The Blackhawks broke the hearts of many fans when they decided to assign Adam Boqvist to the London Knights of the OHL.
ROSTER MOVE: Defenseman Adam Boqvist has been assigned to the London Knights of the OHL. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/1PiZzKVOaB
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) September 26, 2018
In my last article, I talked about how Coach Q teased us with the possibility of Boqvist staying on with the team through the preseason.
Adam Boqvist can play up to 9 games this season without burning first year of entry-level deal. Seems like a possibility he could start year with #Blackhawks. https://t.co/G4Y4fuAULJ
— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) September 21, 2018
A clause in Boqvist’s contract gives him 9 games of NHL eligibility without burning 1 year of his 3-year Entry Level Contract. I selfishly wanted him to stay on with the team and play those 9 games because I wanted to see more, but the team opted to send Boqvist north of the border for developmental purposes.
Why Adam Boqvist Will Benefit More Playing For London Than For Chicago
Nobody wants Boqvist developing any bad habits by playing with the Blackhawks’ current plethora of 3rd pairing slackers as an 18-year-old. Ultimately, I do understand why they did it.
The London Knights have a track record of successfully preparing their players for the NHL. London has had a hand in developing someone you may know. He’s a current Blackhawks’ star and Team USA captain — Patrick Kane. I think Kane turned out pretty well if you ask me.
Adam Boqvist playing in London is the best case scenario for a few reasons:
- Consistent ice time and a lot of it
- Level playing field
- More time to adjust to the North American rink size and speed
- Won’t learn bad habits from bad Blackhawks’ defensemen
- Less pressure on him
Most importantly, Boqvist wouldn’t have to suffer in Chicago on a team with more problems than solutions. The Blackhawks aren’t winning another Stanley Cup anytime soon, so it doesn’t make sense to put a young kid in the line of fire.
Plus, Coach Q has a history of burying talented players on the bottom line or pairing if they make a mistake. We all know Boqvist would have made mistakes as an 18-year-old rookie playing in the NHL, so playing for the London Knights is basically a blessing in disguise. Many current and former NHL players have taken the same path as Boqvist.
Here’s a list of London Knights’ alumni that you may be familiar with:
Name Pos Birthplace Nat. NHLYears GP G A PTS PIM W SV% SO DraftInfo Shanahan Brendan LW Mimico ON CA 1987-2009 1524 656 698 1354 2489 1987-1 (2) by NJD Ciccarelli Dino RW Sarnia ON CA 1980-1999 1232 608 592 1200 1425 Nash Rick LW Brampton ON CA 2002-2018 1060 437 368 805 750 2002-1 (1) by CBJ Perry Corey RW Peterborough ON CA 2005-2018 957 366 400 766 1083 2003-1 (28) by ANA Kehoe Rick RW Windsor ON CA 1971-1985 906 371 396 767 120 1971-2 (22) by TOR Maruk Dennis C Toronto ON CA 1975-1989 888 356 522 878 761 1975-2 (21) by CGS Girardi Dan D Welland ON CA 2006-2018 865 52 196 248 302 Kane Patrick RW Buffalo NY US 2007-2018 822 312 516 828 316 2007-1 (1) by CHI Wideman Dennis D Kitchener ON CA 2005-2017 815 99 288 387 503 2002-8 (241) by BUF Smith Steve D Glasgow GB 1984-2001 804 72 303 375 2139 1981-6 (111) by EDM Gagner Sam C London ON CA 2007-2018 770 152 281 433 354 2007-1 (6) by EDM Tavares John C Mississauga ON CA 2009-2018 669 272 349 621 307 2009-1 (1) by NYI Carlson John D Natick MA US 2009-2018 608 77 256 333 198 2008-1 (27) by WSH Quincey Kyle D Kitchener ON CA 2005-2018 586 36 122 158 548 2003-4 (132) by DET Del Zotto Michael D Stouffville ON CA 2009-2018 566 53 158 211 250 2008-1 (20) by NYR Kadri Nazem C London ON CA 2009-2018 488 145 168 313 344 2009-1 (7) by TOR Mason Steve G Oakville