Teuvo Teravainen hasn’t cracked yet.
Since the Blackhawks selected him 18th overall in 2012, the 20-year-old forward has shouldered colossal, borderline fictitious expectations. Although he hasn’t walked on water yet, he’s looked promising skating on frozen water with the Hawks after being recalled from Rockford on Jan. 2.
Teravainen, who played in just three games with the Hawks last season, received another opportunity to shine in the NHL following Kris Versteeg’s injury during the Winter Classic. The Helsinki, Finland, native tallied six goals and 17 assists in 33 games with Rockford this season before rejoining the Hawks. Teravainen is still in search of his first point as a Hawk.
“I feel better every day. I enjoy whenever I get the chance to play. I’ve played with some great guys here,” said Teravainen, who tallied three goals and seven assists in his last 13 games in Rockford before making the trip back to Chicago.
Perhaps the biggest difference in his game this go-round is his confidence.
“Whenever I do some good things, it’s good for me. I’m thinking, ‘I’m a good player. I can make good plays,'” he said. “If I make bad plays or miss something I feel like, ‘Oh, I can make that.’ So I need to do some good things and stay with those good things.”
“He’s getting more confidence, having more poise [with] the puck; he’s not looking to get rid of it, he’s looking to make plays,” said teammate Bryan Bickell, who’s familiar with bouncing from Rockford to Chicago. “It’s a tough team to break into for the last handful of years. I was in similar shoes to him five, six years ago where I was in the minor leagues just waiting for that opportunity to get in the lineup. He’s here right now—hopefully he can stay for good, just to get some [more] confidence and get some ice time so that he can really shine.”
Teravainen said he has had plenty of help fitting in with the Blackhawks.
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“Everybody has been nice to me; it’s good to come here and know everybody has been kind to me,” he said.
He has received extra help in adjusting to NHL life from fellow Finn and Hawks backup goaltender Antti Raanta.
“It’s always nice to have some Finnish guys here,” Raanta said. “You can talk in your own language and stuff like that. You don’t have to think too much about what you say, you can just be yourself in here. I know [how it is] when you come up. The first couple of games, it’s a new place so you get nervous. If Teuvo needs something, I’m here and I try to help him as much as I can.”
If anyone knows what it’s like to be a prospect people are expecting to work miracles, it’s Patrick Kane, who was drafted No. 1 overall in 2007.
“I think, especially the last couple games, he’s been good,” Kane said. “[He’s] handling the puck well, creating chances. I think as time moves along here, he’s going to get better and better.”
In addition to his confidence, Kane has noticed other improvements to Teravainen’s game.
“Probably just his patience and poise with the puck,” Kane said. “He’s not really throwing the puck away or trying to get rid of it quick, he’s holding on to it and making plays. It seems like it’s more often than not a good play and creates more chances for our team.”
Teravainen also realizes playing with the championship-caliber Blackhawks comes with a welcome change of scenery.
“It’s a nice city, a little better than Rockford,” he said.
Scott King is a RedEye special contributor.