On Mondays, chicagoblackhawks.com will highlight players who stood out for their minor-league, junior, college or European teams in the previous week's action. All prospect/system stats will be updated weekly throughout the season.
1st Star:LW Alexandre Fortin, Rouyn-Noranda (QMJHL)
The Line: 3GP, 5A
Fortin has found another gear in the playoffs, racking up a handful of assists last week for Rouyn-Noranda. The Huskies continued their QMJHL title defense by finishing off Halifax in five games -- Fortin contributed three assists in a decisive 5-2 victory -- and are currently tied 1-1 in their second-round matchup against Chicoutimi. Fortin has a helper in each of the first two games, extending his point streak to five games, and he now ranks second on the team with 10 points (3G, 7A) in eight playoff tilts.
Prospect Roundup: Fortin lends helping hand
2nd Star: D Blake Hillman, Denver (NCHC)
The Line: 2GP, 1A
Hillman finished a successful season with the University of Denver last weekend at the United Center, winning the NCAA championship to cap off his sophomore campaign. In Saturday's title game, the 2016 sixth-round pick collected an assist on the opening goal in an eventual 3-2 win for the top-seeded Pioneers. Hillman ended the season with eight points (1G, 7A) in 43 games.
3rd Star:RW Matheson Iacopelli, Rockford (AHL)
The Line: 3GP, 3A
In his second week with the IceHogs, Iacopelli recorded three helpers in three games, bringing his total to four points in five games to begin his professional career. The 2014 third-round pick finished his collegiate career at Western Michigan University with 20 goals and 16 assists in 40 games and made his AHL debut on March 31.
Around the system:
- Defenseman Lucas Carlsson continued his playoff run with Brynas IF in the Swedish Hockey League, making three appearances last week. He picked up an assist on Saturday in Game 4 to help Brynas win 4-3 and tie up their series with Frolunda at two games apiece; the 2016 third-round pick now has three assists in 10 playoff games.
- Winger John Dahlstrom continued to demonstrate postseason productivity, picking up a goal and an assist for Medicine Hat in the first two games of their second-round matchup against Lethbridge. The 2015 seventh-round pick has a point in all six playoff games so far, totaling four goals and three assists, as the Tigers are tied 1-1 in the series ... Saint John centers Matthew Highmore and Nathan Noel each tallied a pair of helpers in the first two games of their second-round series against Val-d'Or, helping the Sea Dogs establish a 2-0 lead.
- Center Michael Latta has found chemistry with two newcomers in Iacopelli and Anthony Louis, as the line found the scoresheet in two of three games last week. Latta, a midseason acquisition from Los Angeles, registered a pair of goals and an assist and now has 16 points (3G, 13A) in 30 games with Rockford ... Louis recorded his first professional points last week, tallying his first AHL goal in a 4-2 win over Milwaukee on Saturday and assisting on Latta's lone goal for Rockford in a 3-1 loss to Chicago on Sunday ... Kyle Baun contributed two helpers in three games last week and continues to lead the team with 33 points in 71 games this season.
- Radovan Bondra, a 2015 fifth-round pick, made his professional debut last week, skating in two games with Rockford after finishing his season with the WHL's Prince George Cougars ... Defenseman Ville Pokka recorded a goal and an assist in three games last week; he shares the lead among team defensemen with six goals and ranks second with 29 points this season; the 23-year-old is the only skater to appear in all 73 regular-season games with a week of action left on the schedule.