Ian Mitchell, a big fan of Duncan Keith, hopes to form the ‘next wave’ of Blackhawks defensemen
When Ian Mitchell was growing up during the Chicago Blackhawks’ Stanley Cup heyday, it was Duncan Keith’s teeth that made the biggest impression on him.
Keith famously lost seven of his chompers during the second period of Game 4 of the 2010 Western Conference finals, then returned to assist on the tying goal. The Hawks won the game to complete a series sweep of the San Jose Sharks and went on to win the first of three championships in a six-year span.
“You wanted to tune in when they were playing,” Mitchell said Wednesday while on vacation with family in British Columbia.
The 2017 second-round draft pick finalized a three-year deal with the Hawks last week that takes effect next season and runs through 2022-23 with a $925,000 annual salary-cap hit.
“Just watching Duncan Keith,” Mitchell said, “especially in the playoff time, when he logged almost 30 minutes a night and (seeing him) have his teeth knocked out and come back five minutes later, as a hockey player, that’s pretty much as cool as it gets.”
Such moments cemented Keith in the firmament of NHL defensemen for a young, aspiring blue-liner.
“Growing up I always loved watching Duncan Keith and (former Avalanche defenseman) Tyson Barrie,” Mitchell said. “Those were two players I tried to be like and tried to emulate my game after.”
Mitchell, 21, considers himself a good skater like the 37-year-old Keith and thinks they would complement each other if paired together on the ice.
“Getting to hopefully meet Duncan soon would be definitely something pretty cool for me,” Mitchell said. “I’m going to probably be a bit starstruck.”
Mitchell has more on his mind, though, than just meeting his idol. He enters the professional world under unfortunate circumstances.
After earning first-team All-America honors as a junior at the University of Denver this past season, Mitchell agreed to terms with the Hawks in April but opted to start his contract next season because this one would have been a lost cause.
The NHL suspended play in mid-March because of the coronavirus pandemic, and the league has ruled new signees can’t play when the postseason starts next month.
Mitchell said he doesn’t regret staying in college for his junior season. The extra year gave him an opportunity to improve both his game and his chances of sticking with the Hawks for the long run.
“You see a lot of young defensemen getting (two-year) bridge deals,” he said, “whereas I was hoping that if I can come in and play well for three straight years, I’ll have a chance to stay here for a really long time.”
He is disappointed, however that the shutdown of sports due to COVID-19 means he won’t get closure on a promising college season in which he has tied for sixth among NCAA Division I defensemen with 32 points (10 goals and 22 assists).
“That was pretty tough in that (locker) room,” he said. “A lot of guys were getting upset. … We had a team that could have won it all, and we didn’t even get the chance to prove it. That’s something that will always be a what-if for me and for a lot of other hockey players too.”
Considering the circumstances, Mitchell would have been justified in changing his mind about turning pro and returning to Denver for his senior season, but “once I made the commitment in April, I wanted to stay to my word,” he said. “I felt it was the time to sign and play professionally.”
He’ll now turn his focus to becoming part of a Hawks defensive corps that has shown a lot of potential, given the early success of Adam Boqvist and the steady development of up-and-comers such as Nicolas Beaudin and Lucas Carlsson.
“Adam and Nick and I have become pretty good friends from development camp,” Mitchell said. “Getting to hopefully play with those guys next year will be a really good time, and hopefully we can be that next wave that Hawks fans have seen before.
“We definitely have a lot of work to do and big shoes to fill in order to make that happen.”
The same big skates he followed as an 11-year-old kid 10 years ago.
“It’s definitely exciting,” Mitchell said. “Maybe it could be not so dissimilar to (2008-09), when (the Hawks) were building for the three Cups. They had a lot of young defensemen in the pipe then with Keith, (Brent) Seabrook and Johnny Oduya and Brian Campbell and guys like that.
“I hope I can be a big part of the future. There’s a lot of talent there, and I hope I can be a part of it and help the team win.”
———
©2020 the Chicago Tribune
Visit the Chicago Tribune at www.chicagotribune.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
