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Measuring the Blackhawks Rookies and Newbies



CHICAGO, IL -- I know I did a quick measure of the entire Blackhawks roster back in February, but I thought since the season is likely coming to a close (save for a miracle), it might be nice to get an idea of where the newbies and rookies to the Hawks roster are.

For this article, I did create some guidelines, like I did with the mid-season report cards (end of season report cards are coming soon, by the way!). This isn't really going to be a report card, but more of just my general thoughts on how the player is doing in his first season with the Hawks--I'll give a more specific/"graded" report in the post-season report cards article.

The basic guidelines are as follows:

  1. Must be currently on the Hawks roster (not in Rockford)
  2. Must have played less than 82 NHL games OR less than 82 games with the Blackhawks (all stats will be just for this season to make things easy)
  3. Must be their first full year playing with the Blackhawks

With that out of the way, let's get started!



Drake Caggiula (21 GP, 4-3--7 PTS)

It’s a little hard to judge him as it stands, since he’s been out since February 24th with a concussion, but regardless, his numbers don’t show his impact. Colliton had Caggiula on the top line with Toews and Kane when he was healthy, and boy was that line impressive. I think if he hadn’t gotten that concussion, and that line stayed together, the Hawks might be in a slightly better spot. Not sure they’d be in a playoff spot, but they might be closer to it—the chemistry Caggiula had with Kane and Toews was undeniable, and if he’s healthy next season, I think that’ll be a nice line to deploy.


Dominik Kahun (77 GP, 12-23--35 PTS)

Kahun has surprised me in more ways than I expected. I’d really never heard of him before this season, even though he was a Hawks prospect, but I think he’s proven to be a great asset to this team. I think he plays a great two-way game, which is kind of rare for a winger, and I especially like his speed. He’s been playing with Dylan Strome and Alex DeBrincat as of late, and I’m really digging that line. He’s definitely a great find, and I think he’ll stick around the lineup next season as a great bottom-six guy or potentially a top-six winger.


Chris Kunitz (52 GP, 4-5--9 PTS)

Oh, Kunitz. Where do we start? I think it’s important to have leaders and veterans in the locker room, and there's no doubt that Kunitz is a great leadership figure. I think, though, it's been frustrating (for him, too, probably) to watch him on the ice this season. I don't know that I'd be willing to say that he's any kind of defensive issue like some of the Hawks players are, but he goes almost unnoticeable in most games (I say that as he scored last night against the Sharks--oops). It seems likely that he won't be in a Hawks uniform next season, but I do think he'd be a great bottom-six player on a team that has a lot of help up front--the Hawks just don't right now.


Brendan Perlini (42 GP, 11-3--14 PTS)

Perlini has come a long way since he was traded to the Blackhawks with Strome back in November. He was pretty quiet for the first two months of his stay in Chicago, made a little noise at the Winter Classic, went dormant again, but has recently risen from the ashes. Since March 2nd, he's scored eight goals and earned two assists, which is ten points in thirteen games. For a while, he was a point-per-game player, which is kind of insane given how quiet he's been most of this season. I think it's helped that he's been playing with both the Strome/DeBrincat line as well as the Kane/Artem Anisimov line, as both of those lines are borderline offensive powerhouses (in Hawks terms, mind you). I think he's likely to hang around the lineup next season, and I think now that he's found his groove, he'll be a great second- or third-line player.


Dylan Sikura (31 GP, 0-8--8 PTS)

I have been rooting for Sikura so hard this season, and I know as soon as he gets that first goal off his back, he'll start rolling. He's had some great looks these past couple of games, and I really do like him up there on the top line with Toews and Brandon Saad. He played a handful of games with the Hawks last season after he finished his season at Northeastern, but they don't really count in my mind, hence why he's on this list. I truly do think he's on the cusp of a breakthrough--but, for his sake and for the Hawks' sake, they better hope it comes sooner rather than later.


Dylan Strome (53 GP, 14-31--45 PTS)

Easily the best rookie/newbie in this list. He's been an outstanding add for the Blackhawks this season, and he's been the most impressive. He's at almost a point-per-game rate through the season thus far, and I think he's got a pretty high ceiling. I think playing with DeBrincat helps tremendously, and the two of them together kind of give me vintage Toews/Kane vibes? Maybe it's just me. Either way, he's been a fantastic addition to the team, and I really do have high hopes for him next season, when he'll get the chance to really prove himself for a full season with a team that is willing to develop him. Ahem.


Carl Dahlstrom (36 GP, 0-6--6 PTS)

I really have mixed feelings about Dahlstrom. I feel like a) I don't have enough to go off of yet (even though it's been thirty games), and b) he's kind of wishy-washy. He'll have great nights, then not-so great nights, and for a defenseman, that's not really what you want--the consistancy needs to be there. That said, I do like him on the pairing with Connor Murphy, and I think he's still young and can grow into a formidable D-man. Not sure where he'll fall next season, though, if Adam Boqvist, Nicholas Beaudin and Ian Mitchell make the team out of camp.

Slater Koekkoek (20 GP, 0-4--4 PTS)

He's been oddly invisible this season, but not in a bad way. He's stayed out of the box, hasn't been on the ice for a whole lot of goals against (he sits at 0 +/- as of today), but he also hasn’t completely solved the defense problem. I feel like it’s hard to make an accurate judge of him since we really haven’t seen that much of him at all. He also falls in the same boat as Dahlstrom with the D core we’re kind of expecting next season.


Cam Ward (30 GP, 14-11-4)

I know a lot of people have mixed feelings on Ward, but I think given his record above, he’s been a fine backup. I think—despite how upset I was at the start of the season—he’s found his groove with the team, and he’s been a great starter while Corey Crawford was out at the start of the season and in December/January. Ward freaks me out sometimes because he plays an aggressive game, which means he’s out of his net and the blue paint a lot, but I think the rest of the team is starting to catch on and help him out if he goes too far out. I really do like him as an addition, but it’d be hard to see the Hawks hang onto him, since they’ll have Crawford and Collin Delia likely as their two guys next season.


Overall, I’ve liked most of the new guys this year. I think the team could still look pretty different next year, but I could see a good chunk of them back next season.

I think the future’s looking pretty good, all things considered. This season still has some gas in the tank, but there’s also not much time to make the playoffs. They’re currently 5 points out, and Colorado faces Arizona tonight, so that doesn’t really help the situation.

Nonetheless, I’m in this season. It’s been so much fun to watch them this season—as infuriating as they were at times—and I’m in this for the long haul.

Are you in?
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