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Henri Jokiharju

Blackhawks Continue Making Roster Room On Defense

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With seven healthy defenseman finally on their roster, the Chicago Blackhawks announced that they have assigned defenseman Brandon Davidson to the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL, freeing up a roster spot for Gustav Forsling, who has been on injured reserve with an upper-body injury.

The 27-year-old Davidson has had trouble finding a full-time role with any team as he is already on his fourth organization in his fifth season in the league. Due to injuries and multiple healthy scratches, Davidson has appeared in just 10 games for Chicago this year. He has been traded twice, claimed on waivers once and this year opted to sign a one-year deal with a Chicago in the offseason worth $650K. He hasn’t played a game in the AHL since the 2014-15 season when he played for the Oklahoma City Barons, no longer an affiliate with the AHL.

For the Blackhawks, it’s just another move to rebuild their blueline that has gotten younger throughout the season, starting with Henri Jokiharju making the team out of camp, to the promotion of Carl Dahlstrom on Dec. 12, to the recent acquisition of Slater Koekkoek from Tampa Bay. The team has also moved out some veterans, including dealing Brandon Manning and his two-year deal to Edmonton in exchange for winger Drake Caggiula and veteran defenseman Jason Garrison, who the team immediately placed on unconditional waivers and released. The team then moved Jan Rutta to the Lightning to acquire Koekkoek.

These moves should only continue into next season as well as the Blackhawks have a number of young blueliners who could be ready for Chicago next year, including 2018 first-round picks Adam Boqvist and Nicolas Beaudin, as well as University of Denver standout Ian Mitchell (although the team would still have to sign him).

 

Henri Jokiharju Returns To Chicago Blackhawks

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After being a huge part of Finland’s gold medal performance at the World Junior Championships, Henri Jokiharju has been recalled to the Chicago Blackhawks. It’s not clear exactly when Jokiharju will return to the lineup, but it does seem like he will spend the entire season in Chicago.

That decision, while clearly giving the Blackhawks the best chance to win every night, does have a big consequence. When Jokiharju plays in his 40th game this season, he’ll get a year closer to unrestricted free agency. The 19-year old defenseman already made sure his entry-level contract wouldn’t slide again by playing 32 games before leaving for the World Juniors.

There was no doubt that Jokiharju would be a huge addition for the Finns when he was allowed to leave the Blackhawks, but he went above and beyond by dominating the tournament. Named one of his team’s three best players, he could have even received consideration for how well he played en route to the gold medal. Calmly controlling the game from the blue line, Jokiharju also recorded five points in seven games including an assist on Kaapo Kakko’s golden goal. It’s not like that kind of point production is something new for the young defensemen, as he had 11 points in the NHL before even leaving.

Even with the Blackhawks’ recent successful string of games, the team has a 16-21-7 record and will be hard pressed to get back into the playoff race. Jokiharju’s presence will help, but the rest of this season is much more likely a development year than a real playoff chase.

Klim Kostin, Max Comtois Among World Junior Captains

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The NHL’s Western Conference will be well represented at the World Junior Championships, an international tournament that begins today. The event will feature some of the very best U20 players in the entire world, and will include several that have already made their NHL debuts. One of those players is Max Comtois, who started the year with the Anaheim Ducks and has now been named captain of Team Canada. Comtois is the lone returning player from last year’s gold medal-winning squad, and will be helped by Evan Bouchard (EDM), Ian Mitchell (CHI) and Jaret Anderson-Dolan (LAK) who have all been named alternates.

The young Ducks forward got off to a great start, recording seven points in his first ten NHL games and even added another goal during a four-game conditioning stint with the San Diego Gulls of the AHL. Comtois is now back with the Drummondville Voltigeurs of the QMJHL, a team that is expected to compete for the Memorial Cup after making several high profile trades.

The United States meanwhile will be captained by University of Minnesota-Duluth defenseman Michael Anderson, a Los Angeles Kings prospect. Selected in the fourth round during the 2017 draft, Anderson is a rock solid defenseman capable of shutting down the opponent’s best forwards while contributing offensively from time to time. The 19-year old has seven points in 16 games this season, but will be relied on to stop some of the most potent forwards from around the world while Quinn Hughes—named an alternate for the team—carries the offensive load from the blue line. Josh Norris, another returning player and an Ottawa Senators prospect, rounds out the leadership group.

For Russia, the captain role is often given to a veteran player from their development system who hasn’t reached North America yet. Not so this time around, as St. Louis Blues prospect Klim Kostin will serve as the team’s leader in the upcoming tournament. Kostin played all of last season in the AHL, and has 11 points in 28 games for the San Antonio Rampage this year. He’ll be assisted by Vitaly Kravtsov and Dmitry Samorukov, prospects of the New York Rangers and Edmonton Oilers respectively.

