Chicago Blackhawks fans can put to rest the hashtag #FreeTuevo now.
The #18 overall pick in the 2012 NHL Draft, Tuevo Teravainen has loads of potential, and in this new year, we’ll begin to see it. Teravainen began the season at Rockford, but Friday night it became official: Tuevo is coming up to the parent club.
As we wrote on October 20th, “we’ll likely see Teuvo Teravainen up with the parent club by December, January at the latest.” Here we are, January 2nd. Despite playing different positions Teravainen has drawn Patrick Kane comparisons.
“I think before anybody starts putting Teuvo Teravainen in the same galaxy as Patrick Kane, let’s see him play in the National Hockey League for a couple years and go from there,” said Eddie Olczyk.
“I can see where people draw the comparison because of the stick handling and the quickness and what he has done in his junior career.”
“He has to get stronger, to understand the pro game, the smaller ice surface, but {he’s} another depth player for the Blackhawks at the center ice position moving forward.”
Another member of the NHL on NBC lead announce team, Pierre McGuire, discussed the Helsinki born star-in-the-making.
“He dominated the World Junior. Not an easy thing to do. That’s a huge thing that {will} help propel him to NHL success,” said McGuire.
“It’s the same thing that I saw Patrick Kane do in 2007 when eventually that summer he became the first overall pick of the draft.”
“This is a very special player, and to think that the Blackhawks got him with the 18th pick overall is larceny. He should have been drafted much later than that. ”
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and very often writes The Sports Bank.net ,which is partners with Fox Sports. Read his features stories in the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. Listen to him on 1620 The Zone. Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks). His work has been featured in hundreds of media outlets including The Washington Post and ESPN 2