The Plan™ for this season was simple: focus on developing young players and rebuilding the roster. The Blackhawks have done an admirable job weaving the young forwards into the lineup and placing them with key veterans to assist in their development. It’s worked so well that this young team has put themselves in a position to potentially make the playoffs — something no one thought was realistically possible coming into the season. Granted, that’s primarily due to goaltending and a hot power play to start, but the contributions of the young forwards should not be overlooked.
As with the defenders, the ongoing team-wide statistical issue has negatively impacted several of the young forwards, so some of the information below isn’t pretty, but it hasn’t been without growth either.