Chicago Blackhawks Farm Report: The Lay of the Land Down in Rockford

The Chicago Blackhawks have recently finished the first quarter of their schedule. Down in the American Hockey League, their top affiliate has also reached the quarter pole.

The Rockford Ice Hogs are loaded with a number of the 'Hawks top prospects.

Now that they have completed the first two months of the AHL schedule, I'll present the first in a series of monthly updates on some players who you may see in the Indian head sweater in the near future.

Young Talent Doesn't Equate To Wins—Could Rusty Provide The Spark?

The Ice Hogs are currently at the bottom of the AHL's Midwest Division with a 8-10-1 record, including a 3-8 record on home ice. Two of those wins came this week with high-scoring decisions over San Antonio and Peoria before a tough 3-1 loss to Oklahoma City, who is among the Western Conference leaders.

As was the case last year, the Ice Hogs are long on young talent but short on veteran presence. Rockford is still one of the league's youngest teams, and it shows in a lot of ways.

Still, there are signs that the team is trending upward.

Rockford beat San Antonio 6-3, paced by a hat trick by center Brandon Pirri. He followed that up with a pair of goals in the Ice Hogs' 7-3 win over state rival Peoria. Pirri, who played in Chicago's opening night game in Dallas this season, leads the team in both goals (10) and points (21).

Pirri ended last year on a high note thanks to some veteran presence on his line in Jeff Taffe. Right now, Pirri is skating with new Ice Hog Rostislav Olesz and Andrew Shaw, who leads Ice Hogs rookies with 12 points, on Rockford's second line.

Olesz has quickly made an impact in Rockford since the 'Hawks waived him, with eight points in his five games with the club.

As expected, a player with Olesz's kind of NHL experience is a plus for a team comprised mostly of prospects.

Could Salak Take Over As Corey Crawford's Backup?

Uh...no. At least, not with how he has fared so far in Rockford.

The adjustment to the AHL was not a smooth one for the goaltender. Salak is finding out that the AHL is a different league than the Swedish Elite League, which he dominated last season.

So far this season, Salak is 3-6 with a 3.17 goals against average and a .890 save percentage. He played better last week but still struggles with a lot of skaters in front of him.

Any rumors about the possible dealing of Ray Emery have to start with what Salak shows in net this month.

Right now, it's hard to think he's ready to face NHL shooters, but like the team, his arrow is starting to point up.

Connelly An All-Star?

Defenseman Brian Connelly is second on the team in scoring with 20 points. He is the most proficient defenseman in the AHL and could be on his way to his second straight AHL All-Star game.

Connelly is an undersized defenseman with a big offensive upside. He is a name you might hear in Blackhawks news releases in the coming months.

He doesn't figure to help Chicago solve its defensive problems, but he could be part of a trade package that brings some help.

I think there's a place for Connelly in the NHL. It just may not be with the 'Hawks.

When Do We Get To See Kyle Beach?

We don't. He's hurt.

Beach has been inactive since injuring a shoulder during a fight early in the season. It looks like he is going to miss the rest of the season.

It's unfortunate, because he started the season playing well and mostly in control of himself.

The key will be how Beach, who has never been much of a worker in the gym, rehabs that shoulder, and if he can remember that while he likes to fight, he's not good at it.

The Ice Hogs are at home for four of their next five games. Last year's club struggled until March.

Hopefully, Rockford can start that roll this month.