'08-'09 Season Review: Troy Brouwer

by McClure on Jun 15, 2009 10:48 AM CDT

With the season now over after a return to the playoffs and the Western Conference Finals, we're looking back at each player who wore the Indian Head sweater for the 08-09 Season and grading their performance. We begin now with the forwards, and everyone's favorite set of stone hands, Troy Brouwer.

Troy Brouwer

#22 / Right Wing / Chicago Blackhawks

Height: 6-2

Weight: 213

Born: Aug 17, 1985

Contract Status - RFA, '08-'09 Cap Hit - $700K

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2008 - Troy Brouwer	69	10	16	26	7	50	4	1	0	0	126	7.9

The Good - After being called up on October 21st, Troy Brouwer managed to finally stick with the big club for the majority of the year after a couple of cups of coffee the previous two seasons while lighting it up for the Norfolk and Rockford AHL sqauads. Brouwer has a prototypical power forward's frame, and was not afraid to use it either finishing his checks, planting himself in front of the net, or occasionally dropping the mitts. His slightly above average speed for his size made him extremely versatile when in the lineup; the ability to win the puck along the boards for Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane on the first line, add physicality and energy on the fourth line, kill penalties, and occasionally do his best Ryan Smyth impersonation on the power play. Additionally, his superb positional play afforded him numerous golden opportunities when on the ice with Toews....more on that in a moment. All in all, no matter the task, Brouwer exhibited the size, speed, and hockey sense to do the job admirably.

The Bad - Based on the numbers he put up in The A (seasons of 41 and 35 goals), a much finer finishing touch was expected of Brouwer at the NHL level. Despite more chances than we have time to get into mentioning specifics for, Brouwer only had 10 goals this year- a far cry from the numbers he put up with the farm club. And those chances he missed quite often were reason enough for "Round two" in the smoking pen outside gate 7 at the UC. Additionally, Brouwer is certainly not the most graceful specimen on two skates. It would serve Troy well to refine his skating stride, and perhaps, that will put him in position a fraction of a second sooner, allowing him to bury the aforementioned chances.

Playoff Beard Strength - At only 23, Brouwer was certainly one of the most rugged of the young bucks, and again western Canada represents with a top notch playoff beard.

Nicknames - Ohmygodohmygodohmygodshiiiiiiiiiiit........

Related Photoshops - Such is the life of the role player- very few times are you cast into the limelight that is being the victim of a photoshop.

The Grade - I'm going to reveal my bias here, and state that I have a very big soft spot for big tall oafs who play positionally sound, but have hands of stone and manage to screw the pooch on nearly every scoring chance they get. But the reason Brouwer got those chances in the first place is because he was where he was supposed to be. And as young as he is, there is still a sufficient amount of time for him to refine his scoring touch in the NHL. But other than that issue, I have little to no complaint with Troy Brouwer's game as a whole, and am willing to give him a high B for this year. What say you?

Poll

Troy Brouwer's 2008-2009 final grade?

A

4 votes

B

109 votes

C

98 votes

D

12 votes

F

1 votes

224 votes | Poll has closed

Tweet Comment 9 comments | 0 recs |

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Comments

On top of not being a great skater

He misses way to many open nets or easy goals to be given a B. I have him at a C until he can shore up the skating and the “ohmygodohmygodo.SHIT” misses

by Roos-34 on Jun 15, 2009 11:14 AM CDT reply actions

I was reading the first Blackhawks Magazine

the other day instead of doing work. I came across an article about the Hawks farm. They surveyed a panel of scouts and coaches. PUREST SCORER: Troy Brouwer. Runner up: Pascal Pelletier. Ditka help us all if he is the purest scorer in the system.

You and I are gonna live forever

by Original Six on Jun 15, 2009 2:09 PM CDT reply actions

Troy Brouwer was not good in 2008-09

I can understand the organ-I-zation’s faith in his potential and upside. But boy does Brouwer have a long way to go.

