DALLAS — The Blackhawks have given Ian Mitchell plenty of tough love over the past couple years.
Kevin Dean, the Hawks’ assistant coach who now oversees the defense, has become one of those love-givers. But his messaging is logical, though.
“I tell Mitch, ‘You have to move pucks and you have to create some offense,’” Dean said recently. “‘Because if you don’t, we’ll find a 6-3 guy that can defend, and probably defend a little better than you.’
“We’re encouraging him to really play his game: move pucks and skate and get up ice and be assertive and get pucks to the net and be active in the ‘O’-zone. Because that’s his strength as a hockey player. No matter what you do, you can’t lose that. You can’t coach that out of him. That’s what got him to this level.”
In order words, Dean and the Hawks have realized they need to let Mitchell be Mitchell.
“Now, does he need to work on his defending? Yes,” Dean continued. “He needs to be stronger. But don’t lose who you are as a player, and then let’s work on defending a little bit harder and stronger. Hopefully, when that all comes together, you’ve got a good hockey player.”
Former Hawks general manager Stan Bowman, whose endless hype over Mitchell probably created unrealistic expectations when he turned pro, apparently didn’t realize what a project prospect the University of Denver product would be in his own zone.
Even in his third pro season, he still has a tendency to take poor angles and get beat to the inside around the net. His lack of physicality (as Dean referenced) and small 5-11, 193-pound frame is a disadvantage in board battles, too.
The Hawks have realized in the past few months, though, that the best way to cover up those weaknesses is to emphasize his strengths. The more puck possession he has, the less his opponents have, and thus the less they can exploit his defensive shortcomings.
“The other message for him is, ‘Be clean with the puck,’” Dean said. “If you get a chance to break the puck out and not have to defend, you better do it. Because [if you don’t], the laws of physics will take over and you’ll be getting pinned against the wall by guys 15 pounds heavier.”
Mitchell, who turned 24 last month, has taken that approach to heart.
“When I get an opportunity at the offensive blue line or when the puck’s on my stick, that’s when I can really make a difference for our team,” he said. “That’s always been what I’ve excelled at: creating offense and making good plays with the puck. I’ve been building on that.”
Since Jan. 18, he has not only played somewhat regularly — dressing in 10 of 14 games — but also played well, particularly in terms of creating offense. He has individually averaged 6.2 shots and 3.1 scoring chances per 60 minutes at five-on-five (entering Wednesday).
One can divide his NHL career so far into five segments: his strong start to 2020-21; his struggles after Feb. 15 that season; his eight appearances in 2021-22; his first 11 games this season, starting in late November; and this most recent stretch.
And when doing so, this latest segment has been statistically his most productive since the first segment. His scoring chance rates in the middle three were a measly 1.3, 1.4 and 0.8, for comparison.
“[I have] just more confidence, more comfortability in the lineup,” Mitchell said. “Having that state of mind — I’m calm and composed out there — has helped.”
His future remains cloudy as a pending restricted free agent. The Hawks haven’t exactly indicated long-term dedication, even if they have begun handling his development better. But it’s nonetheless encouraging to see progress.
