AHL: IceHogs Shoot Down Griffins

The prospect pool in Rockford is overflowing, as the Blackhawks' AHL affiliate boast one of the most dynamic rosters in the AHL. The IceHogs hosted the well-rounded Grand Rapids Griffin at the Metro Centre and McKeen's correspondent Max Giese was on hand to capture the high scoring affair, which Rockford won 6-5 on the strength of a shootout goal be Finnish prospect Petri Kontiola.

Rockford IceHogs

Jack Skille (Chi), RW, Rockford

True power forward that is great coming down the wing utilizing his unbelievable speed and heavy wristshot to be a terrifying threat to the opposition's defenseman and goaltender .. scored a beautiful goal that highlighted his power, speed, and skill when he came screaming down the wing before driving the net hard where he finished five-hole .. exceptional at coming down the wing with speed before unloading his bone-rattling wristshot while in full flight .. while he displays adequate competitiveness, you would like to see him use his size more to become the physical presence he is capable of being .. comes through in spurts and needs to improve his shift-to-shift consistency.

Cam Barker (Chi), D, Rockford

The IceHogs alternate captain is receiving ample icetime in all situations .. the go-to-powerplay quarterback that displays sharp vision, creativity, and the ability to make a great first pass .. owns a probing pointshot where he is a threat to score or create rebounds with if he gets it through .. should jump in the rush more, as his high skill level and effortless mobility makes him highly effective in that aspect of the game .. patient and poised puckcarrier that likes to slow the game down despite his deceptive speed .. beginning to use his big frame, as he is throwing body checks with more regularity .. still plagued by poor marking skills in his own end, which leads to soft play in front of his own net and directly caused his team two-goals against .. must improve his horrid plus/minus before Chicago recalls him and a full year of the AHL may be best for this prized prospect.

Corey Crawford (Chi), G, Rockford

Classic Quebec-butterfly goaltender with great size and an airtight butterfly .. owns great technical skills but his average athleticism limits him .. first move is always down but he still gives the shooter little to look at thanks to his big frame, picturesque positioning, and good angles .. rarely has to do anything more than hit his butterfly to make a save, although he does display quick leg reflexes .. displays sound footwork and side-to-side movement, although he lacks ideal lateral power .. skating outside of his crease could use improvement .. does not lose form after the initial shot but his recovery quickness leaves room for improvement .. beatable up high from in tight .. must improve on his horrid rebound control, as he kicks out some juicy ones into the slot area.

Evan Brophey (Chi), C, Rockford

Big, fast, and skilled center that is displaying his offensive creativity early with eight assists in 11 games .. displays a quick and strong stride that stimulates his rapid acceleration .. demonstrates superb agility, as he will do a spin-o-rama to elude a defender .. creative in the offensive zone where he will look off the defenseman before making a pass ..needs to drive harder through checks, as he tends to give up to easy if initially prevented .. will need to compete harder and use his size more to take the next step.

Troy Brouwer (Chi), LW, Rockford

Talented goal scorer with a power forwards build, although he is more of a finesse player .. tends to hang too high in the offensive zone and must begin to venture into traffic more to dig the puck out himself .. underrated set-up man that displays his adequate vision and subtle creativity while distributing the puck from the half wall .. he can land a heavy bodycheck when he wants to but he rarely does .. lacks top-end speed and explosiveness out of the gates but he is a coordinated skater for a big man with deceiving lateral agility .. most dangerous when he decides to utilize his size and skill to drive the net … needs to drive the net with more consistency and begin to use his size away from the puck.

Petri Kontiola (Chi), F, Rockford

Has a knack for winning one-on-one battles, as he always comes out of the corners with the puck .. competes hard along the boards at both ends .. strong on his feet and he covers the puck well, although he will need to upgrade his top gear .. possesses underrated hand skill but needs to make quicker decisions with the puck in the offensive zone .. drives his feet hard and displays ferocious puck pursuit .. projects as a third or fourth liner.

Michael Blunden (Chi), RW, Rockford

Improved conditioning has aided his skating ability, as he is a commanding straight-line skater with good stride length and power, although he needs to tighten up his turn radius and improve his in-close agility .. possesses a long reach and strong puck protection however, he needs to improve his in-close puck control .. his defensive ability is shown by the coaching staff's confidence to have him on the ice to kill penalties at critical moments .. needs to finish his checks with more regularity and improve on his agility.

Jake Dowell (Chi), RW, Rockford

Fiercely competitive winger with a mean streak that can devastate the opposition with bone-rattling body checks .. backchecks hard and displays a mature understanding for the defensive side of the puck .. has a knack for finishing in tight, as he goes to the net hard and owns a strong shot that he never hesitates to use to throw the puck at the net .. bulky and strong winger that is a bull in the trenches .. the next Adam Burish.

Bryan Bickell (Chi), F, Rockford

Big man that is beginning to use his size more to his advantage by landing some thunderous hits while on the forecheck .. strong north-and-south skater with a commanding top gear .. his skill set was hidden throughout most of the contest but when it shines through, he displays the capability to execute some nice plays at full speed .. at his best when he's using his size and speed to drive down the wing .. not skilled enough to be a top-two line player, as he needs to focus on becoming a physical, north-and-south grinder that utilizes his speed and size every shift.