You mean, let me understand this cause, ya know maybe it's me, I'm a little messed up maybe, but I'm funny how, I mean funny like I'm a clown, I amuse you? I make you laugh, I'm here to amuse you? What do you mean funny, funny how? How am I funny?

by BLou on Jun 15, 2009 3:28 PM CDT reply actions

Jitters?

It seems when he has the chance to score,and i think he could have had at least 20.He just quickly shots the puck.No deke no finesse,no aiming high or low just,get this black thing off my stick.But 23 is still a baby.Maybe next season

by idiot man on Jun 15, 2009 3:40 PM CDT reply actions

A B? A high B?

Jesus, man, you’ve gone softer than Cutler’s second chin.

If we put an A at complete player at both ends, with an F being worthless at both ends, I don’t see how Brouwer can elicit anything higher than a C at this point. Decent defensively, but the guy showed absolutely no scoring ability in the NHL, despite being fed primo chances from his much more gifted linemates.

I haven’t given up on his ability to regain the scoring touch he showed in previous levels, but he sure as hell didn’t show it this year.

Got more soul than a sock with a hole.

by chrome on Jun 15, 2009 6:25 PM CDT reply actions

By your own criteria, that’s how I give Brouwer a B. As I stated in the writeup, I felt that he was solid in the offensive zone, by virtue of providing screens at the goal mouth, winning pucks in corners, and being in position to receive the aforementioned golden opportunities. And I wholeheartedly agree, Troy needs to finish those. Those would-be goals are subject to less big-picture scrutiny after the fact due to the goal totals of Versteeg and Bolland in breakout campaigns for each of them. But if one or both of them are poached in the restricted free-agent market, and Havlat doesn’t re-sign, then those lost goals are going to have to come from somewhere, and Brouwer is going to be high on the list of people they’re going to be expected from. At every level he’s played at he’s shown a nose for the net, here’s hoping it’s just going to take time, and that that time will arrive soon.

By that same coin, I spoke with Matt on IM today, and in the conversation we concluded that Troy Brouwer is not that far behind Ladd in terms of his development, and though the writeup hasn’t come yet, I think it would be fair to say that Ladd had an excellent year. The primary difference being that Ladd buried the few chances he got playing in a mostly checking role. But, as was noted, Brouwer himself did bounce around with several lines, including the power play unit, which he did produce 4 goals for in his limited time with the advantage. Additionally, Ladd has three more years of NHL experience than Brouwer. Having watched him now for an entire season, I honestly can’t find much to not like about his game, particularly based on what was expected of him and what the team required of him this year, and that is why I gave him a B+-ish grade. However, next year, if he’s brought back, it’s going to be with the expectation that he needs to be a key offensive contributor and not “just a guy”, as they have plenty of guys who can provide what he did this year coming through the system.

by McClure on Jun 15, 2009 7:11 PM CDT up reply actions

Damn, I wrote a longer response last night, must not have gone through.

Short version is I can definitely see the Ladd comparison and, speaking in terms of the development curve, you could make a solid argument that its preferable to spend his first (almost) full year up playing solid in his own end, limiting damaging mistakes, but not finishing versus a few more goals, but sloppier overall play along with Versteegian decision-making.

Still, he’s not getting graded on his future growth, only on what he did this year, and his consistent failure to convert just does not get him close enough to the strong all around player an A grade deserves.. So I’m sticking with the C.

Got more soul than a sock with a hole.

by chrome on Jun 16, 2009 1:19 PM CDT up reply actions

C – if he were simply kept on the 4th line where he belongs I’d bump him up to a B. Not his fault that he was moved up to the top lines but he’s not a top 2 line player. I’m ok with him on the 3rd or 4th.

by Crease Monkey on Jun 15, 2009 7:21 PM CDT reply actions

Not higher than a C. I didn’t notice him out there most nights. He can’t score unless it’s into an empty net or unless it’s a rebound into an open net. He does play well in his own end, I’ll give him that. But he’s nothing more than a very average role player.

by Let'sGoHawks on Jun 16, 2009 9:56 AM CDT reply actions