor) will tell me how long I will be out. I don’t really know yet,” said Gustafsson. “Hopefully, I’ll be back as quickly as I can. I’m just waiting to get back onto the ice again.”

Once he gets medical clearance, he’s eager to see what Moose head coach Pascal Vincent has in store for him.

“Obviously, my focus right now is to get on the Moose team and do as well as I can there and gain the trust of the coach to play a lot here,” Gustafsson said. “Then, we’ll see what happens. I feel like I can go and kill some penalties at this level, too. I definitely have the potential and the qualities for doing that. I hope that I will get the chance here.”

It’s been a whirlwind few months for Gustafsson, from attending his first NHL camp and hoping to make a positive impression to actually making the opening-day roster.

From long shot to healthy scratch to eventually stepping into the lineup, Gustafsson was able to soak in each step in the process — which included skating around fellow countryman Erik Karlsson of the San Jose Sharks before beating Martin Jones for his first NHL goal Nov. 27.

Initially, when asked by The Athletic about the prospect of suiting up in a second consecutive world junior tournament in early December, Gustafsson said his sole focus was on staying with the Jets.

But when Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff spoke with Gustafsson about making him available to Sweden, that focus shifted to trying to secure a gold medal for his country.

Sweden’s head coach, Tomas Monten, was excited to be able to add a player of Gustafsson’s calibre.

Not only was Gustafsson named one of the alternate captains, but he also anchored the top line with fellow prospects Nils Hoglander (Vancouver Canucks) and Samuel Fagemo (Los Angeles Kings) and was used on the top power-play and penalty-killing units.

“Those were two very good wingers that I got to play with. Their offensive upside is just tremendous,” Gustafsson said. “It was a real pleasure to play with them. Our power play was also very good with ( prospect) Rasmus Sandin on the point.”

Hoglander turned heads with his lacrosse goal that was reminiscent of the one Carolina Hurricanes winger Andrei Svechnikov scored against the Jets last month.

“That was a sick goal,” Gustafsson said when asked about his linemate’s impressive tally against . “I don’t know how he can do that, but it looks good.”

Instead of averaging six-seven minutes of ice time per game like he did with the Jets, Gustafsson was regularly seeing north of 20, including 23:28 in the opener against Finland.

“That first game was pretty tough,” Gustafsson said. “I cramped up after the game, but after the first game I felt like I was into it again and then it felt normal.”

Having the opportunity for one last hurrah with his peer group was something Gustafsson relished.

“It was a fun tournament to play. It’s junior hockey at its best and it’s probably the last time you’re going to play in junior hockey games,” said Gustafsson, who was also part of Sweden’s entry in 2019. “So, it was nice to go there and finish it with a great group of guys that you’ve known for a long time. It was something special.”

During the preliminary round of the tournament, Sweden extended its record to 52 games — a number both impressive and staggering when you consider how many gold medals the country has won during the stretch.

“It’s something else. That’s a lot of tournaments when we’ve won every single group stage game,” Gustafsson said. “But it’s also very frustrating to have those numbers when you only have one gold (2012). It’s mostly the Swedish media that cares about it. All we care about is going all the way in the playoffs. Then again, if you win all of the group stage games, you put yourself in the best situation. For us, it was all about winning that gold medal and we didn’t give too much thought about the streak.”

There was also the heartache that came with losing in overtime to Russia in a hotly contested game.

“I really believed in us and believed we had a really good chance to go all the way to the gold medal, so it was tough for us,” Gustafsson said. “Especially in such a tight game. Then again, Russia was good and played a good game. They outshot us pretty good, but we had our power play and scored on it every time. I really thought we were going to win that game.”

While capturing a bronze medal didn’t feel like much consolation at the time, having a bit of extra time to reflect has changed Gustafsson’s perspective on things.

“After the tournament has been over, it’s a big difference between winning the bronze medal and coming home with nothing,” he said.

Although he didn’t rack up a lot of points, finishing with one goal and four points in seven tournament games, Gustafsson did exactly what Monten expected of him and then some.

“We knew that if we got him, we would get that first-line centre that would carry us in all situations in every game for every shift and against every opponent,” Monten said in a telephone interview. “We wouldn’t have had that first-line (success) without David. He was the engine on that line. Hoglander had some really good games and Fagemo was our best winger; he was the first Swede in 20 years to win the scoring title. No one has done that since Henrik Sedin. If he wouldn’t have had David by his side, that wouldn’t have been possible.”

Monten leaned on Gustafsson heavily, both on and off the ice.

“We tried to use him in all situations and he was a huge factor for us,” Monten said. “He’s a typical Swedish centre. He’s smart and he can play in both ends of the ice and takes on so much responsibility.

“He’s strong on faceoffs, he’s strong on the puck, he does so many of the things that the two wingers don’t. He makes those reads and he just adapts to the players he has around him. He makes his teammates better and he was better offensively than he was before.

“I really liked his push. He was faster than he was at the summer camp. He was more mature with the puck and he had big confidence coming from the NHL. He stepped on the ice and said ‘give me the puck. I’m going to have it. It’s mine.’ He’s one of the best-conditioned and one of the strongest players on our team. He can log big minutes. He was just as good as we hoped.”

Monten is predicting big things for Gustafsson as his professional career unfolds.

“He’s a team player,” Monten said. “Of course, he wants to play as a second-line centre or a third-line centre. He’s not going to just sit and be happy about being in the fourth spot. But at the same time, he won’t whine about it. He will work out hard and try to do whatever he can to reach a higher spot.

“But I don’t think he’s going to be a pain in the ass for the coaches.”

Gustafsson also earned bragging rights with fellow Jets prospect Ville Heinola, who had five assists in seven games for Finland but came out on the losing side of the bronze medal game.

“It was fun to play against him and it was fun to see him again,” Gustafsson said of Heinola, who suited up for eight games with the Jets before returning to his SM-Liiga team in Finland. “Obviously, we beat him twice (in the tournament), so he was kind of mad to lose both of the games. I can brag about that all the time. We’ve never lost to him internationally.”

Gustafsson is ready for whatever the next few months bring, but he’s certainly not ruling out a return to the Jets before the season is over.

“My final goal is to be an NHL player and I’m going to do whatever I can to make that happen,” he said.