Prospect Tournament Wrap-Up

TRAVERSE CITY, MICH. -- The Chicago Blackhawks notched an emphatic win over Minnesota on Tuesday to conclude the 2019 NHL Prospect Tournament with an overall record of 2-2-0 and seventh-place finish. The team bookended its schedule with impressive wins, downing the eventual champion Detroit Red Wings in the tournament-opening matchup on Friday before cruising past Minnesota 6-1 in the final game on Tuesday.

With the tournament officially a wrap, here are a few notes and tidbits of interest from this year's Blackhawks squad:

DIRTY DOZEN
Twelve different skaters combined for Chicago’s 16 goals through four games at the 2019 NHL Prospect Tournament…No other team at the showcase featured more than 10 skaters with goals this year.

ROCK ROOTS
Each of the six players who skated with Rockford during the 2018-19 season notched at least one point at the 2019 Prospect Tournament…Dennis Gilbert (1a), Brandon Hagel (3a), Reese Johnson (1g), Chad Krys (2a), Philipp Kurashev (1g, 1a) and Dylan McLaughlin (1g) combined for 10 total points on three goals and seven assists for Chicago.

BO KNOWS
Nicolas Beaudin paced the Hawks and tied for first among all Tournament skaters with a +5 plus/minus rating over his four contests…He finished even-or-better in each of those games and posted a +2 in both the opener and finale for Chicago…Beaudin’s +4 rating was the best for a Blackhawks skater since 2017 when Luc Snuggerud led the entire showcase with a +8 rating.

ALEXA, PLAY “CAN’T TOUCH THIS”
Goaltender Alexis Gravel went 2-0-0 and led the entire tournament (18 goalies) in both GAA and save percentage for the Blackhawks…His 2.49 GAA was .32 points better than any other goalie and his .915 save percentage was .018 points better than the next-best mark…Gravel has now combined over the last two years at the Prospect Tournament to post a 3-0-0 record with a 2.39 GAA and .917 save percentage in four total appearances.

BEST DEFENSE IS OFFENSE
Six of the Blackhawks’ seven defensemen registered a point at the 2019 tournament…That total of six D-men with points tied for the most of any team at this year’s event…Chicago has now led the Prospect Tournament in total defensemen with points for three straight years:
2019 (six D-men with points)
2018 (five D-men with points)
2017 (five D-men with points)

IN THE BLACK
The Hawks’ defense finished second in the tournament with just 15 goals allowed…Only Columbus (13 goals allowed) surrendered fewer goals in 2019…Chicago has now finished first or second in goals allowed in four straight Prospect Tournaments:
2019 (2nd, 15 GA)
2018 (2nd, 12 GA)
2017 (2nd, 10 GA)
2016 (1st, 9 GA)

IF YOU AIN’T FIRST, YOU’RE LAST
The Blackhawks outscored opponents 10-2 in the first period through their four games this year…Chicago also scored its first goal of each game within the first seven minutes of play:
Game 1: first goal at 6:09
Game 2: first goal at 6:36
Game 3: first goal at 6:51
Game 4: first goal at 4:19

NEXT HOME GAME: Saturday, Oct. 12 vs. Grand Rapids Griffins | 6 p.m.
The Rockford IceHogs will host their home opener for the 2019-20 season on Saturday, Oct. 12 against the Grand Rapids Griffins at 6 p.m. at the BMO Harris Bank Center. The first 4,000 fans in attendance to Rockford’s first home game of the campaign will receive a free IceHogs calendar, courtesy of Impact Networking. Call the IceHogs front office at (815) 968-5222 or visit icehogs.com to purchase tickets.