Posts Tagged ‘Brent Seabrook’

Eight fantasy relevant Blackhawks, plus sleepers

October 1st, 2010 by Leigh Michael Dengis

Fantasy drafts are well underway, and the Blackhawks have eight players that should find their way on to a team in every possible format. For the purpose of this article we’ll stick with the standard 6 x 4 category league. Goals, assists, plus/minus, penalty-minutes power play points and shots on goal for skaters, and wins, goals-against average, save percentage and shutouts for goalies.

Patrick Kane (RW) – He led the Blackhawks in scoring last year, and is poised to break the century mark in his fourth season. Kane has pin-point accuracy with his wrist shot, and could see 35-plus goals on Chicago’s top line. Not much of a scrapper, but he can produce in each category. Kane has the potential to be the best fantasy right winger this year. (2009-10: 30 G, 58 A, +16, 20 PIM, 29 PPP and 261 SOG)

Marian Hossa (RW) – Despite playing on the second line, Hossa can produce a point-per-game, had the potential to reach the 40-goal plateau again and rack up the shots on goal. He has dropped on many draft boards because he only played about two-thirds of the season (57 games) recovering from shoulder surgery. Hossa would be a steal if he fell to third round. (24 G, 27 A, +24, 18 PIM, 7 PPP and 199 SOG)

Jonathan Toews (C) – Notoriously a slow starter, the fantasy hockey world hopes Toews’ hot stick that propelled Team Canada to a gold medal and Blackhawks to the Stanley cup hasn‘t cooled. Two seasons ago he was snakebit, and last year he suffered from post-concussion symptoms. Despite playing at the deepest position, you’re going to want to grab him early. Expect big things from Captain Serious. (25 G, 43 A, +22, 47 PIM, 22 PPP and 202 SOG).

Duncan Keith (D) – He may not be the fantasy juggernaut that is Mike Green, but the reigning Norris Trophy winner will be a top point producer on defense. There isn’t much selling needed when it comes to Keith. He’s one of the hardest working players out of the ice each night, and he won’t have any trouble living up the lofty expectations. Keith it near or at the top in every category. (14 G, 55 A, +21, 55 PIM and 213 SOG)

Patrick Sharp (C,LW) – Playing on the Blackhawks’ second line with Hossa for a full season will add to this already solid fantasy value. As will the duel position eligibility at center and left wing. Sharp will help owners across the boards, minus the penalty minutes. The pretty boy doesn’t like to get his hands dirty. (25 G, 41 A, +24, 28 PIM, 16 PPP and 266 SOG)

Marty Turco (G) – Turco is no longer the elite fantasy goalie he once was at the ripe age of 35, and is far from worthy of being drafted anywhere in the first five rounds. He’ll be productive for the Blackhawks because of their puck control style of play. Turco will be a great No. 2 goaltender on any fantasy roster, and should start anywhere between 55 to 65 games. (22 W, 2.72 GAA, .913 SV% and 4 SO)

Brian Campbell (D) – 2009-10 was a bit of a down season for the puck moving defenseman. Owners can normally rely on Campbell for 50-plus points this year. He was forced to miss a handful of games down the stretch because of a broken collarbone. Campbell will be the quarterback of the first power-play unit, and see around 20 minutes a night per usual. (7 G, 31 A, +18, 18 PIM, 11 PPP and 131 SOG)

Brent Seabrook (D) – Much of what Seabrook does on the ice doesn’t translate to the fantasy game, and he will never the sexiest fantasy defenseman. He’s still young, but with five full seasons in the league don’t expect a jump in offensive production. Seabrook will have a point total in the 30s, but his stellar plus/minus rating gives him value. He will also rack up a decent amount of penalty minutes and see time on the power-play unit. (6 G, 24 A, +20, 59 PIM, 6 PPP and 129 SOG)

The Sleepers –

Troy Brouwer (RW) – Brouwer will have the role of being the muscle somewhere within the top two lines in Chicago. Coach Quenneville will need him to battle in the corners and in front of the net each night. As a result his penalty minutes and goal totals should be on the rise this year. Brouwer could see time on the power-play as well. (22 G, 18 A, +8, 66 PIM, 13 PPP and 116 SOG)

