Blackhawks rookie, and Chicago-area native, Ryan Hartman didn’t play college hockey. He opted for Canadian major junior hockey.
But what if Chicago, or Champaign, had a Division I men’s hockey program when Hartman was looking at his options, and he and his Chicago Mission teammates could have continued to play together for an in-state school?
Hartman was intrigued by the idea.
“That’s true,” said Hartman, who is from West Dundee. “With a team that has so many talented players and were together for so long and grew up winning together forever, I think that definitely could have had a factor.