Ian Mitchell

[AmericanDream]

He's on a Vaseline run.

he hasn't stopped since Strome was traded here...lol..

 

[pvr]

I was just being a smartass.

Expecting nothing less.

Wish I knew more about Mitchell beyond the few games I’ve caught on tv. Hard to really assess his game that way, with few and far between viewings.

 

[RememberTheRoar]

Nice call.



If this is true then this tells you a lot. Some people don't like him but Barry Smith is one of the smarter hockey people around imo. Just from what I know from my time in Detroit and what people I know have said about him. Dude knows the game.

@OhCaptainMyCaptain

That was said by JJ on The Rink podcast.

He said their reporter who is based in Denver heard it before the trade went down, and Mitchell's camp was saying something big was about to happen.

Again, it's JJ and The Rink so take it with however big of a grain of salt you think is best.

 

[Ace Card Bedard]

I'm pretty sure there has been a ton of stuff posted regarding others jumping Joker on the prospect depth chart... there are quotes from Bowman interviews, and other things said in Podcasts, I believe. I'm not gonna go digging for them, though.

Here's what Bowman said:
https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/blackhawks/blackhawks-swap-prospects-sabres-trade-henri-jokiharju
"I guess maybe the progression of a lot of our other young defensemen to where we feel we’ve built up a good stable of young players and now we have the ability to make a move like this,"
"... With the progression of Mitchell and Boqvist, it’s nice to see how they’ve taken strides this year, much like Henri has. So it’s really more the depth of our defense prospects made this a move we were able to make. That’s probably the simple answer to why we were able to do this now as opposed to a year ago at this time."

I can't recall ever hearing or seeing anything that says Mitchell or Boqvist were rated "far above" Joker.

 

[bwana63]

Here's what Bowman said:
https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/blackhawks/blackhawks-swap-prospects-sabres-trade-henri-jokiharju
"I guess maybe the progression of a lot of our other young defensemen to where we feel we’ve built up a good stable of young players and now we have the ability to make a move like this,"
"... With the progression of Mitchell and Boqvist, it’s nice to see how they’ve taken strides this year, much like Henri has. So it’s really more the depth of our defense prospects made this a move we were able to make. That’s probably the simple answer to why we were able to do this now as opposed to a year ago at this time."

I can't recall ever hearing or seeing anything that says Mitchell or Boqvist were rated "far above" Joker.

Some things are better left unsaid and actions speak louder than words.

 

[ChiHawks10]

Here's what Bowman said:
https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/blackhawks/blackhawks-swap-prospects-sabres-trade-henri-jokiharju
"I guess maybe the progression of a lot of our other young defensemen to where we feel we’ve built up a good stable of young players and now we have the ability to make a move like this,"
"... With the progression of Mitchell and Boqvist, it’s nice to see how they’ve taken strides this year, much like Henri has. So it’s really more the depth of our defense prospects made this a move we were able to make. That’s probably the simple answer to why we were able to do this now as opposed to a year ago at this time."

I can't recall ever hearing or seeing anything that says Mitchell or Boqvist were rated "far above" Joker.

You take the above from Bowman, and infer that, based upon the fact that Joker was traded to make room for the prospects they view as having surpassed Joker. I mean, if they weren't viewed as "far above" him, he's probably not traded.

 

[Ace Card Bedard]

You take the above from Bowman, and infer that, based upon the fact that Joker was traded to make room for the prospects they view as having surpassed Joker. I mean, if they weren't viewed as "far above" him, he's probably not moved right now.

If they were viewed equal he may have been moved.

#1. He's NHL ready now (assumed) so you really don't want to bury him in the AHL again.
#2. He has to be protected for the expansion draft.
#3. Boqvist, Mitchell, Beaudin, etc. are at least 1-3 years away (assumed) so you don't need to make room for them yet.
-De Haan, Maata, and Murphy's contract are all up in 2022
#4. Maybe they really like Nylander.

Roster management may have played a big part.
I don't think it's safe to say anyone was rated "far above" Jokiharju.

That being said, I hope he lives up to his top 4 defenseman potential and I hope Nylander lives up to being a top 6 winger.

 

[Panzerspitze]

If I were Mitchell, I'd go back to college for the fourth year, and join the team in the playoffs, ala Makar/McAvoy.

 

[RememberTheRoar]

If I were Mitchell, I'd go back to college for the fourth year, and join the team in the playoffs, ala Makar/McAvoy.

Like, next year?

 

[bwana63]

If I were Mitchell, I'd go back to college for the fourth year, and join the team in the playoffs, ala Makar/McAvoy.

Nope.

 

[ChiHawks10]

If they were viewed equal he may have been moved.

#1. He's NHL ready now (assumed) so you really don't want to bury him in the AHL again.
#2. He has to be protected for the expansion draft.
#3. Boqvist, Mitchell, Beaudin, etc. are at least 1-3 years away (assumed) so you don't need to make room for them yet.
-De Haan, Maata, and Murphy's contract are all up in 2022
#4. Maybe they really like Nylander.