Dave Bolland (C) – There might not be anyone on this roster with as much to prove as Bolland at 24-years-old. There are lofty expectations for the pivot, who signed a long-term deal with the Blackhawks last summer. Bolland is coming off a season where he missed 43 games due to back surgery, and showed signs of what could be. From all accounts, Bolland is going into the season healthy. Oh, and there is a chance he centers the second line with Hossa and Sharp. (6 G, 10 A, +5, 28 PIM, 2 PPP and 52 SOG)

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The Penalty Kill (Remastered)

April 6th, 2010 by Leigh Michael Dengis

The one constant through the year, Ray, has been the penalty kill. The Blackhawks have won games like an army of steamrollers. The have constantly had problems with their power play, their goaltending and their defense. Each facet of their game has been rebuilt, erased and rebuilt again. But the penalty kill has marked the time. This ability to stymie opponents and score down a man is part of the Blackhawks’ present, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again.

- Terrence Mannakov

A little over two months ago I wrote a post about the successful penalty kill of the Blackhawks.  It has been one of the consistently good areas of play from this team all seaosn. If some other facet of their game is on the fritz, the boys have always had the penalty kill to hang their jock straps on. On January 28th (when I wrote the first post), they were fourth in the league at keeping opponents scoreless with the man-advantage at 85.6-percent. Today, the Blackhawks are fifth in the league at 84.8-percent – they haven’t allowed a goal in four-on-five situations in their last five games.

One of the most overused hockey clichés is that the goalie a team’s best penalty killer. Yea, they do have a heightened level of importance in shorthanded situations, but if the defense is anemic, a goalie has no chance of success on kill.  In the case of the Blackhawks, the skaters are a big reason their penalty kill is fifth in the league.  At the time this post was written -  compared to their peers around the league with ten or more games played -  Cristobal Huet had a goals-against average of 4.58 (eighth) while shorthanded  and Antti Niemi with a goals-against average of 5.37 (twenty-second).  Those numbers don’t support the cliché for the 2009-10 version of the Blackhawks.

When I think about the penalty kill, my mind automatically goes to the team’s defense. Coach Quenneville has the luxury of a roster full of capable defensemen and two-way forwards that are affective in their own zone and the back-check. On the blue line, Quenneville has consistently relied on a core of guys that haven’t been afraid to put their bodies on the line and block shots. Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook get all the press, but you cant overlook the contributions of Brent Sopel and Niklas Hjalmarsson on the kill. When it comes to blocked shots, Sopel leads the team with 5.6 per sixty minutes and Hjalmarsson is third with 4.6 (trailing Seabrook by 0.1). The Swede also brings a calm, smart defensive style that thrives in four-on-five situations.

I alluded to Quenneville’s use of two-way forwards on the kill earlier, and Jonathan Toews, Marian Hossa and Patrick Sharp are staples on the penalty-killing unit because of their offensive ability. They are effective at clearing their zone of the puck and taking the action to the other end of the ice. As it stands today, the Blackhawks lead the league in shorthanded goals with eleven (Maria Hossa 5, Patrick Sharp 2, Kris Versteeg 2, Duncan Keith 1 and Troy Brouwer 1). Although Toews hasn’t scored on the kill, he has three shorthanded assists this season, and the captain’s value doesn’t always show up on the scoresheet. For example, when the Coyotes visited the UC a few weeks ago, Toews skated the puck into the defensive zone alone, and drew a cross-checking penalty from Lee Stempniak while the other ‘Hawks were executing a line change.

The fact that the Blackhawks don’t spend much time in the box helps as well. Currently, they have the second fewest shorthanded situations in the league with 250, and have played total of three games this season where they didn’t have to field the penalty kill. Fewer instances of four-on-five hockey is obviously key, and it means that the defense feels less stress and won’t break as easily if they weren’t so effective at staying out of the penalty box. With the way this team’s defense and goaltending has fared this season, that’s a good thing.

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Streaks Always End – Blackhawks 2, Coyotes 0

March 23rd, 2010 by Leigh Michael Dengis

Save of the night

The Coyotes’ story this season is a good one. They filed for bankruptcy less then a year ago, and going into tonight’s game the Coyotes were tied with the Blackhawks atop the Western Conference standing. Dave Tippet has done a great job with the team he inherited, and has already won the Jack Adams Award in the eyes of many. The roster is riddled with other teams’ castoffs. No one would have predicted anything close to this sort of success from Phoenix this season. One could say the organization has risen from the ashes.

