BLOG: Anderson Finding Role in Blackhawks’ Third Line 

After the Chicago Blackhawks recalled Joey Anderson from the Rockford IceHogs back on Nov. 23, the 25-year-old forward impressed the team with the impact he created over the last few games. 

With his first call-up this season, Anderson knew he wanted to showcase the hard work he put in as well as the positive attitude he can provide. In the past few contests, he felt like he did just that. 

“While I’m up here, it's just come in every day work hard, try my best to help and have a good attitude,” Anderson said. “I like to I think I've done that pretty well since I've been here, so just continue to do that wherever they need me.” 

Anderson notched four assists through seven games this season with the Blackhawks after the team placed Andreas Athanasiou and Taylor Hall on injured reserve.

Head coach Luke Richardson knew the strengths that Anderson could make after his performance in training camp in September. Although he did not make the opening roster for Chicago, the Minnesota native continued to stand out for not only his defensive play but the offensive spark he created. 

“He's been great because he came in firing on all cylinders and he's fitting really well with those two guys,” Richardson said. “They are a great line, both defensively, but they're also creating a lot of offense for us so they're hard to play against.” 

Through 14 games with Rockford this season, Anderson netted seven goals and nine assists and led all IceHogs’ skaters in points (16) and assists. 

He attributed his success with the IceHogs to the help of his linemates and the way they built strong chemistry early in the year. From there, they were able to focus on the group at large but enhance their individual performance as well.

“We were all kind of working on the same wavelength playing together, connected, and we were able to score on a lot of our chances, and we're tight defensively,” Anderson said. “We were piecing together some good games and that just leads to [not only] team success, but individual success.” 

With the recent production in Rockford, he also transferred his game to the Blackhawks system to create success with new linemates Jason Dickinson and Nick Foligno. 

After the team endured a loss to the Nashville Predators on Tuesday, Foligno praised the way that Anderson and Dickinson found their play together in a short amount of time. Since then, they built off the strengths they created and found ways to create puck support within their line. 

“I love playing with those two guys,” Foligno said. “[Dickinson] continuing to have a great year and [Anderson] has come up and been a big influence on our club.” 

Dickinson noted the tenacity and speed that Anderson added to the line but also his work ethic. With the three together, it added to their overall confidence and built trust to create big moments on the ice.

“I think it's confidence first, then it's working together,” Dickinson said. “We are trusting that [someone’s] going to get the job done and trusting that if they don't, somebody's got their back.” 

While he’s still with the team, he hopes to show the work he made over the summer on building a more consistent game. Whether it’s a goal or a simple play, he wants to reflect on how he made his mark with the team. 

“I think just making sure every day, I find a way to [make] good impacts,” Anderson said. “I can’t always score, can’t always do certain things, but always try and find a way to positively help and make sure when you're done with the game, you'll look back and say I helped.”