jimmypasta wrote:
I would once again like to ignite my boyhood love for Hockey. Can a real Hawks fan give me a rundown on some of these new guys on the Hawk?
Motte-Kruger-Hartman
Hinostroza-Schmaltz-Tootoo
I know Kruger.
Tyler Motte is a pretty well-regarded prospect out of Ann Arbor. He was point-per-game his sophomore year at Michigan and near 1.5 pts/gm his junior year. Strong all-around player, by all accounts. The hope is that he'll play above his size ( at 5'9''/188,
well above) and somewhat fit the heady power forward profile that Brandon Saad fit. High ceiling.
Ryan Hartman was our 1st round pick in 2013 (30th overall) and as a small but pesky, gritty but skilled utility winger, the hope was that he'd step in for Andrew Shaw without the Hawks missing a beat. I don't think that's going to happen because I don't think some people have realized (or come to terms with) just how much Shaw, when properly allocated, brought to the team. He's had a game or two in the National last year and/or the year before, but didn't do anything to warrant a further look. He's from the Chicago burbs, so there's presumably a desire on the part of McDonough and Blunk for him to do well. I'm not sure he will, at least relative to his first-round (however late) pedigree. I don't think he'll be someone you notice, at least not for good reasons.
Vincent Hinostroza is another kid from the area and went to Notre Dame, so that's a double-barreled marketing wish. He's very, very fast, but skates faster than he thinks, a la Jack Skille (who, to his credit,
might still be in the league, although with Vancouver) or Viktor Stalberg. He's also not very big. I can't get jazzed about a fast little guy with bad hockey IQ on the bottom six and have him topping out at AHL All-Star.
Nick Schmaltz has the highest ceiling of any prospect. The hope is that with proper experience, he'll blossom into a great all-around centerman and replace Anisimov in a couple years. I think there are concerns about his body still needing to fill out, but he's already a very good playmaker and spent last year tearing up the NCAA with North Dakota. Like Motte, he bailed out of college early to go pro, so expect him to stick all year through thick and thin, which in the long run will probably be what's best for his development and continued presence with the organization. His first half might be rough sledding but I expect him to be a strong part of the team by the end of the year.
Jordin Tootoo is a coke-snorting drunken Eskimo who substance-abused his way out of the league several years ago but made his way back with Nashville, then Detroit, then New Jersey, doing fuck-all with the last two. He's old, he racks up penalty minutes, and he doesn't score. He has no business on this team or any NHL team. My sincere hope is that he's gone by Thanksgiving. Just utterly worthless. He brings less to the table than Dan Carcillo did.
_________________
Molly Lambert wrote:
The future holds the possibility to be great or terrible, and since it has not yet occurred it remains simultaneously both.
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