Heady Comparisons For Nick Leddy

The Chicago Blackhawks were happy to show off their 19 year old prized prospect Nick Leddy at their annual fan convention this past weekend.

The Eden Prairie, Minnesota born Leddy was the Wild's first round pick (16th) overall in 2009. The Hawks acquired Leddy with Kim Johnsson in exchange for Cam Barker late in the 2009-10 season.

Leddy, a former Minnesota "Mr. Hockey" award winner, is said to be fantastic offensive defenseman - an effortless skater and a brilliant puck distributor.

If Hawks fans are not already excited about Leddy's potential, Scotty Bowman's glowing praise should have them ecstatic.

"I put Leddy in the same class as Housley -- his skating, his head, his heart. It's these kinds of players who can come in and surprise."

And Bowman isn't talking about the 40 year old Housley who briefly played in Chicago near the end of his career. Bowman coached Housley as a rookie in Buffalo way back in 1982.

"(Housley) came right out of high school and went to the NHL and scored 31 goals as a defenseman. People don't really realize that. Bobby Orr never even did that."

For the record. Housley's 31 goal season came in his sophomore season. As a rookie he scored 19 goals and 66 points. The defenseman would go on to score over 20 goals in each season between 1987 and 1992. He retired with 338 career goals and 1232 points.

The Hawks are hoping Leddy is ready to make an impact as early as this season. Their well-documented salary cap problems may force the Hawks to rush young and small players into the lineup faster than they would like.