Welcome to a new series: Blackhawks prospect watch. This series will serve as Second City Hockey’s post to take a look at how the organization’s top prospects are performing around the globe.
Lemont, Ill., native and regular starting goaltender for the Rockford IceHogs, Scott Darling, was recalled by the Blackhawks and earned a win in his NHL debut after stopping 12 shots against the Ottawa Senators at the United Center on Sunday. That’s just the first in what will presumably be several big performances from AHL call-ups this season.
Let’s get started with the how the Blackhawks’ AHL and ECHL affiliates, the Rockford IceHogs and Indianapolis Fuel, are doing so far this season.
Rockford
The IceHogs (4-2-1) went 2-1 this past week after falling 3-2 on the road against the Rochester Americans (Sabres) on Wednesday and picking up back-to-back wins over the Chicago Wolves (Blues) 4-3 and Lake Erie Monsters (Avalanche) 5-2 at home on the weekend.
Michael Leighton made 80 saves and allowed eight goals over that span, while Brandon Mashinter and Matt Carey scored the game-winners against Chicago and Lake Erie, respectively.
Mark McNeill scored three goals and one assist, including two goals against Lake Erie, Dennis Rasmussen found the back of the net twice, Adam Clendening (D) had two assists and a goal and Kyle Cumiskey (D) recorded two assists. Teuvo Teravainen and Ryan Hartman each scored a goal. It was Teravainen’s first goal on the season against Rochester.
The IceHogs are currently in second place, three points behind the Milwaukee Admirals (Nashville Predators, 6-0-0), and one point ahead of the Chicago (3-1-2) in the Midwest Division.
Indy
In their first season, the Fuel (1-3-1) claimed their first win in franchise history, 5-1, over the Missouri Mavericks on Friday. It remains their lone win on the season, following a 4-2 loss to cross-state rivals Evansville Icemen and Fort Wayne Komets 4-0 over the weekend.
Forward Robert Czarnik is tied for third in the ECHL in points and leads the league in goals (5), power-play goals (3), and power-play points (4). The shutout loss against Fort Wayne also snapped his four-game goal streak.
Forward Rhett Bly (3G, 3A) and defenseman Nick Jones are currently tied for the league lead in power-play assists (3) and power-play points (4).
NCAA, USHL, and others
Anthony Louis (F), Miami Ohio (NCAA) – Louis has four assists and five points in six games on the season. the RedHawks are currently ranked No. 10 in the nation by USCHO.com and USA Today/USA Hockey magazine polls.
Michael Paliotta (D), Vermont (NCAA) – Paliotta had one shot on goal in the Catamounts’ 2-1 win over UCONN Saturday. He has five assists and seven points on the season. The Catamounts are ranked No. 13 in the nation.
Nick Schmaltz (F), North Dakota (NCAA) – Schmaltz had two assists and three shots, while going 16-4 in the face-off circle over two games against Providence in a top-5 showdown in Grand Forks, N.D. The Fighting Sioux are ranked No. 2 in the nation.
Fredrik Olofsson (F), Chicago Steel (USHL) – A week removed being named the USHL’s forward of the week, Olofsson recorded six shots and one assist in the Steel’s 2-1 loss to Cedar Rapids. He previously scored five goals, including hat trick in a 4-3 win over Bloomington Thunder and two more goals in a 4-3 loss to Muskegon Lumberjacks.
Matheson Iacopelli (F), Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL) – Iacopelli was held scoreless in two games against Green Bay over the weekend. He has seven goals and eight points on the season.
Ivan Nalimov (G), Admiral Vladivostok (KHL) – Nalimov has a 3.10 goals against-average and .892 save-percentage over nine games this season.
Carl Dahlstrom (D), Linkoping (SHL) – Dahlstrom has one goal with six penalty minutes over 15 games this season.
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