Another great game for the Hawks last night versus a top NHL opponent (albeit a banged up one) in the Pittsburgh Penguins. But no news there, the Hawks are rolling right now.
But on to the title of the blog.
I will be the first to admit: whether it was Brandon Saad, Teuvo Teravainen, or most recently Nick Schmaltz, I will always take the "I'm from Missouri" approach. Show me, then I'll believe the hype.
It's repeatedly put me at odds with some in the fanbase, who very quickly jump to God-like worship of the Hawk Prospect/Savior Du Jour.
But I will also admit, once I've seen the promise fulfilled, that the kid is ready and deserved the hype. I did with Saad—after he did his best deer in the headlights impression his first 20-25 games in the NHL.
I never really "came around" on TT. I always had my doubts, especially with regard to a lack of commitment to the physical aspects of the game and off-ice training.
And I ready to say "that Schmaltz kid is for real." There are a couple of minor areas where he need sot continue to work—he is not that strong physically and does get beaten along the wall. But I also think, based on how he has played since his return form Rockford—with effort and guts—that part will come in time.
In the meantime, I love what I'm seeing from Schmaltz. But it also doesn't hurt him to be playing with two mini-road graders in Jonathan Toews and Richard Panik. Schmaltz is a guy who plays better the more space he has to work with. That line is giving him space.
There's an interesting contrast between Schmaltz and TT. The last couple of weeks, Hawk fans swore up and down that they would never want to see Schmaltz traded—and with good reason (as outlined above).
There was also a rumor yesterday, that none other than TT was on the trade market, after less than a year with his new team, the Carolina Hurricanes.
My, how the mighty have fallen.
What hawk fans need to remember however, was that TT's stock had dropped a lot even before the Hawks dealt him last summer—when he was essentially a sweetener in the deal to get the 'Canes to take on the last year of Bickell's contract.
That's all. Not the 2nd line center of the future that so many rushed to anoint him in the summer of 2014—before he'd even played a game of pro hockey in North America. Not even the third line right wing that he was last season in Chicago.
Actually the two prospects, TT and Schmaltz have a lot in common, beyond being former first round picks of the Hawks. Both are about the same size (Schmaltz is a bit bigger and thicker, not much), both are center/wings, pass-first players who operate well in space, skate well, and can be effective back checkers.
But to me, that's where the comparisons ends. It's the intangibles that separate the two. Schmaltz is now playing fearlessly, especially since he came back form his sabbatical in Rockford. He wants it. You can see it. With TT, ehhhh, you always kinda doubted that. And time, and his tenure with a second time, are now pointing that way again.
Where this leads me is to a broader take on prospects. The next "shiny penny" on the horizon—around whom the hype is now in full overdrive—is OHL record-setter Alex deBrincat.
My take on deBrincat is the same now as it was on the other three before they hit the NHL: wait and see. Let him prove it before you anoint him anything.
I'm certainly not here to condemn the kid. I just haven't seen him play against pros yet—where the physicality, speed and skill all get ramped up—and it's much harder to play a certain style that racks up goals in juniors.
Conversely, I’m actually more ready right now to get excited about free agent signee Alex Fortin. Why? Because when I wntch Fortin play—when I watched him in pro camp this past fall—I saw a kid with a relentless drive to excel—and fearlessness—on the ice. Does that make Fortin a can’t miss? No. I mean, based on past pro camp performances, you could have anointed Igor Makarov. And that would have been, ummm, a mistake.
So it’s all a process. For me, based on decades now of seeing Hawk prospects come along and bloom, or come and go. The hype, especially in the last ten years or so, is always the same. Actual results may vary.
I’ll have an Islanders preview tomorrow.
JJ