|
|
|
|
||
|
ZHL GENERAL MANAGER: |
Mike Thomas |
|
|
General manager Mike Smith lived up to his reputation as a keen evaluator of European talent, using nine of the Blackhawks' 15 draft picks on prospects who played overseas last season. With back-to-back selections in the first round, Chicago took a pair of Russians -- C Mikhail Yakubov at No. 10 and RW Pavel Vorobiev at No. 11. "Mikhail Yakubov is a pure talent, one of the more talented players in the draft," Smith said. "A tall, rangy center, he's the type of player who controls the puck and can control the flow of the game." He described Vorobiev as more of a character or two-way player but warned that neither figures in the Hawks' immediate plans. "They'll come to training camp and then they'll go back and play in Russia," Smith said. "We may bring them back next April when their seasons are done to get them acclimated to life in North America." ... Chicago lost C Jeff Daw and D Radim Bicanek in the expansion, with Daw going to the Minnesota Wild and Bicanek being taken by the Columbus Blue Jackets. |
||
Chicago Blackhawks