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— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) April 25, 2021
Defenseman Riley Stillman has inked a 3-year contract extension. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/etf3GWoS0v
"He is growing into an excellent all-around defenseman and that continued development is something we look forward to seeing firsthand."
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) April 25, 2021
–#Blackhawks President of Hockey Ops and GM Stan Bowman on Riley Stillman's contract extension. pic.twitter.com/w6VHvmL9gB
A common thought now is that this spells the end of Nikita Zadorov in a Blackhawks uniform after just one season. Criticism of Zadorov is that he not only played unreliable defense but also didn't bring an intimidating physical presence with any regularity.
If that's the argument being made, then the corollary would be that Stillman contributes a steadier brand of defense while also bringing the physical element to dish out hits, play with an edge, and be a daunting figure on Chicago's back line.
Is that fair for Stillman to have those expectations heaped onto him? Remember, he's still only 23 years old and has played a little over half of a full season (49 games) stretched out over the past 3 years. What if he runs into the same wall as Zadorov?
Stillman certainly is capable of living up to those expectations to some degree. However, a bigger question is how can his teammates play their part to amp up team toughness so that the entire toughness quotient doesn't rest on him to fulfill?
Connor Murphy has the size and strength to be a physical defensive defenseman. A concern, though, is that he doesn't flex those muscles often enough. The last big hit he laid that left a mark was the contentious one on the Lightning's Erik Cernak on March 7.
When Murphy does hit the opponent, many times they roll right off of him and jump back into the play without missing a beat. It can be debated that diminutive forwards Alex DeBrincat, Brandon Hagel, and Vincent Hinostroza unleash bigger hits than Murphy.
It isn't that Murphy doesn't play the body or use hits to separate player from puck. He surely does. It's just that he doesn't live up to his billing as a stay-at-home defender who protects the net with brute force. Yet, he does defend in other ways to lock things down.
Again, what's more important is that the team as a whole plays tough rather than relying on a select few to do it all. Zadorov, Stillman, and Murphy aren't on the ice all the time so they can't be on patrol for 60 minutes. Who picks up the slack then?
Instead of thinking about sheer strength, mean streaks, and intimidation, the other traits that may factor in more for overall team toughness are high compete level, willingness to stand up for teammates, and fearlessness to battle.
On the current roster, the aforementioned DeBrincat, Hagel, and Hinostroza bring those characteristics at some level or other. Then there's Ryan Carpenter, Brett Connolly, and Adam Gaudette who do, too, and Kirby Dach, Philipp Kurashev, and Pius Suter to lesser extents.
While no one will mistake them for Zadorov, Stillman, and Murphy, Adam Boqvist and Ian Mitchell have played with more and more pushback as they gain NHL experience. One doesn't need to be a big player to have a big "give a flip" mind set when the going gets rough.
Team toughness may not be as high as it could be at present but there may actually be more coming through the pipeline over the next several seasons. Some prospects are currently in Rockford while others are not yet in the pros and/or in North American leagues.
A few prospects to keep tabs on:
AHL
* Andrei Altybarmakian (W) * Evan Barratt (W) * MacKenzie Entwistle (C/W) * Reese Johnson (C/W) * Michael Krutil (D) * Cole Moberg (D) * Cam Morrison (W) * Isaak Phillips (D) * Josiah Slavin (W) * Tim Soderlund (W)
Europe
* Antti Saarela (C/W)
NCAA
* Landon Slaggert (W) * Alex Vlasic (D)
Juniors
* Louis Crevier (D)
As is the case with any team's prospects, not all will make it so just a portion of those listed above will play for the Hawks. However, this year's IceHogs team could provide an example of how team toughness is more critical than putting all eggs in one player's basket.
Riley McKay could be viewed as Rockford's resident tough guy with his pugilist style. His skill set is rather limited, though, making him a liability than an asset and not worth giving him playing time over others who can offer much more to the team.
Despite a steep learning curve for winning games (9-14-1), Rockford's forwards and rearguards play with a ton of spirit, guts, and moxie to not be subdued by other teams who exert a heavy, menacing style. Size also doesn't matter much either.
Case in point is a trio of Hogs who have played together on a line several times this season: Altybarmakian, Barratt, and Soderlund. None are taller than 6'0" or weigh more than 190 lbs. What they lack in size they more than make up in grit and aggressiveness.
Altybarmakian will skate through a brick wall for his team and slug his way through the entire opposition if necessary. Barratt knows how to push buttons no matter what zone he's in. Soderlund's disruptive speed and Hagel-like "nose over puck" mentality are irritants.
Those Hogs who do have big frames and strength to match are Entwistle, Johnson, and Slavin up front and Krutil, Moberg, and Phillips on the back end. They may not have the truculence of Altybarmakian, Barratt, and Soderlund but they can definitely go toe to toe with opponents.
And in terms of prospects not under contract yet, Slaggert is similar in reputation and manner as Barratt while Saarela is reminiscent of Marcus Kruger who was the epitome of toughness wrapped up in a tiny body. Kruger quite simply knew how to agitate.
Vlasic is learning to leverage his size, strength, and snarl to potentially be Chicago's shutdown defender of the future. Crevier may be a poor man's version of Vlasic. They're not going to be the next Zdeno Chara or Victor Hedman but may have enough to get the job done.
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