(670 The Score) The annual IIHF Hockey World Championships -- also known as the tournament for NHL players who didn't make or go far in the playoffs -- is underway in Slovakia, and the Blackhawks have several representatives from both their NHL roster and their prospect pool turning some heads.
Blackhawks wingers Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat have shown well for Team USA as each has appeared in six games. The all-time leading scorer for USA in this tournament, Kane leads the Americans with two goals and eight assists. DeBrincat is close behind with six goals and two assists of his own.
For the Swedes, forward Marcus Kruger and defenseman Erik Gustafsson have combined for six points in six games. Representing Canada, center Dylan Strome has scored a goal and added three assists in his six games. Playing for Germany, forward Dominik Kahun has five points in seven games. Russian center Artem Anisimov has four points in six games, while Finland defenseman Henri Jokiharju has two assists in seven games.
As solid as the stars have been, some of the Blackhawks' lesser-known prospects have made some strong impressions as well.
Finland goalie Kevin Lankinen, who played 19 games for the Rockford IceHogs last season, has been spectacular, with a sparkling 1.40 goals against average and a .938 save percentage. He also has a shutout under his belt. As the Blackhawks general manager, Stan Bowman has done a solid job of evaluating goaltenders, and Lankinen looks to be another example. While it's unlikely he'll be a full-time player on the Blackhawks' roster next season, his performance over the last year has done enough to put him in the discussion for 2020-'21, when Corey Crawford's deal expires.
Czech winger Dominik Kubalik has been spectacular, recording four goals and six assists in seven games. Kubalik, who was acquired from the Kings for a fifth-round pick last season, recently agreed to a deal with the Blackhawks, according to multiple reports. He led the NLA (Switzerland) in scoring with 25 goals and 32 assists in 50 games last season. Kubalik is really strong on his skates, a respected scout said. He has above-average playmaking ability and can finish the scoring chances he gets. The scout projects Kubalik as a top-nine forward at the NHL level.
Maybe not so coincidentally, Kubalik played with Kahun and Hawks forward David Kampf in the Czech under-20 league back in 2012. Perhaps they can rekindle their chemistry in Chicago soon enough. The Hawks do expect Kubalik to compete for -- and win -- a roster spot next season.
Jay Zawaski is the executive producer of the Bernstein & McKnight Show on 670 middays from 9 a.m. to noon and a columnist for 670 The Score. He's also the co-host of the Madhouse Chicago Hockey Podcast, which is available on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify or your preferred podcast app. Follow him on Twitter @JayZawaski670.