Now that all that good stuff is out of the way, it was great to watch the Blackhawks shutout the Coyotes 2-0, end their nine-game win streak and take sole possession of first place in the West. Coach Quenneville emphasized defense leading into this game, and it clearly paid off. It was apparent that the boys were playing tighter on their opponent in the defensive zone. Antti Niemi stepped up his game as well. He saved all twenty-eight shots on goal on his way to a sixth shutout. Niemi made some less then routine stops throughout the night to keep the Blackhawks on top. The goaltending job is his to lose at this point.

On the other end of the ice the Blackhawks played a solid game as well. They could only muster two goals against Ilya Bryzgalov in the second period, but that was all they needed (and then some) to come out of this game with two points. Patrick Kane scored the first off a neutral zone turnover. He went top shelf with a wrist shot to beat the Coyote netminder. Marian Hossa scored the second after Dave Bolland’s takeaway behind the net moments earlier. That second line has been playing well of late.

Anyways, it was great to see Brent Seabrook back in action. He missed only two games after getting his bell rung by former good buddy James Wisniewski. Sitting out for two games probably did Seabrook some good. He was a revolving door on defense coming down the stretch. Seabrook logged 22:41 of ice time. I was a little surprised to see Quenneville go with Dustin Byfuglien on the blue line again, but he played another decent game. I hope this trend doesn’t continue when Kim Johnsson returns.

Next up, the Blackhawks will be in Columbus for a game Thursday night.

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The Thin Blue Line – Blackhawks 3, Kings 0

March 19th, 2010 by Leigh Michael Dengis

Big Buff was solid on defense.

Coach Quenneville didn’t have much to work with on the blue line last night. Three of the Blackhawks six regular defensemen were out of commission. We know Brian Campbell will be out for the rest of the regular season, Kim Johnsson is day-to-day and no timetable has been set for Brent Seabrook’s return. So in order to fill out an already thin blue line, Dustin Byfuglien took the ice at his natural position on defense, and he looked rather comfortable. The defense was tight, limiting Antti Niemi’s workload to a miniscule seventeen shots and a 3-0 shutout (his fifth) of the Kings. Niemi didn’t have to stand on his head, but made the saves he needed to make.

Not only were the Blackhawks good in their own zone, they were on the attack all night tallying three goals on thirty-seven shots. My boy Troy Brouwer scored the first goal of the game in the second period and his twentieth of the year. He was reunited with Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane on the first line. Tomas Kopecky padded the ‘Hawks lead by scoring two goals in the third period, and earned him self a pat on the back.

The officiating crew was the same two refs and same two linesmen from Wednesday’s game in Anaheim were they blew a couple big calls – James Wisniewski‘s hit on Seabrook that earned him an eight-game suspension and Corey Perry’s shove of Brent Sople that led to Saku Koivu’s game-winning tally. They made a few calls obviously in favor of the Blackhawks last night. The one that stands out the most was giving Raitis Ivanans two-minutes for roughing on top of the five-minute fighting major when Ben Eager clearly threw the first punch. Anyways, I’m not complaining.

Next up, the Blackhawks will travel to the desert to play the Phoenix Coyotes on Saturday. By then we should hear more on Seabrook’s situation, and more on Johnsson’s day-to-day status.

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Wisniewski Suspended Eight Games

March 18th, 2010 by Leigh Michael Dengis

Hits to the head have been the ‘it’ topic around the league in post-Olympic hockey. The debate was sparked a couple weeks ago when Matt Cooke of the Pittsburgh Penguins lit up Marc Savard of the Boston Bruins. (Subsequently, the Penguins and Bruins play tonight for the first time since the hit). Cooke was not penalized at the time, and the league didn’t suspend him. Savard suffered a concussion, and will likely miss the rest of the season.

The league has since made an effort of put an end to head-shots such as the one mentioned above and James Wisniewski’s hit on Brent Seabrook last night. In the case of Wisniewski’s hit, the league got it right. He was suspended for eight games. This is his second suspension of the season, and it makes you question if suspending the offending player is enough. Wisniewski and Cooke have been repeat offenders in their careers. For more on the hit itself, read last night’s game review.

