Chicago Blackhawks‘ 2nd year, Finnish-born defenseman Ville Pokka(29) has yet to play his first NHL game but coming off a strong training camp he was on the opening night roster as the 2015/2016 season started.
The 5’11” 200 lbs. blue liner played his entire rookie season with affiliate Rockford IceHogs scoring a career high 8 goals and 22 assists for 30 points in 68 AHL games. He added 3 more helpers in 8 playoff contests.
Another outstanding stat on his score sheet was unloading a healthy 125 shots on net from the point.
Originally a New York Islanders‘ 2nd round pick in the 2012 draft (#34 overall), he was dealt in the Nick Leddy trade before the start of his first North American campaign.
The 21-year old had already skated in three Liiga seasons for Karpat and was the league’s plus/minus leader (+32) at the end of 2013/2014.
He’s definitely already proven his abilities in the minors and ready to show what he can achieve in the show. He’ll very likely be given that opportunity soon.