Feb. 17--With so much roster turnover affecting the Blackhawks this season, there was always an expectation they were going to need several young players to fill big roles, with each one of them seeing extended time in the NHL for the first time.
Wingers Teuvo Teravainen and Artemi Panarin and defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk all are playing in their first full NHL seasons and are making major contributions. With that comes the grind and long haul of an 82-game season with plenty of travel.
Coach Joel Quenneville and the Hawks always have been careful to manage the rest and energy level of veterans, but this season the Hawks have had to monitor some of their younger players who are experiencing a workload they never or rarely had in previous seasons.
"We probably went through our biggest challenge the last two months with the intense schedule," Quenneville said. "Now it's a little more normal. We'll see how they are in games and I always find days off are good to see how they respond."
So far, the Hawks youth has not looked much worse for the increased wear even though Teravainen and defenseman Erik Gustafsson, who never played more than 67 games in Europe, are going through lulls in their play right now. Tom Lynn, Panarin's agent, said the conventional thinking about European rookies in the NHL is that they often hit a figurative wall around mid-January. Teravainen, who is from Finland, acknowledged the workload is less in Europe.
"You have to really rest when you have to rest and play when you play," Teravainen said. "It's a lot different than Europe when you have 50-60 games."
Before last season, Teravainen was accustomed to that. Then in 2014-15, his games total took a jump to 91 between the Hawks and Rockford. If the Hawks make a deep run in the playoffs, Teravainen's total likely will exceed that this season.
Panarin was quite busy in Russia a year ago, playing in 87 games between his KHL team and international play. Lynn said Panarin's heavy workload a season ago was one reason the Hawks did not want him at their prospects camp in July.
"You get beyond what they're used to doing to their bodies," Lynn said. "It's a higher level in the NHL and all the demands put upon them. It's less travel in Europe. In Artemi's favor is the number of games he played (a year ago) and his age (24). A lot of that tiredness with rookies is in the 18-21 window when you're not fully physically developed."
Lynn said Panarin has as much energy now, even despite a recent bout with a flu, as he had at the beginning of the season.
Van Riemsdyk, meanwhile, already has exceeded his career high in games played with 60 as he never had played more than 45 in a season.
"It's definitely a newer experience, but I feel good, still feel pretty fresh," van Riemsdyk said.
He said the key to making it through his first full season in the NHL was not to let nagging injuries get worse. That could affect performance over a stretch of consecutive games.
"You want to stay on top of things," he said. "Don't let things linger. If you feel a little something here and there, just deal with it right away."
The Hawks have made it this far -- tied with the Stars atop the Central Division standings entering Tuesday -- with the young talent they have.
But there is no rest for a job well done.
chine@tribpub.com
