Chicago vs. Dallas 10/4

I know I'm in the dead zone, but I wanted to post some thoughts on the Hawks from tonight. Ruutu looked great IMO. I'm not prone to talking up a player for no reason either. Ruutu played a solid game offensively. He went to the net and worked extremely well with Daze and Sullivan. His hitting really picked up in the 2nd period and I was very impressed by his work in front of the net and the boards.

Vorobiev was invisible for the second televised preseason game I've seen in him. He seems too inconsistent right now to have any real impact at all. I know he's expected to make the team right now, but I really haven't seen anything from him to make me think he's NHL ready. Shows good instincts at times, but the play seems to bog down a lot when he has the puck, especially tonight.

I really like Babchuk as well. He's pretty calm with the puck and has good offensive skills and instincts IMO. He seemed to get the job done defensively as well and I didn't see any real flaws in his game. He did take a couple of penalties tonight, but I don't know if they were good or bad calls (Hawks broadcast cut away pretty quickly in the first period and got back late rather often too).

Kukkonen has done alright, but I think Babchuk has outplayed him in the two games I've seen. Kukkonen seems to be more of a defensive defenseman and as such, is harder to notice. He seemed pretty solid in his own end, but I didn't notice him all that often either. Not having seen his other games, is he generally viewed as a reliable guy? If so, is that why he and Babchuk are seemingly competing with each other (assuming Babchuk might be young and a bit inconsistent that is)? Just curious because Babchuk would clearly be my selection based on his play. And McCarthy does not look good. You have my sympathies.

Thank you muchly....

Kukkonen has done alright, but I think Babchuk has outplayed him in the two games I've seen. Kukkonen seems to be more of a defensive defenseman and as such, is harder to notice. He seemed pretty solid in his own end, but I didn't notice him all that often either. Not having seen his other games, is he generally viewed as a reliable guy?

He did lead the SM-liiga in plus/minus last season. It's true that he won't dazzle you with his skills with the puck, though he's developed quite fast in that department. He was a defensive D-man already in Finland (the best in the league as such) and somewhat of a PK specialist. Now that he probably won't get any PP time I'd assume that his offensive play won't improve that much, but I'm sure he's going to be a very useful top 5/6 D-man in the future.

He did lead the SM-liiga in plus/minus last season. It's true that he won't dazzle you with his skills with the puck, though he's developed quite fast in that department. He was a defensive D-man already in Finland (the best in the league as such) and somewhat of a PK specialist. Now that he probably won't get any PP time I'd assume that his offensive play won't improve that much, but I'm sure he's going to be a very useful top 5/6 D-man in the future.

Thanks for the info; that does explain some of it. Babchuk gets more involved in the offense and that makes him easier to notice in these types of game. Kukkonen (outside of his goal vs the Blues) usually touched the puck in his own end and not a lot of other spots on the ice. Normally, that is the first sign of a defensive defenseman. Either way, both he and Babchuk are already better than McCarthy and Quint.

Who is handling the Enforcing for the Hawks this year. Toughness used to be a given with the Hawks. Recently they dont even have that because Vandy doesnt play?

vandenbussche and strudwick tend to alternate. Bell can fight too. we're not as tough as we were when probie could fight, but we're not wimps by any means either

vandenbussche and strudwick tend to alternate. Bell can fight too. we're not as tough as we were when probie could fight, but we're not wimps by any means eitherIs Shawn Thornton still in the system?

Is Shawn Thornton still in the system?
Yes.


Babchuk does look really good, especially on the powerplay. He can really shoot and seems relatively calm for a 19-yr-old that just came to North America maybe 2 months ago. He did take a couple penalties for hooking/tripping in the first period that he shouldn't have, but that should be cleared up farther into the season as he adapts to the NHL. He's 6-foot-5 and most people are gonna expect him to just roll over people; as he adapts, he should be able to learn to use his body rather than just his stick to defend. But we really got do something about that nickname ... "Babs" is not the kind of name a 6-foot-5, 210-pound Ukrainian hockey player should have.

Kukkonen seems to be the kind of player who you shouldn't notice too much, because if you do, it's probably because he's making mistakes.