2013 Blackhawks Entry Draft Class

"Deep Thoughts" with Ryan Hartman

Less than a week removed from a Stanley Cup win, the Hawks front office were right back to work at the NHL draft. The Hawks made a few deals and ended up selecting 8 players. Here are the deals they made:

First of all, Dave Bolland was sent to Toronto for 51st and 117th overall selections in this year's draft, and a fourth round pick in the 2014 draft.

The second deal was a little more unexpected. Michael Frolik was sent to Winnipeg for their 74th and 134th overall selections.

The third deal was a trade with San Jose. They swapped picks #117 and #151 for #111 and the SJ 5th round in 2014.

Also in Hawks news, during the fourth round, it was made official that the Blackhawks had signed Bryan Bickell for $16 million over 4 years. I'll weigh in more on this later.

This is the final tally of picks:

Round	Pick	Player	Position	2011/12 Team
1	30	RYAN HARTMAN	RW	PLYMOUTH (OHL)
2	51 from TOR	CARL DAHLSTROM	D	DJURGARDEN U18 (SWE)
3	74 from WIN	JOHN HAYDEN	C	USA U-18
4	111 from SJ	ROBIN NORELL	D	DJURGARDEN U18
4	117 from TOR	TRADE TO SAN JOSE	--	----------
4	121	TYLER MOTTE	C	USA U-18
5	134 from WIN	LUKE JOHNSON	C	LINCOLN (USHL)
5	151	TRADE TO SAN JOSE	--	-----------
6	181	ANTHONY LOUIS	C	USA U-18
7	211	ROBIN PRESS	D	SODERTALJE JR

Ryan Hartman - By all accounts Ryan Hartman is cut from the Andrew Shaw and Garrett Ross cloth. If the NHL fans out outside of Chicago hate the Blackhawks now, just wait until Hartman, Ross, and Shaw are all playing at the UC. NHL Central scouting says the following, "He's not the biggest guy (5'11", 185), but he shows no fear of getting involved and battles for the puck. He can hit hard and is aggressive on the forecheck. He sees the ice well, gets the puck through traffic with creative passes and offers a very good shot that he gets off quickly". Check out this scouting report for yourselves:

Ryan Hartman Scouting Report
Hartman Story on NHL.com
Another good scouting report

Carl Dahlstrom - Tall (6'3") thinner (191) defenseman from the Defenseman factory known as Sweden (which became a pattern for the Hawks Sunday).

Carl Dahlstrom Scouting report (note 20 lbs weight discrepancy)

John Hayden - Big, American kid that can play Right Wing or Center. Just one of a slew of American kids that the Hawks picked Sunday. John Hayden Scouting Report

Robin Norell - Average sized Defenseman from Sweden. Looks to be a puck moving type of player. Not much out there about him. Robin Norell statistics

Tyler Motte - Smallish and another player that can play Right Wing/Center. Looks to be a steal, according to UnitedStatesOfHockey.com:

"One of Team USA’s best players in the tournament, Motte was making an impact in all zones and in all situations. He led Team USA with five goals, but was also an expert penalty killer for a team that allowed just two power-play goals against. He did a lot of the little things like blocking shots, jumping passes and stripping a lot of pucks to show that despite his relative lack of size, he can contribute defensively. Motte also has very good speed and solid puck skills to go along with a good, accurate shot. The size factor may hurt his final draft position, but whoever selects him is going to get an incredibly competitive forward with some good offensive upside."

Luke Johnson - ANOTHER smallish US kid (5'11" 165). Based on his stats, he's a goal scorer. Committed to University of North Dakota.

Check out this great list of links on Johnson

Anthony Louis - At 5'6" and 191, he sounds like a short stocky sniper. Maybe a Martin St. Louis type? This is what UnitedStatesOfHockey.com had to say about Louis:

"Though similarly sized to Kelleher, Louis is drawing a touch more interest from scouts and still appears to have an outside shot at getting drafted. The big thing about Louis is that he engages very well for a player at his size. He showed some good creativity, creating time and space for himself and teammates and making good feeds in the offensive zone. He scored the biggest goal of Team USA’s tournament with the late game-tying marker against Russia in the semifinal. Louis somehow dove and connected with the puck to knock it under the Russian goalie in a net-front scramble. That goal was somewhat indicative of Louis’ tournament. He wasn’t afraid to pay the price for offense and at times he was rewarded. He’ll still have the doubts about his size, but his competitiveness could win a team over late."

Robin Press - Last guy selected. About the only thing he has on his side is that he's yet another Swedish defenseman. He's 6'2" and about 190, and judging by his stats, he's a puck mover and offensive D-man.

