1 underrated contributor to the Blackhawks' surprising start

The Chicago Blackhawks’ young stars deserve all the credit in the world for the team’s surprisingly hot start.

Connor Bedard looks like a man on a mission with his increased intensity that paid off in a highlight reel hat trick on Tuesday night. Frank Nazar is quickly making his extension look like a bargain with his blazing speed and point-producing prowess. And Spencer Knight is emerging as a dark-horse candidate for the US Olympic team, with his stellar 2.11 GAA and .930 SV%. 

Heck, even the Blackhawks’ top prospects are dominating headlines early in the season – Oliver Moore and Nick Lardis both rank in the top 10 of AHL scoring, Anton Frondell has eight goals in his last 10 SHL games, and Roman Kantserov is putting up Kirill Kaprizov-esque numbers in the KHL.

But there is one player who has flown under the radar for the Blackhawks this season despite his contributions to the team’s success. One who has flown under the radar his entire career and is probably just fine with that, thanks to his reserved personality – Teuvo Teravainen. 

Teuvo Teravainen is a Key Contributor

Though many outside of Chicago may not believe it, Teravainen is nearly a point-per-game player thus far, with eight points through 10 games. But his counting numbers haven’t been what is most impressive about the 31-year-old’s game. It’s Teravainen’s consistency and reliability on a night-in, night-out basis that makes him a key piece to Chicago’s success.

Coach Jeff Blashill knows what he is getting each time he sends the Finn over the boards, and that is why he has been stapled to young Nazar’s wing all season long. Teravainen does the dirty work to create time and space for the speedy Nazar by winning battles, making smart reads, and getting pucks off the wall and out of the defensive zone. 

And it’s not just even strength where Teravainen makes his impact. He is a true three-phase player, contributing to the team’s power play and penalty kill units on a nightly basis. Perhaps most importantly, Teravainen is almost always on the ice in late-game situations with Nazar and Bedard, and it has paid dividends for the Blackhawks. 

Multiple times this year, Teravainen has transported the puck out of the zone in crucial moments in order to set up game-winning or game-clinching goals. Many fans won’t remember it, but Ryan Donato’s game-winning goal against Tampa Bay last Thursday came as a result of Teravainen beautifully feathering an area pass to Nazar, which he fired on net, producing a juicy rebound for Donato. 

Those are the little plays that Teravainen has been trusted to make and consistently made this season, and they are critical to this young team’s winning record. So, yes, we should celebrate Bedard, Nazar, Knight, and all of the Hawks’ young studs, but it’s also about time we showed “Turbo” a little more love.