Chicago Blackhawks: Kris Versteeg is the captain of Ice Hogs

The Chicago Blackhawks’ AHL affiliate Rockford Ice Hogs make a smart move, named Kris Versteeg their captain for the 2019-20 season.

The Chicago Blackhawks have lots of great leadership at the NHL level. Jonathan Toews is universally recognized as one of the best captains in NHL history and there are some other great leaders in Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, Marian Hossa, and Brent Seabrook. They do not lack leadership in any fashion and that has been a great strength for over a decade.

However, there might not be a more important time for there to be great leadership for AHL affiliate Rockford Ice Hogs. They are a good young team that needs some veteran leadership and they named Kris Versteeg as their captain. Versteeg is a long-time NHL player that is signed to be there with the AHL squad. It was probably in the plans for him to be their captain from the moment he was signed. He likely won’t sign an NHL deal to play with the big club but anything is possible.

Versteeg being named the captain makes it seem even more likely that he spends the entire season in the AHL. It is rare to see an AHL captain go back and forth between leagues. There are lots of young players down there that might need a guy like him to be around. There are also guys in Rockford who are just simply better at this stage of their careers than Versteeg and would be better suited to play in the league if need be.

Versteeg won the Stanley Cup twice as a member of the Blackhawks. In 643 NHL games, he has 149 goals and 209 assists for 358 points. There is no doubt that he had a very respectable career and should be proud of it. Now, at this stage of his career, he has a chance to give back and help out players who are much younger than him. There are some great players that need some development so Rockford being a good place to play is very important to the organization this season and hopefully Versteeg has a good year for them.