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Off With His Head – Blackhawks 2, Ducks 4

March 18th, 2010 by Leigh Michael Dengis

This is frustrating. It seems like the league’s officiating has gone downhill since the Olympic break, and lately the Blackhawks have been on the wrong end of errant calls more then before. Before we go down that road, I wanted to do a very brief recap of last night’s 4-2 loss to the Ducks. The Blackhawks played relatively well on both ends of the ice. Corey Crawford looked okay in net. He made one bad play – leaving the crease to clear the puck from his zone, which led to a shorthanded goal for the Ducks. On the other end of the ice, Jonas Hiller stood on his head – as always – stopping thirty-nine of forty-one shots on goal.

The story from last night’s game was James Wisniewski’s hit of Brent Seabrook that only earned him two minutes in the box. Should have been longer, possibly a game misconduct. It was charging, interference and intent to injure all rolled into one. The refs blew the call when it happened, but the league has already announced they are reviewing the hit. I won’t be pleased with the ruling if he is suspended for two games or less. Nick Boynton became a hero in Chicago after one day on the job for dropping the gloves vs. Wisniewski in the last minute of the game.

Alexander Ovechkin’s hit on Brian Campbell was tame compared to Wisniewski’s hit on Seabrook. I know I keep saying this, but Ovechkin plays a reckless game. He may not fully understand the severity of his actions. Ovechkin planted his feet and drove Campbell’s defenseless body awkwardly to the boards, but in no way do I think he wanted to hurt the seven-million-dollar-man. Wisniewski went headhunting to exact revenge on Seabrook for a hit on Perry seconds earlier, and all he got was two minutes for charging? That is bull-roar.

Watch and listen (bellow). The worst part of this clip is that Anaheim’s color commentator, Brian Hayward, is questioning whether Seabrook is ‘selling’ the call. From what I’ve read elsewhere, Hayward later apologized for the comment.

Wisniewski sped to the corner, from the other end of the ice, with the intention to take a run at the Blackhawk defenseman, leaving his feet to bash Seabrook’s head into the glass. That hit was dirtier then Rod Blagojevich. Although, initially stunned, it didn’t appear as though Seabrook sustained any injury as a result of the hit, but he left the game. The Blackhawks already thin blue line could become thinner if Seabrook is out for any amount of time, and brace yourself to witness Dustin Byfuglien on defense once again. I doubt the small contingent that hoped Wisniewski would return to the Blackhawks one day exists no longer.

Next up, the Blackhawks will play the Kings tonight in Los Angeles. If Coach Quenneville can’t use Wednesday’s game to motivate his team, I don’t know what will. The ‘Hawks hope to stop their three-game losing streak.

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Olympic Hockey Day Nine

February 24th, 2010 by Leigh Michael Dengis

A face only a mother could love

A brief write up on how the six Blackhawks have done in the last twenty-four hours of the Olympic tournament. Also, for all the people that visit looking for Jonathan Toews’ jersey number, he wears 16 on Team Canada (Joe Thornton is 19).

Canada 8, Germany 2 (Tuesday)

Yesterday’s post does its job.

Slovakia 4, Norway 3 (Tuesday)

In last night’s late game Slovakia beat Norway 4-3. It’s a shame since we will no longer see or hear the name Tore Vikingstad in the Olympics. The Norwegians made things interesting with their two goals in the second period to tie the game at 3-3, but Miroslav Satan put the Slovaks on top with his third period goal. Marian Hossa had an assist in the game, and Tomas Kopecky was on the ice for the game-winning goal. Slovakia will face the Swedes in the late game tonight.

USA 2, Switzerland 0

Those pesky Swiss gave the United States a run for their money in their quarterfinal match this afternoon. Jonas Hiller and Ryan Miller were great for their respective teams, but Zach Parise put one by the Swiss goalie early in the third to spoil his solid game – he stopped forty-two of the forty-three shots faced. Patrick Kane didn’t crack the scoresheet. The Americans will play Finland on Friday. No one thought Team USA would make it this far.

Canada 7, Russia 3

The Canadians played with the sense of urgency they needed to beat the Russians in an elimination game. It appeared as though they just overwhelmed the Ruskies from the get go going up 4-1 in the first period. Team Canada was just better in every aspect – offense, goaltending and physical play. Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith had two assists each, and Brent Seabrook didn’t tally a point in this game. Toews was great on both ends of the ice all game.

I hate to see such a talented team get knocked out of the tournament this early, but it’s better that it was the Russians then the Candians. Seeing the Canada come out so strong gives me hope for the rest of the tournament. After going to overtime with the Swiss and losing to the Americans I was a little worried. Next up, the Canadians will play the Slovaks in the semifinal round.

