Blackhawks Have a Bright Future

By Joe Harrison
feedback@buzznews.net

Lasse Kukkonen (above) says bye-bye to his teammates

Although the Blackhawks will not make the playoffs this year, that's not the case for their minor league affiliate, the Norfolk Admirals.

Recently, the Admirals became the first team in the AHL to clinch a playoff berth, and they're one of the favorites to bring home the Calder Cup. They have already surpassed their very respectable win total of last year (43) and seem primed for a long playoff run. So while you can not root for the Hawks in May, maybe you can for the future Hawks as the prospect list of possible NHL players is longer than at any time in recent memory.

Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook look like long term mainstays on the blue line. Tuomo Ruutu is a top six forward and James Wisniewski has had a solid first year in the league. All were Hawk draft picks and all are solid players.

It doesn't sound very impressive in terms of numbers, but it is fair to name Mark Bell and Kyle Calder since those players brought you Martin Havlat and Michal Handzus. If they are not drafted and developed, there is no sure thing the Hawks pick up those players. There much more as well. This is where Norfolk comes in. There's almost no way to predict (set aside Sidney Crosby) how a player will make the jump to the NHL. But the more success they have down there, the better you will feel about who is coming.

It doesn't take a genius to figure out that if a team is winning, then individuals are having good years. If individuals are having good years, then they are gaining confidence and getting closer to the next level. At least that's what logic would dictate.

Things don't always go accordingly, but it is obvious that there are plenty of guys contributing in Norfolk and will soon deserve a real chance here. If you are contributing to a losing effort, do you think the powers-that-be are more likely to look at you in a positive light? It is very unlikely.

One of the under-publicized topics when Denis Savard took over as head coach was that Dale Tallon wanted to have better synergy between the minors and the Blackhawks. What is being taught down there is also being stressed here. You could say Denis Savard and Norfolk's Mike Haviland are teaching similar systems and philosophies.

With the move of the Admirals to Rockford next year, there seems to be a continuation of that synergy. They will be "right there" in terms of geography and mindset as we move forward. The bottom line is that the Blackhawks' minor league system is going to play a big part in the Hawks success (or lack there of) over the course of the next several years. Again, there are no guarantees, but at least having the best minor league team is a start to having a good NHL one. And if the success down there can translate to more victories up here, the future will be bright.