May 17, 2007
Toews Makes the Jump
CHN Staff Report
CHICAGO — North Dakota wasn't able to hold onto all of its sophomore class.
The Chicago Blackhawks have agreed to terms with center Jonathan Toews on a 3-year entry level contract. Toews was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2006 NHL Draft. Recently, the Sioux learned that sophomores T.J. Oshie, Taylor Chorney, Ryan Duncan and Joe Finley would return next season.
"Now that it's finally official, I can tell you that I'm really excited to be a part of the Blackhawks organization," said Toews. "Chicago is a city with a great history and it's a great hockey city. The Blackhawks are an Original Six team with a great hockey tradition. I'm looking forward to playing for the Chicago Blackhawks fans."
Toews, 19, was one of the two youngest players that played for Team Canada in the World Championships in Moscow in which the Canadians captured the Gold Medal (Jordan Staal is also 19-years-old). In nine games in the tournament, Toews scored two goals and added five assists for seven points.
"Jonathan Toews is an exciting player that Blackhawk fans are going to enjoy watching," said Chicago general manager Dale Tallon. "He has been an outstanding player at the collegiate level for two years, he's won two Gold Medals playing for Team Canada in the World Junior Championships the past two years, and was a member of Gold Medal winning Team Canada in the recently completed World Championships in Moscow. He has shown leadership and the ability to compete at all levels. We're excited to welcome him to the Blackhawk family."
"I was very impressed by the way he played in the World Championships," said Blackhawks head coach Denis Savard. "Jonathan is a heart and soul kid. He looks like he's been very well coached. He is a solid two-way player with lots of skill."
A native of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Toews was also a member of the Gold Medal winning Team Canada in the World Junior Championships played in Sweden this past year. In that tournament, Toews appeared in six games scoring four goals and seven points and was named to the tournament's All-Star Team. He is the first Canadian-born player to ever win a Gold Medal in both the World Junior Championship and the World Championship in the same year.
In the semifinal game of the World Junior Tournament, Toews scored three times in the shootout in Team Canada's 2-1 win over the United States and then added a goal in Canada's 4-2 win over Russia in the tournament's Gold Medal Game. He was also a member of the 2006 Canadian World Junior team that also captured the Gold Medal.
Toews appeared in 34 games for North Dakota this season, scoring 18 goals while adding 28 assists for 46 points and a plus-18 rating. The Fighting Sioux advanced to the semi-final game of the Frozen Four in the NCAA Tournament before losing to Boston College. As a freshman, Toews played in 42 games scoring 22 goals and 39 points.
There aren't any comments yet for this article. Add a comment in the form on the left.
