The Third Man In - An Independent Chicago Blackhawks Web Site

By Dieter Kurtenbach

The Chicago Blackhawks sent top prospects Kyle Beach and Shawn Lalonde back to their junior teams on Tuesday. The Blackhawks also reassigned Rob Klinkhammer, Mark Cullen, Bryan Bickell, Daryl Boyle and Brian Connelly to the Rockford IceHogs of the American Hockey League.

Beach, who will play for the Lethbridge Hurricanes of the Western Hockey League, is considered by many to be the best prospect in the Blackhawks' system. Beach was competing for the starting roster spot vacated by the injured Marian Hossa in training camp, but the strong play of Jack Skille, who was competing for the same spot, made Beach a long shot to start in the NHL this season. Despite the odds, it is surprising the Blackhawks have opted to not use the 9-game trial period NHL teams are granted with junior prospects. If the Blackhawks were to have used that trial period, Beach could have played nine games and still have returned to Lethbridge, without having to use a year of eligibility on his three year entry-level contract.

Lalonde will be returned to the Belleville Bulls of the Ontario Hockey League. Lalonde played well in camp, but has not physically matured to an NHL level. The assignment of Lalonde to juniors is no surprise, and the powerplay quarterback of the future for the Blackhawks will look to improve upon his 53 point season (66 games) and his six-foot-one, 195 pound frame.

Klinkhammer, besides having the coolest hockey name this side of Cal Clutterbuck, has come out of nowhere to become a legitimate Blackhawks prospect. I considered him a darkhorse to win the final roster spot, and with the loss of Adam Burish, a grinding player like Klinkhammer could have been valued a bit higher by the coaching staff. Klinkhammer will instead wait for his chance at the AHL level. If injuries strike, Klinkhammer could see some time at the NHL level this season.

The Blackhawks' training camp roster now stands at 28 after the injury to Adam Burish - five more cuts will be made in the next week. Of those 28 players, five are prospects and there will presumably be one cut of either Corey Crawford or Antti Niemi. This means that one prospect will make the NHL team this season.

The five prospects are Danny Bois, evan brophey, Jake Dowell, Jordan Hendry and Richard Petoit. One of these players will be a Chicago Blackhawk in Helsinki. As of right now, it's anyone's guess on which prospect makes the team, but Hendry's NHL experience should help him get a longer look.

Bois is a goon. He reminds many of Tie Domi, which for a goon, is a compliment. He averaged nearly three penalty minutes a game while playing for Binghamton Senators of the AHL. So far in exhibitions, he has looked the the part of a fourth line winger. He is strong on the puck and had some nice moves in open ice against Washington last Saturday. If the Blackhawks are looking to fill the void in physical play left by Burish's absence, Bois is more than eager to hit somebody.

Jake Dowell is a player similar to Colin Fraser. He can do the little things, help shorthanded, and drop the gloves if need be. With Fraser nearly assured a roster spot, another center, in this case Dowell, seems unlikely to be retained by the team.

That bodes poorly for Evan Brophey as well. Brophey figures into the long term goals of the Blackhawks, but he is yet to see any icetime this preseason, and as a center, he would really have to stand out to make the team. Another year of maturation in the AHL and Brophey could make the Blackhawks. As it stands now, the deck of cards is stacked against him.

Defense prospect Richard Petiot is huge. At six-foot-four, Petiot is a physical presence on the ice, and he might be putting it all together at age 27. Always highly touted, Petiot played 11 games for Tampa Bay last season and has battled injuries his entire career. Last season, he was part of a trade from Toronto to Tampa Bay, which was more or less new Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke proving that he could circumvent the collective bargaining agreement. Petiot signed with the Blackhawks in the offseason. Even if he doesn't make the team, he will help Rockford in their goal to win the Calder Cup.

With the Blackhawks having to chose from this group (unless they go with three goalies, which is inexplicably possible,) it seems unlikely that a defenseman would be the pick. So with no more room for centers and no more room for defensemen, by the process of elimination, Danny Bois, the Ogie Ogilthorpe of the Ontario Hockey League, looks to be the 23rd man on the Blackhawks roster. And while a lot can change in the next week or so, I'm sure that Bois' long time rival, Cam Janssen of the St. Louis Blues, is licking his chops for another go with the Blackhawks' newest enforcer.

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