Chicago Blackhawks acquire a shutdown defenseman in Montreal: "The kind of defenseman you win playoffs with"
Photo credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images
The Chicago Blackhawks are receiving praise for their acquisition of 6-foot-8 defenseman Louis Crevier, who was acquired very late in the 2020 NHL entry draft in Montreal, Quebec.
Aside from the impressive 3-2-2 NHL regular season start from the Blackhawks catching people off guard, a defenseman within the organization is having the same effect.
That's a 6-foot-8 monster by the name of Louis Crevier, who was acquired by the Blackhawks in the 7th round of the 2020 NHL draft in Montreal, Quebec.
A solid move by Stan Bowman? That phrase wasn't used much throughout his time as the Blackhawks general manager, but now that some of his draft picks are shining through, some praise is much deserved.
Crevier has spent the past few years between the Rockford IceHogs and the Chicago Blackhawks, but after signing a two-year extension with the NHL club in July of this summer, he's more than thrilled to be house shopping in the city.
The 24-year-old revealed that is was hard to find stability with normal day-to-day things, such as not being able to cook while living in a hotel, and relying on ordering food constantly.
«Just small things like not cooking and not ordering stuff,» the 24-year-old Crevier said. «Over the long haul, it's kind of tough.»
Blackhawks Quebec Scout Alexandre Rouleau is deserving of credit when it comes to Crevier's drafting in 2020, not just Stan Bowman.
The veteran scout saw lots of upside in the 6-foot-8 beast of a defenseman, including raw talent.
«This is the kind of defenseman you win with in the playoffs,» Yanick Jean said in 2020. «You know, those resistant, don't-miss games, they don't get injured. Every year, there's that kind of defenseman, (Colton) Parayko with St. Louis, guys like that. It's not like they make a ton of points, but they're so effective and even more in the playoffs. He's going to play. I could not understand he was not picked before that.»
Jeff Blashill praises Louis Crevier, confirming he has a full-time NHL spot
While former first round, 7th overall pick Kevin Korchinski was recently sent down to the AHL under head coach Jeff Blashill, the 7th round, 188th overall pick remains a key fixture of this young Blackhawks group.
«He's a six-foot, gigantic guy who can skate pretty well,» Blashill recently said. «My gut is his skating has improved. I can't say that for certain, but we've done some drills to put D in tough spots, and his skating actually has been really good. At that point, you're kind of a really good defender if you have good body position, good sticks. He's done a really good job in the kill from day one. When we talk about seven (D), that gives us guys like Murphy and Louis that specialize in the kill, and then you have the other two right-shot D - with (Artyom) Levshunov and (Sam) Rinzel - who specialize on the power play. That's a good balance there. Louis getting in (a fight recently) was great for Louis, too. It shows he's got that physicality and is going to bring more of that edge. If he can bring that to his game, at that size, you could be a really good player.»
A true solid acquisition by the Blackhawks and their scouting crew that will have an impact on the organization for years to come, that molds perfectly with the youth movement in Chicago.
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