Slovakia 5, Sweden 4

Well, the Slovaks completed a guaranteed Sweden- and Russian-less Olympic semifinal round. No one could have predicted that. The Slovakian win also guaranteed all six Blackhawks would participate in the semifinal round – giving each ‘Hawk a chance to return to Chicago with a medal around their neck. Hossa had three assists against the Swedes, and Kopecky scored the game-winning goal. The underrated Slovak team will attempt another upset of the Canadians this Friday.

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Olympic Hockey Day Six – USA vs. Canada

February 21st, 2010 by Leigh Michael Dengis

Team Canada

Big game today – Team USA vs. Team Canada – to determine the overall winner of Group A and a possible first round bye. Four Blackhawks will skate in the game – Patrick Kane (USA), Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook (Canada). The Canadians are favorites, but the Americans are going to bring it and there has already been some trash talking from the classy (sarcasm) Ryan Kesler. Mr. Kesler will find out soon enough that the Canadians do their talking on the ice.

Anyway, this game should live up to its bill. The top teams – Canada being one – haven’t had the cakewalk they expect when rolling through their respective groups. The Russians lost to Slovakia, the Swiss took Canada to a shootout and the Belarusian team even challenged the Swedes. It has led to some exciting hockey – even among the lesser-hyped teams. Today’s game could arguably be the most anticipated game. Even in Whistler, all the way up the mountains, there is a lot of buzz. Too bad for the Americans – who have been playing good hockey – they won’t escape this game with a win.

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Olympic Hockey Day Four, And The Hobson Shuffle

February 19th, 2010 by Leigh Michael Dengis

All six Blackhawk Olympians were in action yesterday. In the late game, Marian Hossa played a major role in the Slovakian 2-1 (SO) upset over the Russians. He scored the team’s lone goal in the third period to tie it up and take it to overtime. Hossa took part in the shootout as well, but couldn’t put one past Ilya Bryzgalov. In the seventh shootout round Pavol Demitra clinched the victory over the offensively potent Ruskies for the first upset of the Olympic tournament. This was the Slovak’s second game in as many days. Tomas Kopecky did nothing – surprised?

The Canadian team ran into Jonas Hiller in net for Switzerland. As ‘Hawks fans we know how good Hiller can be in net when the Ducks visited the United Center in January. Anyway, the Swiss goalie limited the Canadians to only two goals. Jonathan Toews tallied another assist (his second) yesterday, and Brent Seabrook is only seeing about eight minutes of playing time. The Swiss were able to get two past Martin Brodeur and took this game to a shootout as well – Toews was picked for the shootout but didn’t score. Canada avoided the upset when Sidney Crosby scored in the fourth round (his second attempt) of the shootout.

Norway didn’t provide much resistance for the United States in their 6-1 loss to the American squad. Patrick Kane scored his first Olympic goal. Tomorrow’s game vs. Team Canada should be a great one to watch. Ryan Miller will see a lot more shots then he did against the Norwegians (11 shots) – the Canadians had forty-seven shots on Hiller.

In the system –

Forward Adam Hobson was recalled to Rockford from Toledo yesterday. He’s been up and down a couple times in the last few weeks. In eleven games with the IceHogs, Hobson has two goals and one assist.

Changes have been reflected on our In the Organization page above.

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Olympic Hockey Day One, And Two Sent To Purgatory

February 16th, 2010 by Leigh Michael Dengis

Of the only teams that matter to Blackhawk fans (USA, Canada and Slovakia) on the first day of competition Team USA and Team Canada are in actions. The Americans will play Switzerland and the Canadians will play Norway. Patrick Kane will lineup with Zach Parise and Paul Stastny for Team USA. Jonathan Toews will lineup at center between Brenden Morrow and Jarome Iginla for Team Canada – that should be interesting. The internet connection at the hotel blows. It’s taking to long to find anything definitive regarding Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith, but I can’t see them not suiting up for any game.

Back to Purgatory They Go –

Bryan Bickell and Jake Dowell were reassigned to Rockford after Sunday’s game in Columbus. Both Bickell and Dowell got on the scoresheet in that game. Bickell scored a goal, and Dowell had one goal and one assist in the 5-4 shootout victory. Subsequently, Adam Hobson was reassigned to the Toledo Walleye today.

Changes have been reflected on our In the Organization page above.

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