Ever since Connor Bedard was taken with the No. 1 pick of the 2023 NHL draft, the Chicago Blackhawks have searched for consistent wingers for the center. It’s been a revolving door of skaters lining up with the star.
This season, we’ve seen Colton Dach, André Burakovsky, Tyler Bertuzzi, Ilya Mikheyev, Ryan Donato and even Lukas Reichel — now with the Vancouver Canucks — skate alongside the forward. The Hawks have much to figure out under first-year coach Jeff Blashill, but one of the biggest goals is making sure Bedard doesn’t have to see new faces every shift.
After another lineup shuffle, Ryan Greene got the chance to skate with Bedard versus the Ottawa Senators.
“Pretty easy to play with those two (Bedard and Burakovsky) for sure,” Greene said. “Both really skilled players.”
The 22-year-old rookie has been mostly on the top line in recent contests. Have the Hawks finally crossed this off their list?
The forward has lined up with Bedard and Burakovsky for a few games to the benefit of both players. Third-year Bedard scored points in five straight games leading up to the Canucks matchup on Wednesday, while the veteran Burakovsky has scored a goal in three straight.
Greene’s impact goes beyond the stat sheet — he’s scored three points (one goal, two assists) in 13 games with a plus-4 rating — to all the other intangibles. He’s winning puck battles, creating takeaways and helping decrease time in his own defensive zones.
The forward has averaged 13:19 of game time so far, and the Hawks have produced with him on the ice. In Edmonton, Greene won a battle with Oilers’ defenseman Brett Kulak behind the net. He found an open Artyom Levshunov in the faceoff circle, who shot a snipe that was rebounded by Burakovsky for the tying goal of the 3-2 overtime loss.
As time goes on, Greene will develop opportunities for the offense. However, he’s always been a great defender, which has done wonders for the Hawks.
“When he gets the puck on his stick, he does have a lot of poise,” Blashill said. “He’s naturally a pretty good defender, at least from the middle of the ice.
“When he moves his feet, he gets into checks better, he wins more pucks. It’s a big ask for any young player going out against the other team’s best, using him in D zone and faceoffs, all those things are hard. And I think he’s done a pretty good job overall.”
Green has scoring potential, given that he had 38 points (13 goals, 25 assists) at Boston University last year. He scored 51 points (19 goals, 32 assists) in his last season with the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers before college.
He’s experiencing a difference skating with 11 forwards and seven defensemen so often, but he called it useful to his skill set.
“It’s definitely different, you’re getting a lot of looks with a lot of different guys,” Greene said. “It’s useful because you can switch things up in the middle of a game. You can mess around with the lines if need be.”
As the Hawks finish their road trip against the Canucks, Calgary Flames and Detroit Red Wings before returning to Chicago, he’s learning more about his teammates, the team itself and the league.
“It’s a relentless league, nobody cares what you did the game (or) the night before. You need to be ready to play,” Greene said. “It’s a matter of getting mentally prepared for each game because it is demanding and busy. But it’s what we love to do, it’s the best lifestyle ever.”