Teuvo Teravainen may or may not make the Blackhawks out of training camp, but that won’t dim his rising star any time soon. NHL.com released its ranking of the league’s Top 60 prospects this week, and Teravainen comes in No. 5 on the list.
Trailing only Tampa Bay’s Jonathan Drouin, Anaheim’s John Gibson, Washington’s Evgeny Kuznetsov and Buffalo’s Sam Reinhart in the rankings, Teravainen has that hype train rolling into camp:
Could the Finnish forward be the Blackhawks’ long-sought answer to the second-line center question? He got a three-game NHL tryout last season and will be eased into the role this season with veteran Brad Richards on hand. But the long-term belief is Teravainen has the skill to play a supporting role behind Jonathan Toews.
The 19-year-old received 330 points, finishing just two points behind Reinhart and 19 points behind top prospect Drouin. He did finish one spot ahead of this year’s No. 1 overall pick, Florida defenseman Aaron Ekblad.
Unfortunately, Chicago didn’t get much more love from there. Defenseman Adam Clendening was ranked No. 56 and not a single other Blackhawks prospect even received votes. We know the team doesn’t have as stacked a system as others, but guys like Mark McNeill, Stephen Johns and Ryan Hartman were completely omitted.
One name that could’ve bolstered Chicago’s showing was Kevin Hayes, who ranks No. 49. He’s a member of the Rangers now, of course.