Hawks boost minor league roster, Darren Pang gets new gig, Johnson wants more, Rozner

Written by Chris Block

Wednesday, 08 July 2009 23:00

Blackhawks signed two more players today.

Pete MacArthur, 24, a winger who played in Rockford last season on a minor league contract, signed a one-year, two-way contract. He was in Rockford’s training camp last September, but did not make the team immediately and was sent to ECHL affiliate Fresno where he put up 2 goals and 2 assists in 3 games before getting the recall. MacArthur was one of the more consistent IceHogs from the point he joined the team in late October, through the opening round playoff round sweep at the hands of the Milwaukee Admirals. There’s more to the story than his 14 goals and 11 assists in 64 games with Rockford. MacArthur’s a responsible defensive player who killed penalties and skated on the team’s second and third lines consistently despite not being an official Blackhawks’ prospect. I like MacArthur a lot as an AHL’er, and I could see him filling in a game here or there for the Hawks if injuries insist, but I see that as his ceiling. He’s an undersized (5-10 or 5-11) forward went undrafted but did star at Boston University for four seasons.

The Hawks also inked defenseman, and former Tampa Bay Lightning prospect, Richard Petiot (PEH-tee-awt) to a one-year, two-way contract. The Hawks would know Petiot from scouting Colorado College, where Petiot matriculated from 2001-05. Petiot appeared in 11 games with Tampa last season, registering three assists. He was originally drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in the 6^th round (116^th overall) of the 2001 Draft and made his NHL debut with the Kings during the 2005-06 season. Listed at 6-2 and 190 pounds, considering he’ll turn 27 next month, one wouldn’t think he’ll do too much more growing and if Tampa let him go (not saying the Lightning are great judges of talent, far from it) I’m thinking this is Tim Hambly’s replacement as the veteran d-man in Rockford, nothing more.

With the players under contract at the moment, Rockford’s depth chart is looking something like this:

Bryan Bickell – Colin Fraser – Jack Skille
Pete MacArthur – Evan Brophey – Akim Aliu
Rob Klinkhammer – Jake Dowell – Dan Bertram
Adam Hobson – Nathan Davis

Jordan Hendry – Mike Brennan
J.C. Sawyer – Jonathan Carlsson
Brian Connelly – Richard Petiot
Simon Danis-Pepin

Crawford/Niemi
Joe Fallon
Alec Richards

- Brennan was one, if not, the most-improved IceHog from beginning of the season to end and I think he’ll surprise some people in camp…. Either Fraser or Dowell will be kept around Chicago as the extra forward but since there’s a battle to be won for said spot, we’ll figure both in here for the time being….. Nathan Davis must be hoping the Hawks do some dealing and both make the big club or else Davis’s career may die on the Hogs’ fourth line again this year….

McClure and Sam from Second City Hockey report on today's Prospect Camp scrimmages. I’ll be out there tomorrow for the camp finale.

** Assuming I don’t go boozing it up all weekend (I don’t plan on it, but there is an Irish Festival~! happening a few blocks from my house so ya never know?) there’ll be a mailbag this weekend. The last time I announced one of these it was eventually scrapped because the entire thing became a pissing contest over the Brian Campbell contract (& how people think he sucks; yawn, bore me with your nonsense) and thus became too lame to post but I’ve got a good batch this time around already and if you’d like to take part, send questions, thoughts, comments or criticisms to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Aaron Johnson looking for expanded role Cape Breton Post
- On the RFA qualifying offer controversy and subsequent grievance:
“I think either way, I would have signed back,” said Johnson, who believes the whole ordeal may have been blown out of proportion. “You can tell they signed all the guys pretty quickly and didn’t want to go through that process.”

** Hawks television play-by-play announcer Pat Foley will receive the broadcast award at the Ring Lardner Awards Dinner, Thursday July 16, 5:30 at the Union League, 65 W. Jackson. Retired Tribune reporter Don Pierson and the late Harray Caray will also be honored. Awards go to those who’ve exemplified excellence, wit and warmth in sports journalism and broadcasting.

