The Chicago Blackhawks raised their 2013 Stanley Cup banner with a 6-4 win over the Washington Capitals. Making his NHL debut was the young Swede who surprised fans by making the team out of training camp, forward Joakim Nordstrom.
Even before Tuesday night's opener, I would have liked to see Nordstrom continuing his development in the AHL. Nordstrom's debut didn't really convince me otherwise.
Nordstrom didn't commit any grievous transgression that begged coach Joel Quenneville to send him to Rockford. He skated 12:23, including 3:26 on the penalty kill unit. He was on the ice for the 'Hawks first score and was a plus-one on the evening. It's just that the kid is being rushed when he doesn't need to be.
Quenneville likes his tenacity defensively and so do I. It's just that at 6'1" and 160 pounds, I question his ability to handle himself in the corners with players who have more size. This includes pretty much everyone in the league.
Andrew Shaw can get down and dirty in the corners despite a lack of size, but he outweighs Nordstrom by 20 pounds. I'm not sure Nordstrom is ready to go out and win bo ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Jon Fromi
Chicago Blackhawks: Is Joakim Nordstrom Ready for the NHL?
October 3rd, 2013 by Jon Fromi Leave a reply »
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