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Hawks Lose in a Cat Fight + WJHC

December 24, 2018, 2:33 PM ET [167 Comments]
Tyler Cameron
Chicago Blackhawks Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT


First of all, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and/or whatever you are celebrating at this time of year.

I will be doing a mailbag article later on in the week, so get your questions in. I wanted to do a big year-end blog incorporating your thoughts/questions/concerns so fire away (HawkintheD has already sent me a couple good ones!).

Next stop, the Hawks lost 6-3 last night to the Florida Panthers. It was not the worst loss they've had all year, but it was unfortunate that the Hawks couldn't continue their winning streak heading into the break.

Cam Ward, uh… didn't play well. I wasn't surprised when he got the start over Delia as I believe they are going to ease him into this year to see what they have in him vs. throwing him to the wolves and potentially ruining the kid's confidence (ie. Check out Anton Forsberg's mental state these days. I think he's still shell-shocked from last season.).

Ward wasn't the only reason that the Hawks lost though. They were sloppy at times and while on paper the stats were almost identical (shots, PPG, Faceoffs, hits, blocks, etc.) the Panthers shut the Hawks down nicely in the 2nd half of the game. Also, I think the ‘Cats hit about 14 posts.

The Hawks head into the break on a losing note and will pick things back up vs. Minnesota on the 27th at home and then head to Colorado again to take on the Avs on the 29th.

Most are lobbying for Delia to get the bulk of the starts moving forward if he can play at the level he did vs. Colorado in his 2018-19 debut.

I have been in the "I need to see more" camp with Delia. I'm still there because he's been somewhat of an unknown at the pro level. Even last year, I loved the way he played down the stretch for the IceHogs, but he was not good at times early on. Also, that was his first season as a professional.

Well, Delia set out to prove to everyone that that was not a fluke and with heavy competition behind him in Lankinen and Forsberg, he only posted the top SV% in the AHL and was top 3 in GAA.

Delia's path, play and demeanour remind me a little of Scott Darling.

This kid is mentally strong and I'm hoping Jimmy Waite and the Hawks can work with him at the NHL level. The biggest thing this season for the Hawks organization is to find out who is the real deal and who are the pretenders in the system.

With goaltending being the most important position, if Delia can emerge as a legit NHLer, boy, that would be HUGE for Stan and his "retooling" plan.

I'm really hoping Crawford can return but obviously his health as a human being is the most important part. If he isn't able to continue to play then could we see a Delia/Ward duo again next year? Assuming Ward resigns a 1-year at a lesser salary? Not advocating it, just saying it could be a Stan type possibility.

Speaking of Corey Crawford, he was spotted at the UC yesterday at the morning skate. That's a great sign that he's around the guys and the rink. We'll see how he progresses.

Next topic, the World Junior Hockey Championships. I'm heading to Vancouver tomorrow in hopes to catch a game or two.

The Hawks will be near the top of the NHL in terms of the number of prospects they have representing them at this tournament. For a team that supposedly has "nothing in the pipeline" according to some like Pierre McGuire, to have 7-8 players invited is a respectable showing.

The players are:

Ian Mitchell (CAN)
Mackenzie Entwhistle (CAN)
Evan Barratt (USA)
Adam Boqvist (SWE)
Henri Jokiharju (FIN)
Niklas Nordgren (FIN) *
Phillip Kurashev (SUI)
Jakub Galvas (CZE)


* Nordgren has a concussion and may or may not play. It'll be too bad if he cannot participate as I was looking forward to seeing the shifty winger on the world stage.

After watching the CAN/FIN game last night, I started to get really excited about this tournament. It's always been one of the family tradition around the holidays to watch and route on Team Canada in the Cameron residence.

Jokiharju was wearing the "A" last night and as predicted will be a key leader on this year.

Mitchell looks to be a bottom pairing guy but someone I can see working his way up into the top 4. I love his game. He was also interviewed in the 2nd intermission last night by TSN's Mark Masters and I was impressed how presentable and well-spoken he is for such a young guy.

Entwhistle appears to be a bottom 6 guy but showed lots of jam last night. I really like the way he pays as well.

Barratt should be a top 6 forward for Team USA and I believe this will be his coming out party where he shows the world his skill, grit and how much of a pain in the butt he is to play against. Looking forward to it.

Boqvist will be a key member of Team Sweden. His offence will be there, but I'm more interested in watching if he's improved in his own end.

Kurashev really impressed me in training camp and he's been lights out so far in the QMJHL. He will be a top 6 skater with Switzerland and should factor into not only their scoring but being relied upon for key faceoffs and his defensive play.

Galvas returns for the Czechs and will help solidify their backend. He will be called upon as a leader this year and look to build off his strong play in the Czech league this year.

I'll have a more in-depth look at each player as the tournament goes on.

Have a happy and safe holiday everyone.

See ya on the boards and send me your mailbag questions!

JL
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