Diamond Pair (blackhawks)

Last week I had the honor to be on the Chicago Tomahawk podcast again. Although I spoke on a number of topics related to the Blackhawks, I led off by addressing the question about the D prospects in the minor leagues and stating that Ian Mitchell and Jakub Galvas have separated themselves from the rest of the pack in Rockford.

During the late summer and heading into the preseason, I had rated Wyatt Kalynuk as the top D prospect in the system. While he's still worth developing into a viable future blueliner for the Hawks, Mitchell has surpassed Kalynuk on the depth chart and by a wide margin. Galvas has, too, and isn't far off the pace from Mitchell either.

As many Hawks fans recall, Mitchell idolizes 3-time Stanley Cup champion and 2-time Norris Trophy winner Duncan Keith. A year ago in his rookie campaign, Mitchell was hard pressed to be even close to approximating what Keith's legacy is in Chicago. Today, that comparison of Mitchell being Keith Lite may not be far off anymore.

The extended time this season in the AHL coupled with several cups of coffee with the big club have aided Mitchell's maturation as he's increasingly improving his capacity to rove in all zones, flip the ice, and walk the line as an offensive catalyst. Mitchell's shot is much more accurate than Keith's and actually gets through traffic.

Prior to this season, Galvas was almost a forgotten prospect after the Hawks took him in the 5th round of the 2017 NHL draft. Yet, unlike any other prospect of any position in the system, Galvas not only had 5 years of pro experience already having played in his native Czech Republic plus in Finland but also played twice in the World Junior Championships.

Fast forward to the present, Galvas has been shining as arguably the most steady and reliable defenseman on the IceHogs as he continues to execute simple, smart plays which are a byproduct of scanning his options and not panicking. Even when under pressure, he makes area plays to place the puck in safe spots. His NHL debut was outstanding as a result.

Looking to the future, It wouldn't be a surprise if both Mitchell and Galvas are patrolling the blueline for the Blackhawks starting in 2022-23. Calvin de Haan is likely gone by the trade deadline and Erik Gustafsson should be finding employment elsewhere this summer. Their departures would open up spots for Mitchell and Galvas.

With that in mind, perhaps the Chicago D corps looks something like this on opening night this fall:

Galvas - S Jones McCabe - Murphy Stillman - Mitchell C Jones

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IceHogs Game Summary

Starting Lineup

Altybarmakian - Reichel - Busdeker Barratt - McLaughlin - Morrison Howarth - Slavin - Gicewicz Osipov - G Mitchell - Gabriel

Phillips - I Mitchell Beaudin - Galvas Kalynuk - Regula

Soderblom Morris

Abridged Boxscore

1st Goal (1-0): I Mitchell (Regula) PP 2nd Goal (2-0): Barratt (Morrison, Galvas) 3rd Goal (3-0): I Mitchell (Reichel, McLaughlin) PP 4th Goal (4-0): Reichel (Osipov, Busdeker) 5th Goal (4-1): Misley (Ottenbreit, Beckman) 6th Goal (4-2): Mermis (Rau, Turgeon)

SOG For/Against: 23/35 PP: 2-for-3 PK: 3-for-3

Game Notes

* Arvid Soderblom maintained his stability in the crease stopping 33 of 35 shots and has sported a save percentage of .939 or higher in his past 4 starts which includes a shutout.

* Alec Regula and Kalynuk are getting paired up regularly but they tend to get hemmed in their own end quite a lot; also, both are mobile skaters but they're not leveraging that strength as best as they could.

* Lukas Reichel picked up a goal and an assist to get back onto the scoresheet; he also got lit up again with a high hit along the boards but fortunately bounced back and stayed in the game.

* After a spirited affair with fights, misconducts, and vitriol, the Hogs and Wild go back at it this evening in Rockford to cap off the home-and-home series.

Highlights

General Manager Updates

Blackhawks beat reporters have shared that there may be at least 5 candidates being interviewed over the next several days. Former Bruins and Oilers general manager Peter Chiarelli is one of them and so is former Canadiens assistant GM and 21-year NHL veteran Scott Mellanby. No word yet who the 5th candidate may be.

Of the known candidates, Mellanby is the only one with NHL playing experience.

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Management Updates

Later that Wednesday night, president of business operations Jaime Faulkner sent Mark Lazerus from the Athletic and Phil Thompson from the Chicago Tribune apology emails on behalf of Rocky Wirtz.

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NHL Updates

See you on the boards!

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