** Darren Pang today was picked up by the St. Louis Blues and will replace Hall-of-Famer Bernie Federko alongside play-by-play man John Kelly (Dan’s older brother) in the Blues’ TV booth. Pang had been without a contract as the Coyotes contract with FSN Arizona expired upon completion of the 2008-09 season. Pang is a former Blackhawks’ goaltender and served as pre-game, intermission and post-game analyst on radio for the Hawks from the time he retired through 1997. Pang’s fun, energetic style along with his likeable personality would have been a welcome change next to Pat Foley.

** Sun-Times entertainment/gossip correspondent Stella Foster reports Jonathan Toews is out of Friday’s “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” slot at Wrigley Field for the Cubs-Cardinals game due to a scheduling conflict. Keeping the Hawks’ theme, Brian Campbell will fill in for Toews.

** Blackhawks confirmed Marian Hossa will attend next weekend’s convention, as will countryman and friend Tomas Kopecky. John Madden will not. Bobby and Dennis Hull along with Stan Mikita, Steve Larmer, Murray Bannerman (don’t be an idiot and tell him how much you like his bar in Bartlett. He doesn’t own it), Eric Nesterenko, Bill White, Reg Kerr, Lou Angotti, Bob Probert, Tony Amonte, Pierre Pilote, Denis Savard and most of the current Hawks will be on hand as well. Full list is here. If you purchased tickets to the event, you should’ve received your passes this week.

Crisis averted, Hawks' Tallon moves forward Tim Sassone, Daily Herald

Tallon takes the heat, doesn't want any negative press Chris Kuc, Chicago Tribune
Tallon: "We don't want any negative media or negative press with all the positive things we've done. We want to continue to build and be positive and move forward and do the right things. We just learn from our lessons and get better every day. That's the goal."

Low road a logical one for Havlat Barry Rozner, Daily Herald
- Missed this last week. The Rozner column CT referenced on the HockeeNight PuckCast Monday. That James Wisniewski line ranks up there on the list of dumbest things I’ve read all year. This column is full of them. And I’m not a regular Rozner basher. Ask Ducks’ fans what they thought of ‘the Wiz’ after game seven of the Conference Semi-finals….. Had the Hawks dealt both Khabibulin and Havlat last season, the rate of return would not have equaled eight playoff home games and an appearance in the Western Conference Finals. Try using that logic on Rocky and John. Too, the cap space Havlat and Khabibulin left behind allowing Tallon to re-sign key restricted free agents to long-term deals AND lure Marian Hossa in restricted free agency. Any insinuation the Hawks and Tallon fouled up in not dealing Khabibulin or Havlat, at the risk of hindering 2009 playoff chances, is just plain asinine. In fact, had the Hawks not gone as far as they did, Hossa, unconvinced the Hawks were a major player in the West, probably would have taken more money elsewhere on July 1^st and the Hawks would be just another team, middle of the pack, in the Western Conference….. Lastly: let me get this straight; the way out of this cap “mess” is to trade for $7.5M malcontent Dany Heatley? Who reportedly presents the same locker room encumbrance Rozner accuses Marty Havlat of being. Around the gambit and defying all reason in 800 words with Barry Rozner…..

Hawks need to decide which players represent their future Al Cimaglia, ESPN Chicago

GM's play with math to beat salary cap Wayne Scanlan, Ottawa Citizen

Bobby Hull - Thrill List Michael Farber, SI.com

This summer's Top 10 - Worst UFA contracts John Grigg, THN.com

-- A member of the Blackhawk Alumni fraternity and recent AAA youth hockey coach Steve Dubinsky turns 39 today…. Karl Dykhuis (37) and Michel Dumas (60), long-time amateur scout for Blackhawks and former Hawk goaltender during the mid-70’s celebrated birthdays on Wednesday…..

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