NHL Profiles: Chicago / Colorado

Nikolai Khabibulin (Chi) - started off strong with Kazan, but trailed off towards the end of the season .. did not seem as highly motivated back in Russia, despite claiming that he was focused .. continued to be Kazan's starter before gradually conceding more icetime to backup Fred Brathwaite .. despite some solid play in the playoffs, Khabibulin was even pulled after two losses, with Brathwaite carrying Kazan to an impressive win in Game 3 before the club was eliminated.

Jonas Nordqvist (Chi) - established himself in the SEL in '03-4 and followed it up with an even better campaign last year .. the most consistent of Lulea's centers and was actually the best scorer among drafted Swedes under the age of 25 in the league .. boasts a huge frame, but he doesn't use it as well nor as often as he should .. great stickhandler, possesses amazing hockey sense, however his lack of first step explosiveness could be what keeps him out of the NHL .. strong defensively and always makes the smart decision .. knows how to position himself in front of the net, where he picks up most of his goals .. good work ethic, solid team player, loyal and easy to coach .. improved his shooting skills significantly last season, possesses a very accurate wrister .. also developed a strong slapshot with a quick release that often surprises goalies .. could easily be a top-ten scorer in the SEL .. although his skating isn't top notch, he's worth taking a shot at.

Jaroslav Spacek (Chi) - served as a defensive anchor for his parent Plzen team .. willingly joined the rush and routinely distributed quality passes .. served as a top-four defenseman and powerplay quarterback .. surprisingly traded to the Slavia Praha team at the trade deadline after management decided to unload him .. initially upset about the move however settled in with new teammates quickly .. added decent physical awareness to Slavia and was asked to serve as a defensive leader in the playoffs, where he reduced his offensive raids and focused more on defense .. a regular on the Czech senior national team, appearing in the 2004 World Cup of Hockey and winning gold at the 2005 Worlds after a solid two-way effort .. after last season's events, Spacek happy to return to a familiar environment in Chicago .. won't stand in the spotlight but is a dependable defenseman with decent offensive upside and should also serve possibly as a mentor to the club's younger blueliners.

Petr Puncochar (Chi) - signed a contract with Dukla Jihlava prior to the season and performed on the top four defensive rotation .. played a two-way role and saw significant time on powerplay units .. still needs to upgrade his defensive play .. wasn't an outstanding factor .. loaned to Pisek of the Div I senior league for one game .. returned back to his Jihlava team to help the squad in the relegation series against Ceske Budejovice .. an average factor in this series, focusing more on a defensive role rather than rushing forward, but couldn't avoid the relegation of his team .. shows too many downsides for NHL consideration.

Mattias Wennerberg (Chi) - endured a devastating season as he followed the action either from the bench or in some cases in the pressbox as a healthy scratch .. quickly decided to leave MoDo after the season and soon signed a contract with Timra where he obviously hopes to find more icetime .. not your typical Swede, Wennerberg is a physical winger who plays a gritty style and likes to finish his checks .. likes to crash the net and has a good, quick wrist shot .. picks up a lot of garbage goals .. a decent puckhandler but not much of a playmaker, and sometimes makes erratic decisions defensively .. has strong legs and good balance, though doesn't accelerate very well .. good frame, strong along the boards, excellent work ethic .. should rebound nicely in Timra and may take a shot at North America after that.

Riku Hahl (Col) - played last season in a two-way role in HPK Hameenlinna paired up with Jani Rita, who was the more productive player on the line .. always responsible in his own end and even managed to provide some offense in the playoffs (10-2-6-8, plus-5) .. solid on the international stage again as well, playing for Finland in both the World Cup and World Championships .. defensive center first and foremost .. good strength and great morale .. possesses adequate skating skills and could be more effective if he used his more frequently .. unlikely to ever take on an offensive role .. failed to get a one-way contract from Colorado and signed a deal with Swiss HC Davos.

Milan Hejduk (Col) - looked rusty in September but caught fire and never looked back after October .. turned into one of the most feared snipers in the Extraleague .. skated on the elite line in Pardubice alongside Michal Mikeska and Jan Bulis .. one of the most gentlemanly players in the league .. the Pardubice youth line of Petr Prucha, Petr Koukal and Ales Hemsky flourished in the playoffs so that opposing defenses didn't focus solely on Hejduk, who still managed to score important goals .. won the championship title .. averaged more than a point-per game at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey .. took part in just three more international games .. will be asked to provide considerable offense without the aid of Peter Forsberg's playmaking ability .. a cornerstone player.

Brett McLean (Col) - was perhaps the most ordinary of all the North American NHLers in the SEL last season .. failed to elevate his team at all and struggled to keep up himself at times .. strong in the face-off circle and works hard on the backcheck, those are his best traits .. an average skater, without any remarkable features .. showed limited vision and creativity on the bigger ice, usually just dumping the puck in as soon he saw the redline .. generally struggled to get any offense going .. the type of player who could play a whole game without ever being noticed.

Denis Parshin (Col) - fell back last season after an impressive '03-4 .. struggled to break into CSKA's lineup early in the season and spent most of the fall on the bench or practicing with the second squad .. still, he was ahead of other young CSKA forwards, his lack of icetime having more to do with the infusion of NHL players than his lack of ability .. boasts impressive skill and hockey sense, however lacks any size and does not have a very high top speed .. the size issue was especially apparent at the World Juniors where he started on the second line with Malkin and Shirokov, however failed to cope against bigger and faster opponents .. able to showcase his puckhandling and speed against weaker opponents, though his production was minimal and overall his performance disappointing .. did enjoy a strong finish to the regular season .. needs to prove he can prosper on the smaller NHL-size rinks as he isn't going to grow any more.

Ossi Vaananen (Col) - gave a classic Vaananen-like performance last season, allowing only a handful of goals scored while he was on the ice at even strength .. never asked to provide any offense and didn't do it here either .. has learned to use his big body better and showed that with a promising effort at the World Championships .. a large, strong-skating blueliner who never tries to do anything he knows he can't do ... has become increasingly more physical during his years in the NHL ... still very young and learning to be a very good defensive defenseman.

Linus Videll (Col) - never really came close to cracking the main Sodertalje team .. instead, it was pretty much a wasted year in terms of development, stuck bouncing between junior hockey and the second league .. a big and skilled package who continues to refine his skills .. really improved his first strides when skating and generally moves more fluidly over the ice compared to past seasons .. a constant physical presence around the net .. boasts the tools to play an even more intense game than he does, as he sometimes has a tendency to take a shift off .. very strong wristshot .. still makes some defensive errors, but overall his work ethic has improved and he's also losing much of his "bad boy" image as he seems more mature nowadays .. nevertheless, could show frustration if he's forced to junior again .. might be best if he took a full season in the second league to regain some lost confidence and add senior level experience.