Strome adjusted quickly after trade to Blackhawks

CHICAGO -- Dylan Strome had no problem adjusting to playing for the Chicago Blackhawks after being traded from the Arizona Coyotes.

The native of Mississauga, Ontario, loves cold weather, so he welcomed Chicago winters. He also found an apartment in about two weeks -- in the same building as best friend Alex DeBrincat, his linemate for two seasons (2015-17) with Erie of the Ontario Hockey League.
"It was a quick process getting adjusted to Chicago," the 21-year-old forward said, "so it's been good."
The on-ice adjustment has been just as fast. Strome, acquired by the Blackhawks with forward Brendan Perlini in a trade with Arizona for forward Nick Schmaltz on Nov. 25, has 35 points (12 goals, 23 assists) in 36 games, including three points (one goal, two assists) in Chicago's 8-7 win against the Ottawa Senators at United Center on Monday. Considering that Strome, selected No. 3 by the Coyotes in the 2015 NHL Draft, had 16 points (seven goals, nine assists) in 48 games during three seasons with Arizona, it's been quite a turnaround.

"I felt like I was getting chances from the beginning with Chicago and I was putting a couple in, but I definitely feel like my overall confidence is higher and my playmaking is coming back," said Strome, who had six points (three goals, three assists) in 20 games with Arizona this season before the trade. "At the beginning of this year, I wasn't making a lot of plays in Arizona and wasn't really helping the team win. We weren't doing enough, I wasn't doing enough. They felt this was the best decision for the team, and I'm definitely happy to be here and happy to be helping this team win."
The three points on Monday gave Strome 21 (five goals, 16 assists) in his past 13 games, during which the Blackhawks (25-26-9) have gone 8-5-0 to climb back into the race for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the Western Conference. Entering their game against the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena on Wednesday (7:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN), the Blackhawks are one point behind the Minnesota Wild for the second wild card into the playoffs from the West.
Strome, who started on the second line with Patrick Kane and Artem Anisimov and now plays with DeBrincat and rookie Dominik Kahun, has been a big boost to Chicago's power play. Chicago has the best power play in the NHL since Dec. 18 (36.4 percent), and Strome has eight points (one goal, seven assists) on the man-advantage during that span.
"It's been fun to watch his development, evolution, whatever you want to call it," Blackhawks coach Jeremy Colliton said. "You can see the skill level and how he thinks the game at a really high level. He's finding a way to impact the game consistently."
Colliton reunited Strome and DeBrincat on Jan. 22, 11 games ago, and the reunion might be the biggest key to Strome's turnaround. In their two seasons together in Erie, Strome had 186 points (59 goals, 127 assists) in 91 games and DeBrincat, 20, had 228 points (116 goals, 112 assists) in 123 games. Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman said he wasn't sure if the two would rekindle the chemistry they had in Erie, but DeBrincat said he had no doubt.

"We're pretty confident," DeBrincat said. "I think playing with each other for so long, we know where each other is at and each other's tendencies. It's a lot easier to play when you know that. Once he got his confidence, it was pretty good."
Vince Laise, an assistant for Erie from 2013-16, also wasn't surprised.
"To be honest, as soon as I saw the trade happen, I'm like, it's going to be great," said Laise, now an associate coach with Hamilton in the OHL. "They're pretty synched up. The relationship they have away from the rink, it helps. That's where the key ingredients are, the trust and respect. On the ice, it translates."
Strome has found success with the Blackhawks. Considering his start here, the future looks bright.
"He's still a very young player, so he's got a lot more to give," Colliton said. "He's going to continue to get better."