AHL: Back From Russia with Love

The Rockford IceHogs are in a tight four-way battle for first in the West Division of the AHL midway through the third quarter of 2007-08. The team's sheer depth has helped keep it competitive despite numerous recalls to the Chicago Blackhawks all season. Leading the charge has been playmaking center Martin St. Pierre, who started the season with Khimik in the Russian Super League but returned after he learned that it wasn't all it was cracked up to be. However, as St. Pierre himself says, without teammates like Troy Brouwer and Petri Kontiola, among others, to finish those plays, his numbers aren't so big. McKeen's correspondent Kevin Wey recently had the opportunity to catch the Rockford IceHogs in a weekend series and has notes on several key players including Martin St. Pierre (pictured), Troy Brouwer, Petri Kontiola, Michael Blunden, Corey Crawford, and several other Chicago Blackhawks' prospects.

Martin St.Pierre (Chi), C, Rockford

One of the best playmakers in the AHL .. very dangerous if allowed to set up along the half boards or behind the net and can connect with crisp, quick, accurate passes through traffic .. has excellent offensive vision and finds the open man .. uses a very long stick and, thus, has excellent reach .. not overly dangerous one-on-one, because long stick hinders stickhandling in tight .. has decent speed but not breakaway speed .. a diminutive forward that will finish his checks and engage physically. Click the link for a recent interview with Martin St. Pierre

Petri Kontiola (Chi), C, Rockford

Has soft hands and moves the puck well .. a crisp, accurate passer that can also handle receiving hard or difficult passes .. has good speed, but is working to improve it .. conscientious in supporting his defensemen down low and starting the breakout .. has a hard wristshot and slapshot, and a very heavy one-timer .. considers himself more of a playmaker, but does have finishing ability .. will engage physically, but is not aggressive. Click the link for a recent interview with Petri Kontiola

Michael Blunden (Chi), RW, Rockford

Still working his way back from a major shoulder injury over one year later .. lanky forward still somewhat upright in his skating and who appears to need more lower body strength and power .. common to see him around the net creating chances for himself and others .. works hard down low in the offensive zone and finishes his checks .. also supports the play defensively down low when needed to fill in holes .. a smooth stickhandler who takes many shots but misses the net high or wide too often .. long limbs give him very good reach .. trying to regain the scoring touch he showed in his final year of major juniors. Click here for a recent interview with Michael Blunden

Corey Crawford (Chi), G, Rockford

A reliable netminder who does well to stay compact and keep potential holes closed and who has good rebound control when he allows a rebound .. has quick movements up and down and moving laterally across the crease .. adept at gloving the puck and playing it to his stick, but is not very adept in his puckhandling .. solid positioning allows him to play an un-flashy, almost quiet game in net.

Troy Brouwer (Chi), LW, Rockford

Was much better than this scout's previous viewing of him early in season .. showed great effort defensively, including blocking shots, stops and starts in the defensive zone, and preventing plays on the backcheck .. able to use his big frame to protect the puck or muscle into opponents to get it .. has soft hands for controlling difficult pucks and in stickhandling or making crisp, accurate passes .. also uses his skates well in corralling the puck .. has a nice shot and a smooth one-timer that is very hard .. a smooth skater with deceptive speed and mixed it with effort this weekend.

Bryan Bickell (Chi), LW, Rockford

A smooth skater who has long strides and some power, but only has average speed .. can get up to his top speed quickly, though .. able to use his big frame to fend-off opponents and protect the puck .. passing game is a bit inconsistent, as he can pass it crisply and quickly, but needs to look and avoid making centering passes to no one .. has a quick shot with a quick release .. plays a physical game but does not take many penalties in doing so.

Colin Fraser (Chi), C, Rockford

Conscientious, defensive forward .. common to see him breaking up plays on the backcheck or preventing shots or passes .. has good two-way hockey sense and can make plays on the break or finish his chances around the net, although he is not a flashy player offensively .. excellent support forward for offensive teammates and a reliable penalty killer.

Evan Brophey (Chi), C, Rockford

Was invisible in these two showings .. most noteworthy for attention to finishing his checks, although not with a great deal of force .. speed only appeared to be adequate .. did show some stickhandling and passing ability .. rookie struggling for prime icetime on a deep team.

Niklas Hjalmarsson (Chi), D, Rockford

Young defenseman struggling for icetime on deep team .. played some forward on this weekend .. has some speed with the puck and can skate it coast-to-coast if he wants, but is no Paul Coffey and does not have finishing ability .. an accurate passer, but must make sure passes are crisp .. has some patience with the puck and can read when not to make a pass .. adept at clearing the puck hard along the glass .. pointshot is decent .. does a good job to keep looking while skating back for the puck so he knows what to do before he gets to it .. plays with some physicality in rubbing out opponents along the boards or standing them up near the boards .