Adam Berti (Chi), RW, Rockford

Skilled big man that is not a regular in the lineup but shows signs of promise .. fluid and sturdy skater for a big man with decent speed .. owns a quick and hard shot that he can unleash at full speed coming down the wing .. displayed his finesse ability when he used his speed to back off the defender before stopping and executing a nifty pass to the streaking opposite wing .. difficult to stop when he applies himself, which is too rare at the moment .. needs to show some competitive spirit and a physical edge, as he will be smacked in the mouth by the opposition and just stand there without any emotion .. void of a physical edge and needs to show a pulse if he wants to become a regular in this lineup and play in the NHL.

Danny Richmond (Chi), D, Rockford

Former Carolina second rounder was sent down the day of the game after dressing in only one contest for the Chicago Blackhawks .. owns NHL-caliber mobility and skill but he is still prone to making bone-headed decisions like coughing the puck up carelessly around his own net .. will not be an everyday NHLer until he minimizes his errors.

Grand Rapids Griffins

Jimmy Howard (Det), G, Grand Rapids

Hybrid goaltender with superior athleticism but erratic technical ability .. the type of goalie that can make your jaw drop with a highlight reel save but can also leave you scratching your head with a few softies .. plays his best at the games most critical moments .. relies on inside edgework to maintain his wide-legged stance that gives the shooter nothing to look at down low .. likes to challenge the shooter and display his lively glove hand .. needs to be careful about not losing his form after the initial shot, as he tends to flop .. owns superb lateral and reaction quickness .. displays suspect rebound control .. hyper aggressive and needs to minimize his movements, as he can take himself out of the play with his adventurous style .. needs to minimize the weak goals against and work on playing 60 minutes of focused hockey before he will be the fulltime backup in Detroit..

Jakub Kindl (Det), D, Grand Rapids

Athletic puck rushing defenseman that has all the skill to be a good one, although the learning curve appears to still be steep .. possesses prodigious mobility with quick and nimble feet that stimulate his exceptional lateral speed .. likes to jump and involve himself offensively however, he currently looks timid to fully commit himself .. weak for a big man, as his upper body cannot push anybody around and he can be manhandled near his net by larger opponents .. needs to be careful about giving to wide of a gap and losing his man off the rush, which forces him to recover with at stick infraction .. highly skilled and he sees the ice well, although he must limit the sloppy and soft first passes that he is guilty of committing time to time .. needs to bulk up and refine his defensive game to take the next step.

Jonathan Ericsson (Det), D, Grand Rapids

Colossal and poised two-way defenseman that makes a consistent tape-to-tape, headman pass .. utilized on the first powerplay unit for his creative puck movement and booming shot .. superb skater for a player his size and owns good straight-line speed .. moves well in all directions and incisively knows when to pinch down low .. demonstrates sound defensive positioning and he uses his massive size well for leverage .. displays great stick work, as he uses his engulfing reach ideally .. for the most part, he angles his man to the outside before neutralizing him with a solid hit, although he can be beaten by speed off the rush at times and will need to continue to further his backwards mobility.

Darren Helm (Det), LW, Grand Rapids

Has not registered his first point as a pro despite seeing some time on the first line, but it is not for lack of confidence, as he still tries to execute some pretty one-on-one moves .. seems just a step behind seeing the ice and moving the puck, as he will need to become more instinctive with the puck before he begins to produce at this level .. owns good feet with a quick and strong stride that propels his prevailing top-end speed .. well groomed and knows to drive the net .. smart player on the defensive side of the puck that can disrupt the opposition's breakout with his stiff forecheck .. gritty competitor that is capable of shutting down his opposition wing for the game.

Mattias Ritola (Det), LW, Grand Rapids

Not the biggest player but he is scrappy and was willing to stand up for his teammate by dropping the gloves .. a committed and hard working two-way player that displays a mature defensive conscious .. strong skater with good quickness and agility .. he reads the game well and is the type of player that coaches can be comfortable sending over the boards in any situation .. underrated prospect that is on the right track.

Johan Ryno (Det), LW, Grand Rapids

Strapping winger with an aggressive stride and good first step .. does the little things offensively, as he catches passes smoothly while in full flight and likes to put the puck on the net .. needs to work on his shift-to-shift consistency and develop a mean streak that would ideally utilize his massive frame.

Evan McGrath (Det), RW, Grand Rapids

Quick and nimble skater, although he does not possess a third gear .. owns a quick release that propels his heavy shot that he must find ways to utilize more often .. away from the puck, he is like a fly to the opposition, as he is always around but he is easy to swat away .. shootout specialist with great skill .. mostly invisible and is the type of player that is benched when the coach shortens his bench .. must begin to compete harder.

Kyle Quincey (Det), D, Grand Rapids

Mature and steady two-way defenseman that can be relied on to play within his limits and never commit an unforced error .. performing very well at both ends and is being rewarded with icetime on the powerplay .. owns a wide and stable stride that propels his deceiving speed .. not blessed with high-end offensive ability, although he owns a heavy shot that he keeps low and gets on net .. makes mature decisions moving the puck and can make a nice first pass along with smart passes on the point .. supports the rush well but he never is caught up the ice .. he is always in position and battles hard one-on-one .. owns a sturdy lower body that aides him in his physicality .. receiving lots of time on the Rapids top pairing and it is easy to see why the Detroit Red Wings are comfortable calling him up when injuries strike.