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Despite having only one season under his belt, and being only 20 years old, the Chicago Blackhawks opened themselves up for debate among hockey fans when on Friday they named their prized forward Jonathan Toews as the next team captain.
This Winnipeg, Manitoba native who scored 54 points in only 64 games last season as a rookie, displayed his strong leadership skills when he captained Canada to a gold medal during the 2007 and 2008 World Junior Championships. “Jonathan deserves this honor, he is a tremendous individual and a wonderful leader on and off the ice,” said general manager Dale Tallon. “He has experience and guys follow his lead in our locker room.”
Toews, who was taken 3rd overall in the 2006 draft showed his vast potential that same winter in University hockey by dominating with 40 goals and 85 points in 76 games with the University of North Dakota.
A year later, Toews was often referred to by Hawks coach Dennis Savard as being the future captain of the team. He was billed in his rookie season as a can’t miss exciting prospect and despite missing some time with a knee injury still managed to rank third on the team with respectable numbers of 30 assist and 54 points.
Management believes that his vast experience at being a leader along with his mature attitude makes it a no brainer to name Toews as the franchise 34th captain. Some in the hockey circles have argued that barely out of his teens, Chicago might be rushing this blooming superstar just a tad. That Toews might feel too much pressure and as a result suffer a sophomore slump. This move, which makes Toews the third youngest player in NHL history to be named captain, was a move to show their franchise player just how important he is to the team. Toews along with another rookie from last year named Patrick Kane who scored 72 points are the exciting future for the Chicago Blackhawks.
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