A year and some change after being selected 57th overall by the Blackhawks in the 2017 NHL Draft, Ian Mitchell is happy with strides he's made. Now in his second Development Camp in Chicago, the University of Denver blueliner feels he's a changed prospect.
"I think defensively I've gotten a lot better," he said. "Coach (Jim Montgomery), that's what he really harped on me to be more engaged defensively and harder to play against down low. That's something I still have to work on a lot and hopefully here, they give us a lot of tools to try and develop outside of our game defensively. I'm just trying to be a sponge and take it all in here."
Mitchell recorded 30 points (2G, 28A) in 41 games as a freshman this past season. Despite his improvements on the ice, the 19 year-old has no timeline in mind to make it to Chicago full-time.
"I just want to keep getting better every day," he said. "Obviously, when the time comes I want to be able to make the jump to the NHL as soon as possible, but Denver is a great spot to be. I love it there, so I just want to keep getting better there and see what happens down the road."
BLOG: Mitchell sees improvement in his defensive game