Robin Press stats

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Hawks Lock Up Frodo and Lepisto

One down, one to go.

This morning it was reported my Pavel Barta from http://www.isport.cz that Michael Frolik signed a 3 year $7 million deal with the Blackhawks. Then denied by Chris Kuc. Then confirmed by a host of thousands, later in the day.

Now, while I think that an annual Frolik cap hit of $2.33 Million is a tad bit high, in this market, that's not too shabby. The Twitards have ALREADY been chirping that he only had 13 goals last year, but two thirds of his season was with an absolutely DEPLORABLE Florida Panthers team. The guy is only 23, he has 3 full NHL seasons under his belt and two 21 goal/40 plus point seasons. Once he found his spot on this team, in 7 playoff games, he had 5 points, all while also having to play with the shutdown crew. Remember, genuises, Rostislav Olesz, who has never scored more than 14 and is 2 years older, is making ALMOST $1 million MORE per season. If Alex Salak pans out, and Frolik just maintains, this Skille trade could end up being even more embarrassingly in Stanimal's favor.

In somewhat of a surprising under the radar move, the Blackhawks also signed former Coyote and Blue Jackets D-Man, Sami Lepisto to a 1 year $800 contract. This could mean a few things, the most welcome of which could be the exit of John Scott. It CERTAINLY means that there is no more room for him on defense, so he may just be set up at an "as needed" cementhead, when Carbomb's fists are swollen. This also may or may not figure into the curious case of Chris Stromboli. It COULD mean they are expecting some redonkulous arbitration number that they just aren't going to pay, OR it could just mean that they want one more solid D-man to keep the troops rested and healthy. At any rate here is the scouting report on the newest Blackhawk:

Assets - Moves the puck with aplomb. Has sound defensive instincts and a history of putting up numbers at lower levels. Can log a lot of ice time.

Flaws - Can lose battles in front of the net and in the corners, mainly due to a lack of strength. Is somewhat inconsistent, especially in the offensive zone.

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Campoli Racetrack's 5 Miles Long, Oh Do Dah Day

The off-season can never be without drama in good old Chi-town, for the Blackhawks. Last year it was Antti Niemi and Nik Hjalmarsson, and this year it's Viktor Stalberg, Michael Frolik, and Chris Campoli.

All are RESTRICTED Free Agents and all were extended qualifying offers, on time, by the Hawks. This means that the Blackhawks can match any offer they sign with another team, or let them walk away.



In Campoli's case, he was eligible for salary arbitration and chose to go that route, which the Hawks can ALSO walk away from, once a decision is made. I can't say I'm surprised at Campoli's decision, based on the insane contracts Defensemen have been signing this summer. He just wants his piece of that pie. Most of you know how hard I was on Antti Niemi and his agent last year, and might look at this as a hypocrisy this year, but I assure you these are different. Last year, the market for goalies was the worst in recent memory. Goalies were virtually giving their services away for free, and some were just left to rot, like Evgeni Nabokov. This being the case, Niemi and his agent rolled the dice and tried to gouge the market, and the Blackhawks. Kind of a "dick move", if you ask me, and whether did or not, I'm telling you. The gamble worked out for both teams and Niemi, in the long run, because he was able to command a healthy extension in San Jose, and the Hawks found their new hero, in Corey Crawford. Even though the Marty Turco experience was a failure, his contract was hardly a sore thumb. Now the Campoli situation is the complete opposite because teams are paying enormously inflated numbers for marginal players. A player of Campoli's "supposed" skill would have a gripe. Just look, for example, at former Blackhawk and more recent cheapshot artist, James Wisniewski. He was able to hornswoggle Columbus into paying for his services to the tune of $5.5 Million for six excruciating years. The guy is a good player, but not $5 million good. If that is the market value on a puck moving defenseman, then the $3 million Campoli is looking for isn't all that crazy. I'm by no means defending him, but I can see the angle he is playing. This would still be OVER double last year's salary, and the Hawks have enough on the roster to replace him. You didn't have THAT good a year, Chris, and we'll always have THIS:



I'm not sayin, but I'm just sayin...



On to the rest of the clowns in the circus. Viktor Stalberg can pretty much walk, if he doesn't like what the Hawks will give him. He is of a limited skillset, and that does not including his extensive panty dropping and boyish good looks. He's a very fast player, but really had no defined role, which someone like Jeremy Morin or Ben Smith can fill, younger and cheaper. The puck bunnies would love to stare into his eyes for another season, but there is no premium on that. We're talking about a player that had 24 points in 77 games, so it would be nice to have a player back with the experience of playing under Quenneville for a year, but not necessary. Tread lightly, Pick-to-Click Vik, because you're replaceable.



