Former DU captain Mitchell excelling as rookie with Blackhawks
Ayear ago, Ian Mitchell was a University of Denver junior defenseman and team captain. He was preparing for a likely NHL career but unsure as to when it would begin.
It has unfolded quicker and perhaps more glamorously than most would have thought.
Mitchell, who turned 22 last month, is now a Chicago Blackhawks rookie and often the defensive partner of likely future Hockey Hall of Famer Duncan Keith, 37, the three-time Stanley Cup champion and two-time Norris Trophy winner.
“It’s pretty special to be paired up with a guy like that, growing up watching him and trying to be like him,” Mitchell said of Keith, a fellow western Canadian native.
Mitchell, from the Edmonton suburb of St. Albert, had played in all 21 of the Blackhawks’ games entering Saturday’s contest against Detroit. He was minus-4 after his first two career games, both against Tampa Bay, the defending Stanley Cup champion, but has been even since.
Mitchell has two goals and three points. He scored his first career goal Feb. 11 against Columbus, driving to the net on a counter-attack and tapping the puck in from the crease. He worked the rush like a veteran forward — a skill that accentuby ates his style.
“That first one is special,” Mitchell said his memorable first goal. “Just joy and relief at the same time.”
For DU coach David Carle, Mitchell is an example of an
NHL prospect turning professional at the right time. Mitchell could have signed with the Blackhawks after his sophomore year at DU but chose to stay and captain the Pioneers.
“You never hear anybody say they wished they would have left a year earlier. I do think the extra year paid off for Ian,” Carle said. “The maturity for his body, his mind, being captain of our team, his ability to hold himself and his teammates to a higher standard — that all prepared him well to have success this year.”
Mitchell is to the Blackhawks what Cale Makar, 22, has become to the Avalanche. They both grew up in the Edmonton/Calgary youth hockey circles and played junior-A in the Alberta province before beginning their NCAA careers.
It was fun watching both develop in Denver over the past two seasons, including Makar’s NHL debut in the 2019 playoffs. Makar joined the Avalanche a week after the NCAA Frozen Four in Buffalo, N.Y., where his UMass Minutemen advanced to the national championship game defeating Mitchell and the Pioneers 4-3 in overtime.
Makar and Mitchell were defensive partners for Canada at the 2016 World Junior Challenge in Ontario and roommates at the 2017 NHL combine in Buffalo. Makar and Mitchell were selected No. 4 and No. 57 overall, respectively, in the 2017 NHL draft, and they represented Canada at the 2017 (Makar) and 2018 (Mitchell) World Junior Championship.
“He’s an unbelievable player,” Makar said of Mitchell. “I said it from the start when Chicago picked him: I said he was going to be the steal of the draft. He’s one of the nicest guys I know. I think he’s part of that big turnaround in Chicago, so I’m excited to see how he develops and progresses at this level.”
Keep an eye on the Blackhawks and their prized young defenseman. Chicago, normally an Avalanche rival in the Central Division, is a surprising 11-6-4 and in playoff position in the temporary revamped Central loop — despite playing without injured forwards Jonathan
Toews and Kirby Dach.
Mitchell is a key component in the Blackhawks’ rebuild, which appears further along than most expected.