Chicago Blackhawks On The Rise:

For the 1st time in along, long time, Blackhawk fans have something to be excited about.

Due to the team's utter lack of ability to field a competitive team, the Hawks now boast a stable of top young players picked up through the draft. The top 2 names into the fold are Jonathon Toews (#3 overall pick in 2006) and Patrick Kane (#1 overall choice 2007).

Many young prospects take plenty of time to develop into top NHL players. Of course that's high expectations for any player, but there are some interesting signs that both Toews and Kane can pay immediate dividends.

In the 2007 junior world championships both players were arguably the best on their respective teams. Toews scored 3 clutch shootout goals against the USA to help lead Canada to Gold. Plus Toews ability to play an amazing 2-way game, Canada threw him out in every important situation, whether it was killing penalties, or setting up the PP. Not only did Toews have international success in the junior circuit, but he also made the Canadian Mens team in the World Championships. A very tough feat for a plyer of Toews' youth. The amazing team is that he fit in so well. Canada was confident in using Toews in important situations. Against the worlds' top players Toews played some incredible hockey, regardless of the situation. Toews is the total package. With his leadership and maturity, Toews should be able to step in immediately and be a very productive player, on both sides of the ice.

Pat Kane is a little less predictable. The main flaws with Kane, is that he's a smallish 5-10, 160 pounds. Many scouts think that the leading scorer in the OHL will have trouble against the real men he will face in the NHL. This is a fair complaint, but many players have been successful with limited stature. With the new rules in place preventing constant clutch and grabbing, the transition for Kane should not be as steep as many people think. Again, with team USA in the junior championships, Kane showed his dynamic offensive abilites. A smooth passer, excellent stick handler, and a tremendous ability to put the puck by goalies, Kane should be able to score right away. However, unlike Toews, Kane is not a fantastic all around player. His defensive play leaves much to be desired. As it stands, Kane should be able to contribute and help improve the league's worst PP last season, and should be able to score 20-25 goals while posting 50-60 points. Lofty expectations for a guy just drafted, but his scoring ability in junior should translate into NHL success.

The other exciting young players the Hawks have to offer mainly reside on defense. Both Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith have led the Hawks defense the last seasons even with their youth. With another year to grow into a tough position should allow Seabrook and Keith to continue develop to their potential. Both players have outstanding futures, and are both solid players right now, but it's still going to be difficult for the Hawks to rely on 2 young players to stabilize the entire defense. They have the talent, but some growing pains should be expected, but they should continue to gel into an effective unit.

The wild card on the defense is Cam Barker. He famously went behind Ovechken and Malkin in the 2004 draft, and obviously hasn't developed like the other two have. He's got loads of potential (even more than Seabrook and Keith), but it's taken longer for him to learn to play the position effectively at a high level. He's the player that really needs to step up for the Hawks defense to be an above average unit. He's raw and will be prone to mistakes, but he should be able to step up and be an effective offensive defensemen. He possesses a lasor of a shot, and has above average puck moving skills. Barker should be an asset on the PP. However, he won't have as much success defensively. Barker needs continuous playing time, and most importantly needs to stay healthy to learn the hardest position in hockey.