Troy Brouwer: Ready To Come Up Big In 2010-2011

Going forward for the Blackhawks many new faces will have to earn their keep and prove they can get it done.

But, for the approximately 12 to 13 players that are returning from the championship team, they will have to integrate the new players to a hockey club that reached the pinnacle of success last season.

One of those returning players is young forward Troy Brouwer. Brouwer, who is a product of the Blackhawks organization, had a strong campaign last season with over 20 goals, while establishing himself as one of the tougher players on the team.

But, most casual hockey fans knew very little about the Vancouver-native when he was on the third and mostly fourth line of the Hawks. It was not until he was put on the main line with perennial All-Stars Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews that Brouwer began to produce with great success, and gain recognition.

Brouwer truly stood out the most when it counted as he scored and contributed points quite frequently in the later series with San Jose, and in the Finals with Philadelphia. Brouwer really showed signs of his talents with his two goals and an assist in the Game 1 against the Flyers in that wild 6-5 win.

Every game of the Cup Finals was important, and had the Blackhawks not gotten the win in the first game, who knows what would have happened in the remainder of the series. Brouwer was a main catalyst of that win.

Can Brouwer be a consistent first line forward for a top team in the West this season?

I think that it can be done because Brouwer is coming into his own as a player, and can play a multitude of different roles for coach Joel Quenneville.

At 6'2 and over 210 pounds Brouwer is not as imposing or dominate around the net as Dustin Byfuglien but he is a better skater, and seems to possess qualities in each of his shifts that make me believe him to be an overall more consistent player.

It is also likely that he will spend much of his time this season paired with the talents of Kane and Toews. Many averages players could look like very outstanding players on a line with those two, but Brouwer can hold his own by himself. This only makes this line even more dangerous as they will get time to mesh with one another, and perhaps even build upon the great things that they accomplished in the playoffs last season.

Even if he is not with Kane and Toews; Brouwer has shown as he did in the Finals that he can play with players like Marian Hossa and Patrick Sharp. Either way, Brouwer can be a great asset on a top line to open the season.

It should be expected that Brouwer will be a player that has a standout season this year, and will perhaps fill in the role of some that have moved on to other teams such as Ladd and Versteeg at winger.

The Slapper in Game 1 that got it all started:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4QcPyBhXI4