Michael Frolik, is another situation altogether. He's young, and not arbitration eligible, so he can test the market all he likes, but the Hawks can always reel him back in. Reports claim that he is looking for $2.5 million a year, which is almost exactly double his salary last year. This is STILL half a million less than the Hawks/Leafs/Flyers/Panthers got stuck paying Kris Versteeg two years ago. Versteeg is good for about 10 more points per year, but Frolik actually pitches in on his own end of the rink, is two years younger, and doesn't try to rap (which is PRICELESS, in and of itself). I'll take him over Stalberg, in a heartbeat, especially since I don't have a vagina to factor into the mix.

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Breaking Me Down

Late last night, just as the Hawks were taking the ice for warm ups, one of the few people who have their pulse on the Hawks, Adam Jahns, reported that team had have acquired Michael Frolik and goalie Alexander Salak from Dale Tallon and the Panthers, for Jack Skille, Hugh Jessiman and David Pacan. Actually, the original report was just Skille for Frolik, which wouldn't really give me happy pants, but wouldn't break me down to tears, either. After looking thoroughly at the players involved, it looks like the Hawks stole this trade.

What We Give

Jack Skille

I like Jack Skillington very much, and I like the energy he brings, but in all reality he is a 23 year old fourth line winger that the team rarely used. Seven minutes a game just wasn't worth it, and there was nowhere else for him. He has a one year deal that will result in him being a Restricted Free Agent, and would be looking for a raise next season, which the Hawks probably wouldn't give him. Until this year, he's really been a disappointment. I shouldn't need to remind people that he was the Hawks first round pick the year BEFORE Jonathan Toews, and two years before Kane.

Hugh Jessiman

The OTHER first round disappointment in this trade is Hugh Jessiman. I'm not going to get all long and drawn out on him, but he was the 12th pick overall in 2003 and still hasn't seen a shift in the NHL. He was sitting on three goals and two assists, in 25 games with Rockford.

David Pacan

I can't say I know much about David Pacan other than what I can" Google". He was a 6th round pick in 2009, plays in the OHL and was cut from the University Of Vermont for "unspecified offenses". Sounds like Kyle Beach Lite to me.







What We Get

Michael Frolik

He is a former Florida first round pick that has a little more success under his belt. At 22, he's already a two time 21 goal scorer in the NHL, and was the second leading scorer on the Panthers. He was drafted at #10, between Captain Serious at #3 and current Ice Hog Ivan Vishnevskiy at #27. Talk about opposite extremes of the scale. Anyway, he's a bit more expensive than Skille, with a cap hit of $1.275 million, and he is also a restricted free agent at the end of the season. The difference is that Frolik is a solid top six forward, and Skille was a bottom 6 guy. Frolik can play both center and wing, but expect him to relieve Kopecky of his atrocious centering duties. This will also leave Sharpie to head back to his natural position of wing. Frolik looks to be more of a need to this team than Skille, and you can't ignore 50 career NHL goals at 22. One scouting report says the following, regarding Frolik:

Assets - Has loads of offensive flair and scoring potential. Can play all three forward positions and figures to eventually fill out his 6-1 frame.
Flaws - Needs to bring it every night, as he still battles the inconsistency bug. Must prove capable of stepping up in big games.

Here is a little Michael Frolik highlight reel from the 08-09 season. Notice the #44 Boynton celebrating with Frolik at about 38 seconds in.

Alexander Salak

For my money, this is this guy is the key to the deal. He's 24 years old and has had success everywhere he's been. Currently he's playing in the Swedish Elite League and leading all goalies there with 6 shutouts and a .925 save percentage. This could be Corey Crawford's backup next year. He played a full season in the AHL last year where he had a record of 29-14-0, with a GAA of 2.89, a save percentage of .910, and one shutout.

His scouting report says the following about him: "Salak has an unorthodox style. He has a highly aggressive nature in net which often forces him to make the theatrical save with the extraordinary quickness and athleticism to do so". Sounds a little like two other former Blackhawks, Ed Belfour and Dominik Hasak, and maybe a little Tim Thomas. That style CAN work in the NHL, because there is really no solid way to scout it. I like what I've read about him. Here is a little teaser reel for him:

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Hawks trade Skille for Frolik

As announced by Adam Jahns the Hawks have acquired Michael Frolik and goalie Alexander Salak from Dale Tallon and the Panthers for Jack Skille, Hugh Jessiman and David Pacan. Certainly a win from the looks of things. More on this trade tomorrow.

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