We all knew that Ryan Hartman would get a chance with the Chicago Blackhawks last season. What we didn’t expect is that the former first-round pick would finish third among all NHL rookies in even strength goals, emerging as a crucial secondary scorer on a team that needed it.
Hartman was hyped as the next Andrew Shaw, and so far he’s lived up to that as an agitator who can also contribute on the offensive end. If he can continue producing at the rate he did last season in an even larger role, then it’ll turn out that we actually underestimated Hartman as a prospect despite his pedigree.