Brandon Hagel, who has put together an impressive tournament as a whole in his first time out as a member of the Blackhawks, was again a noticable contributer on the evening. He led Chicago with 4 shots - bringing his now-team-leading total to 9 for the tournament - but was also a presence on the forecheck, blocking shots, forcing turnovers and nearly setting up linemate Kurashev on a pair of chances. A goal and two assists also have him tied for the team scoring lead on the extended weekend.
"I'm trying to play my game but also play within the Blackhawks system because that's where I want to be," Hagel said. "I thought our line was pretty good tonight and the opportunities, we just didn't capitalize on them."
For me, he's got a slight edge on the top spot for Chicago's best all-around performance in the tournament. At the very least, he's been the most consistent. The WHL's fourth-leading scorer a year ago with 102 points, it's easy to see why Chicago wanted to ink the winger just weeks into his 2018-19 campaign.
"I think he compliments players. It doesn't matter who he plays with, he plays the same way," IceHogs head coach Derek King said. "He plays hard, he plays hard minutes ... I like the way he plays. He's a good hockey player and I like the way he works."