Roster management may have played a big part.
I don't think it's safe to say anyone was rated "far above" Jokiharju.

That being said, I hope he lives up to his top 4 defenseman potential and I hope Nylander lives up to being a top 6 winger.

Eh, I disagree.

#1. Agreed.
#2. If he's viewed above the other prospects, then you expose one of Murphy, CdH, Maatta, etc. You don't move a better player because he has to be exposed. If this is the reasoning, then they don't even view Joker as highly as and of the three above, which says to me they view Mitchell and Boqvist far above him.
#3. I'd have to say the Hawks think at least one of Boqvist, Mitchell, Beaudin, or Krys are NHL ready now, or within the next year, not 2-3.
#4. I'm sure they liked Nylander, or they wouldn't have traded for him.

 

[ChiHawks10]

If I were Mitchell, I'd go back to college for the fourth year, and join the team in the playoffs, ala Makar/McAvoy.

So go back to college for two more full years?

He's just going to be a Junior this season.

 

[piteus]

I only watched Mitchell for 1 game ... in the Frozen Four. You can tell his has a lot of speed and talent, but I didn't think he was ready to play in the NHL last year. That was just one game and from TV so what do I know?

 

[Panzerspitze]

So go back to college for two more full years?

He's just going to be a Junior this season.

I thought he was a junior last season already. Well, this makes my Mitchell proposal far less likely to materialize, but I personally value the college degree far more since a hockey-playing career is not life long.

 

[Toews2Bickell]

I only watched Mitchell for 1 game ... in the Frozen Four. You can tell his has a lot of speed and talent, but I didn't think he was ready to play in the NHL last year. That was just one game and from TV so what do I know?

Kid has some mitts on him too...

 

[pvr]

If I were Mitchell, I'd go back to college for the fourth year, and join the team in the playoffs, ala Makar/McAvoy.

You’d be the only one here in favor of that.

 

[ChiHawks10]

I thought he was a junior last season already. Well, this makes my Mitchell proposal far less likely to materialize, but I personally value the college degree far more since a hockey-playing career is not life long.

Nah, was a sophomore. He's a junior this upcoming season.

 

[Toews2Bickell]

idk how this kid doesnt have top pair upside...jokiharju cannot handle a puck like this in his own zone

I stand with Musto

 

[wahsnairb]

Kid has some mitts on him too...

looks a lot like me in beer league...

I forget sometimes just how rough college hockey is sometimes. The better players definitely pick on the others.

Kid is really good, though.

 

[wahsnairb]

idk how this kid doesnt have top pair upside...jokiharju cannot handle a puck like this in his own zone

I stand with Musto

He definitely has a high ceiling.

Honestly reminds me a lot of (brace yourselves) Ryan Murray. Crazy composed like the game slows down a bit, always makes stuff happen, always making good smart plays, going to move the puck around the ice well for you and chip in some offense, and a very responsible defender.

 

[bwana63]

I only watched Mitchell for 1 game ... in the Frozen Four. You can tell his has a lot of speed and talent, but I didn't think he was ready to play in the NHL last year. That was just one game and from TV so what do I know?

Probably more than the Hawks' scouting department, just like 99% of us. lol

 

[u2wojo]

Can Mitchell reach UFA status after his junior year like Blake Wheeler did to escape Arizona to end up in Boston? Wheeler's deal was a year of post high school junior before college and I am not sure when Mitchell finished high school relative to actually starting college (he will be 21 in January). Is there an escape hatch for graduating college after 3 years (any more with AP classes going in and hanging out a couple Summers to take classes, that is not that hard to pull off.

 

[Toews2Bickell]

Can Mitchell reach UFA status after his junior year like Blake Wheeler did to escape Arizona to end up in Boston? Wheeler's deal was a year of post high school junior before college and I am not sure when Mitchell finished high school relative to actually starting college (he will be 21 in January). Is there an escape hatch for graduating college after 3 years (any more with AP classes going in and hanging out a couple Summers to take classes, that is not that hard to pull off.

Ian Mitchell shall not go UFA

 

[piteus]

Can Mitchell reach UFA status after his junior year like Blake Wheeler did to escape Arizona to end up in Boston? Wheeler's deal was a year of post high school junior before college and I am not sure when Mitchell finished high school relative to actually starting college (he will be 21 in January). Is there an escape hatch for graduating college after 3 years (any more with AP classes going in and hanging out a couple Summers to take classes, that is not that hard to pull off.

If Mitchell was thinking about graduating early, this trade makes even more sense.

 

[ChicagoHockeyFan]

I saw Mitchell play live twice this year and saw him a bunch on TV between world juniors, Frozen Four and other viewings. He plays a very conservative and safe game however when he wants to make a hit play he can really step it up and make some amazing plays. However he will only do this once or twice a game where he could do it a lot more.

Even in warmups you could see the skating is elite, the hands are also top notch. He does everything well and there aren’t many weaknesses in his game. His D was solid and he had nearly no noticeable gaffes in my viewings. Im in the camp that he is our best D prospect, kid can really play when he steps up and makes those big plays