LONDON, ONT. -- Chicago management must be drooling at the thought of adding a formidable talent such as Teuvo Teravainen. However, his performance at the Maple Leafs Rookie Tournament showed that a patient approach may be the wisest course of action in terms of development. Arguably the biggest statement was made by fellow first-rounder Phillip Danault who rebounded with a strong camp following a disappointing first pro season.
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Teuvo Teravainen -- First line centre possessed the best all-around skill set among competing Blackhawks players .. elusive and silky, his hands are lightning quick as he made a series of moves and plays that at times went unfulfilled by his linemates .. plays a very relaxed game and can make clever plays under pressure as he easily sidestepped double coverage to slide pucks into open ice .. keeps his head up at all times and consistently found the open man - demonstrating that his game-reading ability is clearly at an NHL level .. his skating has a deceptive quality as he is quick despite playing at such a relaxed, controlled pace .. would benefit from driving the net more as he tends to play a perimeter game and complained on several occasions when he was targeted physically .. needs to become more involved not necessarily from a physical standpoint but more in terms of attacking danger areas - a facet of his game that would make him more NHL ready.
Phillip Danault -- A proto-typical third-line centre who played with fire and intensity and was an absolute beast on the penalty kill .. displayed excellent shift management which permitted him to play two shifts to kill one penalty .. plays hard and fast and doesn't give the opposition an inch despite his below-average size .. a quick skater off the mark and stays in motion .. shows no fear going into traffic and willingly takes a hit to advance a play .. balanced and strong along the boards he can easily absorb hits and has quick hands to make a play .. always challenging the opposition by driving to the net .. did the majority of the heavy lifting on each line he played on .. plays a spirited game which can translate to a roster spot on the fourth line.
Trevor Van Riemsdyk -- Free agent signing and the younger brother of James (Tor) .. played a very competent, low risk, error-free game .. does a little bit of everything well as he can skate, handle the puck, and defend .. gradually got better with each passing shift/game .. located good outlets for first passes and also showed poise with the puck to curl back when an option did not present itself .. an upright skater who generates decent speed as he is fluid and can move well in all directions .. still requires some basic coaching on his defensive-zone positioning as he can be a tad over-zealous on the penalty kill .. possesses a solid set of tools to work with and should be a factor as a depth defenceman at the next level.
Ryan Hartman -- Put fourth a rather disappointing showing as he never seemed to get it going despite a revolving set of linemates all camp .. showed flashes with his stickhandling prowess and ability to feather passes, however too often came up short as his plays would quickly dissolve .. his skating holds him back somewhat as he cannot converge on loose pucks and therefore must rely heavily on his puckhandling ability to garner additional time and space .. strong on the puck but easily smothered and badgered off the puck by bigger defenders .. can dipsy doodle but only for so long before he is neutralized .. needs to play with more grit and jam to make up for his lack of speed - which is a trademark to his game which unfortunately did not surface for the majority of camp .. on the outside looking in at this point.
Stephen Johns -- Large and well put together, Johns played in all situations and displayed the confidence to make plays .. actively jumped into the rush, albeit with little design or purpose with the puck .. gambled at the line looking for a better play rather than take the simple one .. tried to do too much and left himself exposed and often caught up ice .. defensively, he lost positioning and was constantly on the wrong side of the puck .. possesses decent feet and has a strong lower trunk that propels him up ice .. appears to lack some upper-body agility which may be related to carrying too much weight .. did manage to play an assertive defensive game however, as he protected his crease valiantly and pushed players to the outside .. there's a good physical foundation to work with here, but he needs to curb his enthusiasm and understand that less is best.