PIB’s Blackhawks Prospect Rankings #3 Shawn Lalonde

My ranking of the Blackhawks prospects continues over at Paint It Blackhawks.

Shawn Lalonde comes in as the third ranked prospect. This position was the closest contested ranking to date for Paint It Blackhawks’ prospect ranking series. The 3rd round 2008 (68th overall) selection was a bit of a wildcard coming into the draft. The blueliner was regarded as one of the best skaters in the draft with offensive upside. I was admittedly keeping a close watch on where he would land and thrilled to see the Hawks snag him in the third. I’ve previously read or heard the Hawks actually had him pegged as a 1st rounder by their scouts’ rankings. While too soon to tell at this point, he sure looks like a crafty pick thus far along in his hockey journey. Lalonde had a breakout year last year after being drafted posting 53 points in 66 games, while registering an impressive plus 29 rating. This season, his evolution continues…

Fantasy Hockey Potential: Offensive = 8/10 Defensive = 8/10

NHL Player(s) Comparison: If you can imagine a morph or hybrid of Marek Zidlicky and Bret Hedican (admittedly a tough one to compare to a current NHLer).

http://paintitblackhawks.com/2009/12/17/pib%E2%80%99s-blackhawks-prospect-rankings-3-shawn-lalonde/