SEATTLE — Blackhawks forward Joey Anderson has played so well that he can be safely labeled a full-time member of the Hawks’ NHL roster, rather than a mere injury replacement, at this point.
The Hawks’ decision to send Boris Katchouk through waivers and eventually to Rockford is proof of that. Anderson, originally one of the Hawks’ final cuts at the end of training camp, has clearly leapt over Katchouk, who had previously been a healthy scratch in four straight games, on the depth chart.
Anderson, 25, has also surpassed Reese Johnson, who has been a healthy scratch in three of the last five games, and probably MacKenzie Entwistle, too. And if he keeps playing the way he has the past few weeks — while tallying four points in 11 NHL games so far this season — he’ll only continue ascending.
“[Joey brings] an incredible work ethic,” forward Jason Dickinson said Tuesday. “He’s playing simple, he’s not trying to do too much and he’s working extremely hard.
“He’s getting above pucks, he’s always recovering to the middle, he’s making sure he’s not getting beat on his one-on-one battles and he’s coming out of the corners with pucks very often. It’s going to translate to a very good hockey game if he’s doing all that.”
In a roundabout way, the fact Anderson was sent down to Rockford to start the year ended up benefiting him.
Having already bounced frequently between the NHL and AHL over the past five years in the Devils’ and Maple Leafs’ organizations, he wasn’t discouraged by the demotion. That mindset helped him dominate in Rockford, recording 16 points in 14 games while shouldering big power-play and penalty-kill roles.
When the Hawks called him up on Thanksgiving — in the wake of Taylor Hall’s season-ending injury and Corey Perry’s departure — his rhythm translated seamlessly.
“That’s probably been the most confident I’ve been, coming into the NHL, as far as holding onto pucks and making plays,” Anderson said.
His checking line with Dickinson and Nick Foligno has been by far the Hawks’ best lately. They’ve been effective defensively against opponents’ top trios while producing plenty of offense themselves.
Since Thanksgiving, the Hawks have outscored opponents 9-3 with a plus-15 shot-on-goal differential during Anderson’s five-on-five ice time. When he hasn’t been on the ice, they’ve been outscored 19-9 with a minus-69 shot-on-goal differential. The difference is enormous.
“That line is our staple right now of how we want to play,” coach Luke Richardson said.
Anderson’s ice time has increased to 13:53 per game, well above his 9:35 average in 14 appearances last season with the Leafs and also higher than his 12:56 average in 24 appearances last season with the Hawks (following his inclusion in the Jake McCabe/Sam Lafferty trade).
He has never been an agile skater by NHL standards, but his high hockey IQ nicely complements Dickinson. He knows precisely how to be pesky on the forecheck and get to dirty areas around the crease, creating tips and rebounds.
“It’s [about] making sure you’re picking your spots and not wasting energy chasing the game, doing things you don’t need to do,” Anderson said. “When I see a spot to dive in and go, I have to make it count.”
In an otherwise bland Hawks loss Tuesday, Anderson was a bright spot yet again. He nearly deflected in an Alex Vlasic shot on the game’s first shift and drew a holding penalty in the third period. The Hawks outshot the Oilers 8-5 during his ice time.
“[I’m] trying my best to not be comfortable but still play like I am, if that makes sense,” he said.
It’s a wise mindset indeed. But considering how things have sorted out, he can probably afford to get slightly more comfortable now.