ON CA 2008-2018 476 0 12 12 22 205 .911 34 2006-3 (69) by CBJ Bolland Dave C Mimico ON CA 2006-2016 433 85 123 208 299 2004-2 (32) by CHI Maroon Patrick LW St. Louis MO US 2011-2018 375 78 100 178 451 2007-6 (161) by PHI Maatta Olli D Jyvaskyla FI 2013-2018 302 24 69 93 86 2012-1 (22) by PIT Horvat Bo C London ON CA 2014-2018 295 71 90 161 71 2013-1 (9) by VAN Tierney Chris C Keswick ON CA 2014-2018 284 41 63 104 40 2012-2 (55) by SJS Domi Max LW Winnipeg MB CA 2015-2018 222 36 99 135 185 2013-1 (12) by PHX Athanasiou Andreas C London ON CA 2015-2018 172 43 33 76 49 2012-4 (110) by DET Marner Mitch C Markham ON CA 2016-2018 159 41 89 130 64 2015-1 (4) by TOR Tkachuk Matthew LW Scottsdale AZ US 2016-2018 144 37 60 97 166 2016-1 (6) by CGY Hutchinson Michael G Barrie ON CA 2013-2018 102 0 1 1 0 43 .910 3 2008-3 (77) by BOS
Provided by Hockey-Reference.com: View Full List
The Sky Is The Limit For Adam Boqvist
Adam Boqvist had a strong offseason for the Blackhawks which is why he stayed with the team longer than most people expected. Boqvist flashed his sky-high potential multiple times in the Blackhawks’ prospect camp, the Traverse City prospect tournament, in practice, and in preseason games.
Boqvist is known for his offensive prowess, but he has the tools to be great defensively as well. Like here in practice, he participated in a board battle drill with Marcus Kruger.
Marcus Kruger and Adam Boqvist working on board battles today. Nice to see Boqvist somewhat holding his own here. Obviously, there’s still some work to be done, but Boqvist’s stock is still pointing up and he’s trending in the right direction. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/Bqp8mWPtN0
— ✶ ✶Tony Gianares✶ ✶ (@Certified_TonyG) September 19, 2018
Boqvist is not exactly a polished two-way defenseman yet, but he’s definitely improving. In practice, he took on multiple skaters in a defensive positioning and poke checking drill. His body positioning and active stick are very impressive.
2018 8th overall pick Adam Boqvist making quick work of fellow prospects in the poke check drill pic.twitter.com/ZziTZ6y1sm
— Blackhawk Up (@Blackhawk_Up) July 17, 2018
He even showed that he has the ability to catch a skater from behind and stop a potential breakaway opportunity in a recent preseason game against Detroit.
Here is the play by Adam Boqvist. #Blackhawks #CHIvsDET pic.twitter.com/lAr5nPx1hz
— ✶ ✶Tony Gianares✶ ✶ (@Certified_TonyG) September 20, 2018
As for his offensive game, Boqvist has the potential to be one of the best scorers in the NHL. You can see just how easy offense comes to him in this highlight reel.
Get to know the newest #Blackhawks defenseman, #8 overall pick Adam Boqvist. #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/FJN7WHVwg7
— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) June 23, 2018
Good Things Come To Those Who Wait
I’m sure I am not the only one who is excited that Adam Boqvist is a part of the Blackhawks’ organization. He is a bright, young star in the making and the Blackhawks need to start thinking about the future. The core players are getting older and the competition has finally caught up to them.
Players like Boqvist don’t come around very often, so it would be in everyone’s best interest to let him do his thing with the London Knights this season. They know what they’re doing as far as player development goes.
It’s not like the Blackhawks are competing for a Stanley Cup this year. This season might be rough, but things will turn around soon and it all starts with Adam Boqvist.
The youth movement is here and it’s real. The “silent” rebuild has officially begun. The team will be back on top before you know it, just stay patient and keep the faith.
For more Blackhawks news and updates, follow the author @Certified_TonyG on Twitter.
