Blackhawks Breakout Watch: Who's It Gonna Be?
As this season we'd all like to forget nears to a close, there are a few bright lights on the horizon to keep your hopes afloat. I've picked the following three Hawks as my choices for breakout - maybe not stars, but definitely possibilities - for next season. Keep in mind, the three I'm mentioning are not the only three, and they're strictly my opinion.
1. Sam Lafferty
«What? He's not a prospect! He's not a rookie! You can't pick him!» I can, and I am, so settle down. Did you hear me say breakout prospects? You did not. I've followed Sam since he joined the Penguins, and there was never a time when he wasn't showing promise. He was drafted in 2014, but opted to stay in college (Brown), and joined the Penguins' AHL affiliate (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins) in March of 2018. Soon enough, he was playing his first NHL game on October 8, 2019, and in his third, he scored his first NHL goal and assist. His overall career of 94 games with the Penguins gave him 6 goals and 15 assists.
Things just didn't work out in Pittsburgh because of timing, and trades and all of that. They knew Sam was talented, and wanted him to have a chance to show it. Since joining the Blackhawks in January, he's played 37 games, scored 5 goals, and had 3 assists. From day one, he's been hitting and creating scoring chances, and being right where he needs to be practically every time he's on the ice. Has he made mistakes? Of course. Are there details he needs to work on, like controlling the puck, and not hesitating to shoot? You bet. But he's only 27, and has an entire off-season to work on his skills; which he will.
2. Lucas Reichel
The 19 year old winger from Nuremberg, Germany played as a youth in the German Development League (DNL)� with Starbulls Rosenheim. He made his�DEL debut with Eisbären Berlin during the 2019�20 season, and won the championship in 2021. In his 80 games with the DEL, he had 22 goals, 29 assists, and in the 9 games of the playoffs, had 2 goals and 3 assists. He was picked by Chicago (17th overall) in the 2020 draft, and on June 9, 2021, Reichel was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract with the Blackhawks.
According to Elite Prospects, he's an unrelenting forechecker & backchecker, never gives up on a play, and wins battles through second efforts. Reichel is a pretty capable puck-handler too, even at top-speed carrying the puck through a defender's triangle, showing a predilection for outside-in maneuvers, and deploying weight shifts to avoid contact.�
The son of Czech-German hockey player Martin Reichel, and nephew of former NHLer and Olympic Gold Medalist Robert Reichel, made his NHL debut on January 13, 2021 in an OT win over the Canadiens. He played 15:55 and had 3 shots on goal. He's gone back and forth between the NHL and AHL a couple of times, but we know he'll have a future as part of the rebuild.
https://www.nhl.com/blackhawks/video/reichel-on-nhl-debut/c-10199745
3.MacKenzie Entwistle
Originally from Ontarios, the 22 year old RW/C was selected by the Arizona Coyotes in Round 3 of the 2017 Draft. He joined the Rockford Icehogs in 2019 and has also been back and forth between the AHL and the NHL multiple times. His stats aren't super impressive, having only 12 points in his 52 games, this season, but one of the things I like about him is that when I'm watching the games, I hear his name a lot. He's out there, making moves, trying to help his team in any way he can. He's not idle. And I think with maybe some uninterrupted time in the AHL, he'll be ready to be part of this rebuild, and be a great leader, as well.
https://www.nhl.com/blackhawks/video/entwistle-on-making-the-roster/t-277437096/c-9139466
| POLL | ||
Which "newbie" are you most excited to see play next year? | ||
| Reichel | 24 | 31.2 % |
| Any of our new goalies | 12 | 15.6 % |
| Still waiting for someone... | 23 | 29.9 % |
| Other | 18 | 23.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
