Hawks captain impressed by young, fast Jets

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This article was published 15/11/2016 (3276 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews is a keen student of the game, and he says the signs are unmistakable.

The NHL, he says, is getting younger and faster and the Winnipeg Jets are a pretty good example of the trend.

“They’re one of those teams we’ve really had to be ready for the last couple of years,” said the 28-year-old born-and-raised Winnipegger.

“I think this year, especially, they’ve got some young talent that really seems to be coming together. Two guys like (Patrik) Laine, (Mark) Scheifele… go down the list. Their offensive guys, I think, are starting to put up numbers early in the season. You have to be aware of those guys.”

Toews is pleased the ’Hawks have joined the youth movement.

“With the majority of the league getting even younger, the speed is picking up every single year,” he said. “I think it’s something we’re seeing more and more throughout our division and even throughout the league. I think we have our own group of guys that can skate, and we have a lot of young guys who have come in and have a great impact.”

Toews had a few other things to say about his team…

On 37-year-old Marian Hossa, who is off to to torrid start with nine goals and 15 points in 15 regular-season games, after managing just 13 goals and 33 points in 64 games last year:

“He’s an outlier, in a lot of ways. He’s an exception to the rule more and more so, but I think he’s playing with a lot of speed. We were joking around at the start of the year that… he’s looking like the young, 25-year-old Hossa out there. I think he’s excited to play hockey and he took advantage of the off-season.”

On finding a more permanent left-winger to join perennial all-stars Toews and Patrick Kane on Chicago’s top line:

“(We) might have to continue dealing with some changes, here and there, and that’s fine. I think whether it’s Vinnie (Hinostroza) or (Nick Schmaltz) or even (Ryan Hartman) or (Richard) Panik on that line, it doesn’t matter. You always have a couple of good shifts… it just depends of what Q (head coach Joel Quenneville) wants and is looking for in a certain game.”

On the value of Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford, who has a 2.01 goals-against average and a .934 save percentage through his first 13 games:

“We obviously reap the benefits when a goaltender’s playing well. For a while at the start of the season, our penalty kill was atrocious. I think a big thing for us to get our confidence back and get on the right path… our goaltenders playing the way they have.”

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @sawa14