Hawks veterans laud rookie scorers Hayes, Shaw

CHICAGO | The Blackhawks' veteran snipers shirk from doling out advice to Jimmy Hayes and Andrew Shaw, two rookies who have proven they have noses for the net in their NHL debuts.

The vets figure too much thinking and not enough instinct or pure, unconscious play results from too much information to digest.

"You usually see with young players that come in and do well right away, usually they'll hit a wall," said winger Patrick Kane. "Hopefully it doesn't happen with those guys. Maybe they'll ask when that time comes. It's like a blast from the past. I remember coming in (during the 2007-08 season) and being kind of clueless about what was going on, not really asking anyone. They're kind of the same way."

Any team with championship aspirations will benefit from two kinds of midseason arrivals. One is the veteran archetype who plugs a hole. Another is the rookie not expected to contribute so soon, but who provides energy and makes his teammates feel young — an exact description of wingers Hayes and Shaw by Hawks coach Joel Quenneville.

General manager Stan Bowman has not made an expected mid-winter deal yet. But in advance of such a transaction, his team has gotten a lift from the 22-year-old Hayes, a true hockey giant at 6-foot-6, 221 pounds, and the quick-arriving 20-year-old Shaw, a fifth-round Hawks pick in the 2011 draft.

Shaw scored in four consecutive games through the Jan. 18 victory against Buffalo, tallying five goals in his first eight games after being recalled from Rockford. Hayes lit the lamp four times in his first 10 games after making the same tollway drive as Shaw.

"Right now they're going in front of the net for the garbage goals, getting rebounds," said winger Marian Hossa. "They like to play that type of style. They just go to the net. Shaw is a smaller guy; he doesn't care (about traffic around the net). Jimmy uses his size to go to the net. It doesn't matter if there's three, four guys (in the way)."

Hawks captain Jonathan Toews should have scoring technique down pat, ranking second in goals in the NHL with 26 through the Buffalo game. He believes Hayes and Shaw similarly know their way around and will get even better with experience.

"For anybody to get a quick start like that at the beginning of your career, it's awesome," he said. "When you can score goals, especially, just make plays out there and believe you belong at the NHL level, it's a huge thing.

"They're making a huge difference and taking advantage of every chance they get. It's fun to see young guys get confidence like that early on."

Hayes and Shaw are usually doing more playmaking and scoring compared to talking, although Shaw has made his social-media voice heard through Twitter. He won't make waves like Oney Guillen, Shaw realizing every word is picked over because he is a pro athlete's status.

At least for now, the rookies know they've allayed a return trip to Rockford. Kane believes they're here to stay.

"If you're scoring, you're not going to be sent down," he said. "Hayes has been trying to play physical. If he does that, he'll probably stay here awhile. Shaw's just relentless. It looks like he's made it for good. So I don't think they have too much to worry about."