Finland’s entry looked young and inexperienced until they got some late-December additions, and several will play a big part in the leadership group this time around. Urho Vaakanainen (BOS) and Henri Jokiharju (CHI) have both been named alternates, but will leave the captain duties to Aarne Talvitie who served in the same role at the Summer Showcase. Talvitie, a New Jersey Devils sixth-round pick, currently plays for Penn State U and has 16 points in 17 games as a freshman.

Poll: Who Will Win The 2019 World Junior Championship?

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Tonight in Kelowna, British Columbia, Russia and Sweden battle it out in the first pre-tournament game for the upcoming World Junior Championship. This tournament, made up of under-20 players from around the world, is one of the premiere international competitions in the world of hockey and brings with it plenty of intrigue. NHL fans in particular get a glimpse of the next wave of superstars, often before they’re even drafted. That’s no different this year, where the tournament will feature several exceptional talents scheduled to go in the 2019 or 2020 entry drafts.

Last year, Canada defeated Sweden in a memorable final game to secure the gold medal on Tyler Steenbergen’s first goal of the tournament. St. Louis Blues forward Jordan Kyrou led the Canadians in scoring with ten points in seven games, while Ottawa Senators prospect Drake Batherson scored a team-leading seven goals. Colorado Avalanche fans got a look at two of their own top prospects in Cale Makar and Conor Timmins, while newly minuted Philadelphia Flyers starting goaltender Carter Hart was the star in net. Amazingly, only a single player will return from that team for Canada in Max Comtois as most of the others have either aged out of the tournament, are dealing with injury or were withheld by their NHL teams.

Canada isn’t the only medal favorite though, as several other countries are bringing explosive lineups of their own. The discussion has to start with the United States, where Quinn and Jack Hughes are set to be the talk of the tournament. Quinn, the elder brother and a defenseman selected by the Vancouver Canucks seventh overall in June, is having an outstanding sophomore season at the University of Michigan and is expected to turn pro afterwards. Jack, the younger and a center, is expected to go first-overall in the 2019 draft to whoever wins the lottery.

Finland has the presumptive second-overall pick playing for their group in Kaapo Kakko, but also got some great news today when Henri Jokiharju was loaned from the Chicago Blackhawks. Jokiharju should be a difference maker for the Finnish team, who also should be strong in net with Buffalo Sabres prospect Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. Sweden doesn’t have the firepower up front of some previous years, but is an absolute powerhouse on defense even without the injured Timothy Liljegren. The five-man offensive units should be more than strong enough with the likes of Erik Brannstrom and Adam Boqvist jumping into the rush.

The Czech Republic got some great news when Filip Zadina was cleared of injury, and after getting some experience at the AHL level he should be even more dangerous this time around. Russia meanwhile will bring another strong mostly 19-year old group to Vancouver, and have some AHL experience of their own in Klim Kostin who was loaned by the St. Louis Blues.

In all, this should be another outstanding tournament filled with exceptional talents. Cast your vote below on who you think will win the whole thing, and then tune in on December 26th to see it all kick off.

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Chicago Blackhawks Loan Henri Jokiharju To Team Finland

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In a move that signals the Chicago Blackhawks understand their own limitations this season, Henri Jokiharju has been loaned to the Finnish World Junior Team for the upcoming tournament. Pre-tournament games start this week, and Jokiharju could be away from the Blackhawks until early January depending on how things go. The 19-year old is still eligible despite playing in 32 games for the Blackhawks this season. In related moves, the team has also activated Artem Anisimov and Gustav Forsling from injured reserve.

Jokiharju has been one of the best players on the Blackhawks all season, but given the team’s struggles through the first part of the year it makes sense to allow him to compete. The right-handed defenseman will immediately become Finland’s go-to player on the blue line among a group of fairly inexperienced teammates. Miro Heiskanen, who would also be eligible for the tournament, is playing big minutes in Dallas meaning there is ample opportunity for Jokiharju. With 11 points in 32 games for the Blackhawks, the tournament should be even easier for him.

Still, it’s an interesting decision this early for Chicago. The team was expecting to compete this season with the likes of Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith still leading the way, but have dealt with injury and inconsistency through the first few months. That cost former head coach Joel Quenneville his job, and with Corey Crawford’s latest injury the season may be lost already. The Blackhawks sit in 30th place in the NHL with a 10-19-6 record, and are looking towards a future that relies on Jokiharju as a minute-munching two-way defender. Going to compete in the World Juniors is a strong development tool, and one the young defenseman will likely relish as he tries to lead his country to a medal.

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