Chicago Blackhawks: Five players who were great this year

The Chicago Blackhawks didn’t get as much from their younger players as they thought they would. The one guy who exploded was Dominik Kubalik. Out of all of the players in their first few years, he might have been the least likely to have the best year but here we are. Kubalik was so good that he was starting to gain steam in the Calder Trophy race. The first two spots for that trophy are all but locked up by Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes but Kubalik deserves a chance at third place.

His rookie year really couldn’t have gone better when you consider the team around him. He scored 30 goals and added in 16 assists for 46 points in 68 games played. It is fair to wonder how high he can get his goal total in a full season many years down the line. As long as he gets to play with elite passers like Toews and Kane, he should be able to continue to score some goals.

Kubalik’s year was a little unexpected. We knew he would be a great player but maybe not this good. If the season is in fact over, Kubalik can come into next year with loads of confidence. He had a fantastic rookie year and the sky is the limit for the young winger. If the other young players around him take the next step and you add in the veterans on the team, things could be looking up sooner than later.